Ma foi


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Informal French Expression

Meaning	frankly, long story short, indeed
Literally	my faith
Register	informal, dated
Pronunciation		[mah fwah]
IPA		[ma fwa]

Usage notes: The meaning of ma foi is a little hard to pin down, as it’s really just a filler or exclamation, rather than an idiomatic expression. It’s informal and somewhat old-fashioned; in fact, I’ve never heard it said by anyone under 60. Bottom line, while you do need to know what it means, you’re probably better off not using it.

1) Ma foi = frankly, in all honesty

Par exemple…

Ma foi, je ne vois pas l’intérêt.		Frankly, I don’t see the point.
Ma foi, j’espère qu’ils ne reviendront pas.		In all honesty / To tell you the truth, I hope they don’t come back.

Synonyms

crois-moi
en toute bonne foi
en toute franchise
en toute honnêteté
franchement
honnêtement
sincèrement

2) For emphasis

Par exemple…

Ma foi, oui.		Indeed, yes.
Ma foi, c’est impoli.		Well, that’s very rude.
C’est ma foi la réalité d’aujourd’hui.		It is indeed today’s reality.

Synonyms

ben
ça alors
eh bien
en effet
enfin

3) (dans le Midi) To sum up a long, boring, or obvious answer

a) “You don’t really want to know”

Par exemple…

– Vous allez bien ?		– Are you well?
– Ma foi, oui.		– Yes, for the most part.

I’m not sleeping well because I’m so worried about my son, who was in a car accident, but I don’t want to burden you so I’ll just say "yes."

Synonyms

bref
dans l’ensemble
en bref
enfin bref
en quelque sorte
en résumé
plus ou moins

b) “Obviously! What a dumb question”

Par exemple…

– Est-ce que tu as entendu que Laure va déménager ?		– Have you heard that Laure is going to move?
– Ma foi.		– Obviously.

She’s my roommate, so of course I know.

Synonyms

bien sûr
évidemment

En anglais

Ma foi is defined as "indeed" in some English dictionaries, though I’ve never heard anyone say it. Someone told me that in Texas, oh ma foi means “yes, indeed,” “I agree,” or “certainly.”