Nine common filler words to help you better understand french

RECOGNISING THEM WILL HELP YOU FILTER THE WORDS THAT MATTER IN A SENTENCE French is full of filler words that can throw you off if you do not know to look out for them. There are so many,

social media is awash with jokes about how they are often used for entire conversations. Once you learn to notice them, it will help you to understand better because you can filter the words

that matter. But exercise caution in using them yourself: one expert told _The Connexion_ IT IS BETTER TO LET SILENCE REIGN in a conversation than punctuate what you are saying with filler

words, such as _du coup_. 1. _GENRE_ _Genre_ is used as a filler in the same sense as the English ‘like’. You will hear this all the time, however, it is pronounced without the ‘n’ so it

sounds more like ‘jor’. Once you notice it, you will see it crop up numerous times throughout a conversation, especially with younger people. 2. _FIN_ Again, this is used to fill a gap in

sentences or often when people are changing the direction of what they are saying. In this context, fin is actually an abbreviation of _enfin_, which means ‘finally’. For example, if someone

starts to say something and then decides to explain it differently, they will often use fin as an indication that they are changing tact. It can also be used to connect two parts of the

sentence or to indicate you are rounding up. 3. _QUOI_ While it means ‘what’, _quoi_ is also used as a filler word, which can make it confusing for French learners. When used as a filler, it

is like the English ‘you know’ and will usually be used at the end of a sentence. It can also be used like the English ‘come on’. Again, like ‘_genre_’, when you realise how often it is

used, you will begin to hear it all the time. READ ALSO: FIVE NETFLIX TV SHOWS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH 4. _EN FAIT_ This means ‘in fact’, but French people use it far more than

Anglophones. It is usually used when someone is about to explain something or when they are going to introduce a counter-argument. 5. _TU VOIS_ This is another phrase that comes up all the

time. It literally translates as ‘you see’ and it is frequently used at the end of sentences or to emphasise a point you have just made. 6. _VOILÀ_ Although English has stolen this, French

people use it far more often in their everyday lives. Meaning ‘there you go’ or ‘there you have it’, like many of these words, it is used to emphasise a point or to show that you agree with

something. READ ALSO: ‘MALGRÉ QUE’ AND OTHER LANGUAGE MISTAKES EVEN FRENCH PEOPLE MAKE 7. _BREF_ This translates to ‘anyway’ or ‘in short’ and is often used to indicate a change in

conversation. It is often paired with fin to change the subject matter of a discussion. 8. _TAC_ This does not really translate to anything, however, you will hear it all the time in French.

It often indicates a step-by-step process. For example, a teacher may say it as they are handing out papers or a waiter as they are serving customers’ meals. It can also be considered as

the English equivalent of ‘check’. For example, as if you were going through a list ticking things off. 9. _BON_ In the filler context, _bon_ can be used like ‘well’ in English. You will

often hear it used ahead of a concluding statement. RELATED ARTICLES USE SILENCE INSTEAD OF FRENCH FILLER WORDS LIKE ‘DU COUP’, SAYS EXPERT THERE IS NO IRONY IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE - APART

FROM THE WORD ‘BREF’