Published July 12, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Au fait — Meaning and Pronunciation
Au fait is a common French expression meaning “by the way.” It is used to introduce a new topic, add a related thought or mention something the speaker has just remembered. In more formal French, être au fait de means “to be fully informed about” or “to be familiar with.” Many students confuse au fait with en fait, which means “actually” or “in fact”.
IPA pronunciation of au fait is /o fɛt/ (IPA), which sounds like “oh feht.”
Example Sentences
Au fait, tu viens demain ?
By the way, are you coming tomorrow?
Au fait, j’ai parlé avec Marie hier.
By the way, I spoke with Marie yesterday.
Au fait, j’ai oublié de te dire que le train est en retard.
By the way, I forgot to tell you that the train is delayed.
Je ne suis pas au fait de la situation.
I am not fully informed about the situation.
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Related Words and Expressions
Here are some other words that are closely related to au fait :
- en fait — actually, in fact
- à propos — by the way, regarding
- d’ailleurs — besides, incidentally
- soit dit en passant — incidentally, by the way
- à ce propos — on that subject, speaking of which
- être au courant de — to be aware of, to know about
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