Yes – oui, ouais, ouah …

Yes in French - synonyms for oui
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French Synonyms for Oui

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  =  yes

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

Par exemple…

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":

Par exemple…

– 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”:

Par exemple…

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:

Par exemple…

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!”

Par exemple…

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.

Par exemple…

– 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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Synonyms for oui

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