Yes in French is oui (wee) and no is non (nohn, with a nasal vowel). French also has a third word, si, a "yes" that contradicts a negative question or statement: Tu n'as pas faim ? — Si ! ("Aren't you hungry?" "Yes, I am!"). In casual speech, ouais is a relaxed yes, and d'accord means OK.
- Yes
- oui
- No
- non
- Yes (to a negative)
- si
- OK
- d'accord
- Level
- A1
When do you say si instead of oui?
Use si whenever you say yes against a negative. English handles this with tone ("Yes I *do*!"); French has a dedicated word. Answering a negative question with oui sounds confused, because it seems to agree with the negative.
Tu ne viens pas ce soir ? — Si, je viens !
Aren't you coming tonight? — Yes, I am!
Vous n'avez pas de monnaie ? — Si, attendez.
Don't you have any change? — Yes I do, hang on.
Il ne parle pas anglais. — Mais si !
He doesn't speak English. — Yes he does!
Mais si is the emphatic version.
Je pense que si.
I think so (contradicting a negative).
A Contos mystery uses si on its own, as a narrator's afterthought. Someone has been writing in the bakery's old recipe book, and she finds a little round mark in the flour, like the tip of a walking stick:
Mamie n'a pas de canne ! Ou peut-être que si ?Peut-être que si (maybe she does) is si contradicting the negative sentence just before it.
What are the different ways to say yes in French?
Oui is always fine. Beyond it, French has a set of yeses that add enthusiasm, doubt or agreement.
| French | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Oui | Yes | Neutral |
| Ouais | Yeah | Informal, very common in speech |
| Si | Yes (contradicting a negative) | Neutral |
| D'accord | OK, agreed | Neutral; often shortened to d'acc in speech |
| Bien sûr | Of course | Neutral |
| Exactement / Tout à fait | Exactly / Absolutely | Neutral to formal |
| Carrément | Totally, definitely | Informal |
| Mouais | Yeah, I suppose | Informal, sceptical |
Repeating oui shows excitement. In this A1 romance, Bastien asks Camille out for a real coffee, without the dogs, and she can hardly answer:
Dans sa tête, elle répète : oui, oui, oui.How do you say no politely in French?
A bare non can sound sharp, just as "no" can in English. Add merci when you turn down an offer, or soften it with a reason. To disagree firmly, French has pas du tout (not at all) and mais non ! (of course not!).
Non, merci.
No, thank you.
Non, pas vraiment.
No, not really.
Pas du tout !
Not at all!
Je ne crois pas.
I don't think so.
Malheureusement, non.
Unfortunately not.
Oui and non often arrive together in one breath. Here, Camille overhears her grandmother on the phone in the attic, and the secret in the second half sets off the whole story:
« Oui, le notaire… Non, personne ne sait. Pas même Camille. »How do you say me too and me neither?
Agreeing with a positive statement takes moi aussi (me too); agreeing with a negative one takes moi non plus (me neither). Mixing them up is one of the most common beginner slips.
J'aime le fromage. — Moi aussi.
I like cheese. — Me too.
Je n'aime pas le froid. — Moi non plus.
I don't like the cold. — Me neither.
Je n'ai pas faim. — Moi si !
I'm not hungry. — I am!
Si again: disagreeing with a negative.
If someone asks how you are, yes and no won't quite do: see how to say "How are you?" in French.
Read A1 French stories and tap any word, every oui and si included, to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce oui?
Say "wee", as one quick syllable. Some learners pronounce it "oo-ee" in two parts; run them together instead. Ouais sounds like "weh".
How do you pronounce non?
It is a nasal vowel: say "noh" while letting air through your nose, and do not close it with an n. It has the same nasal vowel as the first syllable of bonjour.
Is ouais rude?
Not rude, just casual, like "yeah". It is fine with friends and colleagues, but in a job interview or with someone you call vous for respect, oui is better.
What does si mean in French?
It has two jobs. As an answer, it is a yes that contradicts a negative. Inside a sentence, it means "if" (si tu veux, if you want) or "so" (c'est si beau, it's so beautiful).
What does ben oui mean?
"Well, yes" or "obviously". It shows the answer was evident, and can sound slightly impatient. You will also hear bah oui and ben non.