Published March 7, 2025 · Updated May 31, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Hein — Meaning and Pronunciation
Hein is a common interjection with two main uses. First, it can express lack of understanding, meaning “huh?”, “eh?”, or “what?” when you did not hear or understand something. Second, it can be used at the end of a statement to seek confirmation or agreement, translating to “right?”, “isn’t it?”, or “yeah?” depending on the context.
IPA pronunciation of hein is /ɛ̃/ (IPA), which sounds like “ehn”.
Example Sentences
Elle est belle, hein ? Pourquoi tu ne l’invites pas au resto ?
She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Why don’t you invite her out to eat?
Hein, qu’est-ce que t’as dit? Je n’ai rien capté!
Huh? What did you say? I didn’t understand a thing!
Attention, hein ! Il faut bien réfléchir avant de répondre.
Watch out, eh! You need to think before answering.
More interjections
- Euh – uh, um, er
- Bah ouais! – Yeah!
- Attention ! – Watch out!
- Oh là là – Oh, wow, yikes!
- Zut – Shoot, Darn!
- Bof – Meh, nah
- Tant pis – Too bad, oh well
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