oui
/wi/
The English phrase 'yes' is translated into French as oui.
oui is the most commonly used word for 'yes' in French and functions as a particle to indicate agreement or acceptance. It can also serve as a noun to mean an answer that shows agreement or acceptance, or as an interjection to express pleasure, joy or great excitement.
Meaning: word used to indicate agreement or acceptance (particle)
Which one should you use?
While oui is the standard way to say yes, si is used specifically to contradict a negative question or statement.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/wi/
Did you know?
- Repeating the word as oui, oui can sometimes change the meaning to express skepticism or impatience, similar to saying 'yeah, right' in English.
- The word oui is actually a linguistic relative of the word 'he' in French, as it stems from a combination of an affirmative particle and the Old French word il, meaning 'he'.
- In casual spoken French, people often pronounce oui as ouais, which functions like the English word 'yeah'.
Examples in context
- Oui ou non ?Yes or no?This sentence shows how to use oui in the phrase 'Yes or no?'Tatoeba #569861 by sacredceltic, translation #562905 by kebukebu
- Il a dit oui.He said yes.This sentence shows the use of oui as a noun in 'He said yes'.Tatoeba #7528060 by Micsmithel, translation #2845863 by AlanF_US
- Eh bien oui !Well yes!This sentence uses oui in 'Well yes!'Tatoeba #9025676 by Micsmithel, translation #8856267 by moxy
- Est-ce que vous voulez prendre un café ? – Oui, volontiers !Do you want to have a coffee? – Yes, gladly!
- Êtes-vous d'accord avec cette proposition ? – Tout à fait !Do you agree with this proposition? – Absolutely!
- Pouvons-nous compter sur votre présence ? – Certainement !Can we count on your presence? – Certainly!
- Tu viens à la fête, n'est-ce pas ? – Ouais, bien sûr !You're coming to the party, right? – Yeah, of course!
- Veux-tu venir à la plage ? – Bien sûr !Do you want to come to the beach? – Of course!
- On se retrouve à 19 heures ? – Ok !Shall we meet at 7 p.m.? – Ok!
- 559 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon asks Lucas if he wants to go to the cinema.
- ManonTu veux aller au cinéma ?Do you want to go to the cinema?
- LucasOui, avec plaisir.Yes, with pleasure.
- ManonTu préfères quel film ?Which movie do you prefer?
- LucasN'importe lequel.Whichever one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes” translations and entries oui, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries oui, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
