oui
/wi/
In French, "yes, I do" is expressed as oui.
oui is the standard, positive response used to answer a question.
Which one should you use?
While oui is the standard way to say yes, use si specifically when you want to say "yes" to contradict a negative question (for example, if someone asks "You don't like this?", you would answer si to mean "Yes, I do").
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, where you might say "Yes, I do" or "Yes, I am" to match the auxiliary verb used in a question, French uses the single word oui regardless of the verb used in the question.
How do you pronounce it?
/wi/
Did you know?
- The word oui is thought by some linguists to be a contraction of the Old French words 'o' and 'il', meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- In French, you can express a hesitant or doubtful 'yes' by stretching the vowel into ouiii, or a reluctant 'yes' by saying oui, oui rapidly, which can sometimes imply 'yeah, right' or 'I've heard that before'.
- If you are in a very informal setting with friends, you might hear 'ouais' instead of oui. It is the equivalent of saying 'yeah' in English.
Examples in context
- Oui, j'aime ça.Yes, I do (love it).
Example conversation
Nathan asks Manon if she wants some coffee.
- NathanManon, tu veux un café ?Manon, do you want a coffee?
- ManonOui, je veux bien, merci.Yes, I do, thank you.
- NathanTu veux du sucre avec ?Do you want sugar with it?
- ManonOui, s'il te plaît.Yes, please.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry oui, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries oui, CC BY-SA 4.0.
