French Synonyms for Oui

oui = yes

Saying "yes" in French is pretty simple, but there are quite a few synonyms and precisions to be aware of. Check out this lesson to learn how to say yes, yeah, sure, and more.

Oui is the basic, standard French word for "yes":

Oui, j’aime les fraises. Yes, I like strawberries. – Veux-tu m’épouser ?

– Oui ! – Will you marry me?

– Yes!



It’s also the best translation of "I do":

– Veux-tu épouser cet homme … ?

– Oui. – Do you take this man …?

– I do.

ouais, ouaip = yeah

Ouais and ouaip are informal equivalents for yes, equivalent to “yeah” or “yep”:

Ouais, je sais. Yeah, I know. – T’es prêt ?

– Ouaip. – You ready?

– Yep.

Texting abbreviation: Oué

mouais = um, yeah

Mouais is informal and also a bit uncertain:

Mouais, d’accord. Um, yeah, ok. – T’es prêt ?

– Mouais, attends deux secondes. – You ready?

– Um, yeah, just a sec.

ouah ! = yes! yay! wow!

Ouah is an informal word used to express joy or admiration, like “yes!” or “wow!”

Ouah ! Je l’ai réussi ! Yes! I passed! Ouah, on a gagné ! Yes, we won!

si = yes after no

Si is one of my favorite French words, because it’s extremely useful and doesn’t have an English equivalent. It’s used to contradict a negation: to say yes when someone else says no, asks a negative question, or makes a negative statement.

– Il n’a pas de sœur.

– Si. – He doesn’t have a sister.

– Yes (he does). – N’as-tu pas faim ?

– Si. – Aren’t you hungry?

– Yes (I am hungry).

More synonyms for oui

absolument absolutely assurément sure, certainly avec plaisir with pleasure bien entendu of course bien sûr of course bon fine, ok ça marche (informal) ok, that works carrément (familiar) totally certainement certainly c’est ça that’s right c’est exact that’s right d’accord OK effectivement indeed, quite en effet indeed, quite évidemment of course, obviously exact that’s right exactement exactly je ne dis pas non I wouldn’t say no, I don’t disagree (an unemphatic yes) justement that’s right moi aussi me too pouce en haut

pouce vers le haut thumbs up tout à fait exactly, absolutely voilà that’s right, there you go volontiers with pleasure

Oui is also found in a number of expressions, not all of which are variations on the "yes" theme.

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