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Essential French Expression
| Meaning | indeed, that’s right; because, actually, in fact | |
| Literally | in effect | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation | [a(n) nay feh] | |
| IPA | [ɑ̃ ne fɛ] | |
Usage notes: The very common French expression en effet can respond affirmatively to a question, or it can just be a bit of filler, a way of acknowledging and confirming what was just said.
Par exemple…
| – C’est de la confiture maison ? – En effet. |
– Is it homemade jam? – That’s right. |
|
| – Ça te plaît ? – Ça me plaît beaucoup, en effet. |
– Do you like it? – Yes indeed, I like it very much. |
Somewhat synonymous
- c’est ça – that’s it
- c’est exact – that’s right
- c’est juste – that’s correct
- effectivement – indeed
- justement – indeed
- oui – yes (more ways to say “yes” in French)
- tout à fait – absolutely
- voilà – there you go, that’s it
En effet can also introduce some clarification to the current topic.
| – Tu n’as pas travaillé hier ? – En effet, j’ai dû amener ma fille chez le médecin. |
– You didn’t work yesterday? – That’s right, I had to take my daughter to the doctor. |
|
| Je vais déménager, en effet, mon appartement n’est pas assez grand. | I’m going to move because my apartment isn’t big enough. |
En effet is underused by students, who tend to use en fait instead. While both can be translated by "in fact," there’s a difference: en effet serves to confirm or agree with something that was just said, while en fait marks an opposition or contradiction.
Par exemple…
| – Tu vas à la fête ? – En effet, je pars dans 5 minutes. |
– Are you going to the party? – Yes, in fact, I’m leaving in 5 minutes. |
|
| vs | vs | |
| – Tu vas à la fête ? – Non, en fait, je dois travailler. |
– Are you going to the party? – No, in fact, I have to work. |
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