Published April 8, 2026 — Lessons written by French teacher and McGill graduate David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
French filler words are small, everyday words and sounds that help you sound more natural when speaking. Native speakers use them constantly to pause, organize thoughts, react, or keep a conversation flowing.
Most learners focus on grammar and vocabulary. But in real conversations, it’s these little words — like euh (uh / um), ben (well), and du coup (so / as a result) — that make speech sound fluid and authentic. Some filler words show hesitation (bon — well, hum… — hmm), others help structure ideas (alors — so, donc — therefore), and many simply give you time to think while speaking.
In this lesson, you’ll find the most useful French filler words and expressions, grouped by purpose — hesitation, transitions, reactions, and conversational flow — so you can understand native speech better and sound more fluent yourself.
🤔 Hesitation / thinking
euh… — um / uh
ben… — well / um
hum… — hmm
voyons… — let’s see
attends… — wait
bon… — well / okay
🔄 Transition / structuring ideas
alors — so / then
donc — so / therefore
du coup — so / as a result
en fait — actually
au fait — by the way
bref — in short / anyway
💬 Softening / conversational tone
quoi — you know / like (sentence filler)
tu vois — you see / you know
je veux dire — I mean
si tu veux — if you want / sort of
comment dire… — how to say…
disons — let’s say
⏳ Buying time / holding the floor
eh bien — well then
bon ben — well then / okay
alors voilà — so yeah / so there you go
écoute — listen
tu sais — you know
😅 Reaction fillers (light, conversational)
bah — well / meh
hein — right? / huh?
voilà — there you go / that’s it
bon voilà — well, that’s that
et tout — and stuff / and all that
👍 Casual conversational add-ons
genre — like (as in English “like”)
en mode — like / in “mode” (slang)
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🗂️ French Filler Words Reference Card
Save this visual list for your future reference — it’s a quick guide to the most useful French filler words and their meanings.
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