Level A2 (Upper Beginner)
Today’s lesson looks at the French interjection “hein,” a word you’ll hear constantly in conversation. It has no direct translation, but our examples will make its meaning and usage clear.
Meaning
Pronunciation with IPA
Example sentences
Meaning
The French interjection hein is a common filler word with two primary uses:
- Expressing lack of understanding: It can mean “eh?!”, “huh?”, or “what?” when you haven’t heard or understood something.
- Demanding confirmation: It can be used at the end of a statement to ask for agreement, translating to “isn’t it?”, “right?”, or “yeah?”
Pronunciation
Hein /ɛ̃/ (when used as question)
Hein /ɛ̃/ (demanding confirmation)
Example sentences
This first sentence uses capter, which is a slang synonym for comprendre (to understand). The negation ne…rien mean nothing or anything.
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.
For this sentence “Pourquoi tu ne l’invites pas” (why don’t you invite her?) omits est-ce que (is/are/do/does for yes-no questions). This is common in spoken French. The l’ (shortening of la) is a direct object pronoun meaning “her”.
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?
More interjections
- Euh – uh, um, er
- Bah ouais! – Yeah!
- Attention ! – Watch out!
- Coucou! – Hi there!
- Oh là là – Oh, wow, yikes!
- Zut – Shoot, Darn!
- Bof – Meh, nah
- Tant Pis – Too bad, oh well
References
