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Essential French Expression
| Meaning | really?, I see | |
| Literally | oh good | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[ah bo(n)] |
| IPA | [a bɔ̃] | |
Usage notes: This is a useful French expression. Ah bon. If you haven’t heard it already, you soon will. Ah bon ? And then you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Ah bon !
Ah bon is an interjection / filler used to ask for confirmation or even just to acknowledge what was just said. Despite the word bon, it does not have any sort of positive connotation.
Par exemple…
| – J’ai décidé de faire le tour du monde. – Ah bon ? |
– I’ve decided to take a trip around the world. – Really? |
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| – Je n’ai pas payé la facture d’électricité en novembre. – Ah bon. |
– I didn’t pay the electric bill in November. – I see. |
Somewhat synonymous
- ça alors – how about that
- c’est vrai ? – really?
- d’accord – OK
- je vois – I see
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