OUI & NON — 14 ways to say yes and no | Vocabulary
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OUI & NON
9 ways to say yes, 5 ways to say no — because “oui” gets boring
👍 Dire OUI
👎 Dire NON
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « OUI & NON » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 The subtleties
- SI is the secret third answer: it means YES when contradicting a negative question — Tu n’aimes pas ? — Si ! (Yes I do!). Answering “oui” there is confusing.
- Ouais is everywhere in speech but never in writing or with your boss’s boss.
- Volontiers is the elegant yes for offers (food, drinks, help) — instant good manners.
- Bof isn’t quite no — it’s the famous French shrug in one syllable.
- Ça va pas être possible is the polite-but-final French no — you’ll hear it in every administration.
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
« Tu n’as pas faim ? » — you ARE hungry. Answer: (the secret yes)
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Si !
gladly (for offers) = ___ (elegant yes)
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volontiers
the one-syllable French shrug = ___ (meh)
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bof
🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — translation — put it into French
Translate into French: « Don’t you want to come? — Yes yes, coming! » (translation)
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Tu ne veux pas venir ? — Si, si, j’arrive !
Translate into French: « More wine? — Gladly! » (translation)
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Encore un peu de vin ? — Volontiers !
Translate into French: « Restaurant tonight? — Totally! » (translation)
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On se fait un resto ? — Carrément !
Translate into French: « OK, Monday works. » (translation)
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D’accord, ça marche pour lundi.
Translate into French: « How was it? — Meh, not great. » (translation)
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C’était comment ? — Bof, pas terrible.
Go further: get the full picture in our guide Your first French conversation — the 4 moves.
Ways to say yes and no in French — FAQ
What are the different ways to say « yes » in French?
Beyond oui, French has many: si (yes, to contradict a negative), ouais (casual yeah), volontiers (gladly), carrément (absolutely), d’accord and ça marche (OK). The poster above shows 9 ways with audio.
How do you say « no » politely in French?
Use non merci (no thanks), pas du tout (not at all), pas vraiment (not really) or a soft bof. Tone matters more than the word — the page above has 5 natural options.
When do you use « si » instead of « oui »?
Use si to say « yes » when contradicting a negative question or statement: « Tu ne viens pas ? — Si, j’arrive ! » Examples above: « Tu ne veux pas venir ? — Si, si, j’arrive ! » (Don’t you want to come? — Yes yes, coming!); « Encore un peu de vin ? — Volontiers ! » (More wine? — Gladly!); « On se fait un resto ? — Carrément ! » (Restaurant tonight? — Totally!).
🎮 Practise this lesson
Games built from this exact page — turn what you just read into play: