Word up Your French Special Edition: French interjections
Have you ever noticed how French people punctuate 99% of their sentences with nonsensical terms that are more similar to little noises than actual words? Yes, today we are talking 'Oh la la', just bah... because.
Hein
It is hard to describe the passion French people have for the word 'hein'. Hein (pronounced like the French number 'un') either means:
1- That you didn't understand or didn't hear something. "Hein? What did you just say?"
2- That you are very surprised or devastated "I'm afraid there's no more cheese in this house." "HEIN??"
3- That you are simply French. "Don't mind my accent, it's because I'm French hein." "You don't need to take a coat, it's nice outside hein." "I already gave two examples, that's enough hein."
Bah/ben
These two derive from 'eh bien !', which is obvisously too long an exclamation to be pronounced as such. To turn this two-syllabe-posh-sounding expression into a more fluid one, French people had the genius idea two create these two wonderful words, that you can use as follow:
1- When you hesitate, you'll drag the word (no more than 3 seconds though, after that it will only sound awkward). "Did you turn the light off before you left?" "Baaah... oui/Beeen... oui".
2- When you think the answer is obvious. "Do you like chocolate?" "Bah oui !/ Ben oui !"
3- When you want to express surprise. "Bah/Ben, where did I put my keys?"
Rho
I'm not even sure how to spell this one. It's this sound French people make from the back of their throat when they find something or someone particularly annoying.
"You don't have any croissant left? Rhooo !"
And you know what I'm thinking? Maybe French people don't complain that much more than anyone else, after all. Maybe it's just that they make their discontentement more obvious by voicing it in a very guttural, very noticeable way.
Han
The French may have trouble breathing out their Hs in English but lucky them, they can aspire them just fine. Everytime you feel particularly surprised or chocked, just suck all the air in the room, à la française.
"And then Culturethèque crashed and nobody could read French books!"
"Haaaaan!"
Oh la la
(also Olala and Oulala)
'Oh la la' is also used to express surprise or chock, although more in a "Oh no!" way ('han' would be more similar to an OMG). It is usually used to emphasize the severity of a situation, to say that something is going wrong.
"Oh la la, I need to go, I'm 30 minutes late!"
Now try out your French with these very common French 'expressions':
"Ah bah oui mais bon."
"Rho bah non hein."
"Bon bah voila."
"Ah bah ça hein..."
"Han mais hein ??"
"Ah bah oui mais bon voila quoi."