bref
Bref means 'in short' — the word French speakers use to cut a long story short: 'bref, on est partis' — anyway, we left. Doubled up as 'enfin bref', it's the ultimate conversational full stop, sweeping everything said (or better left unsaid) aside to move on. Essential spoken French.
Where you'll hear it
Nathan
Salut ! Je suis prems pour l'entretien, non ?
Hi! I'm shotgun for the interview, aren't I?
Intervieweur
Bonjour. Veuillez garder une attitude professionnelle. Asseyez-vous s'il vous plaît.
Hello. Please keep a professional attitude. Please take a seat.
Nathan
Ah, désolé, je pensais... Enfin, bref, c'est comme ça. [silence gênant]
Ah, sorry, I thought... Anyway, it's like that (I guess). [awkward silence]
Intervieweur
Parlez-moi de vous.
Tell me about yourself.
How it shows up
Bref, on a raté le train.
Long story short, we missed the train.
Enfin bref, passons à autre chose.
Anyway, let's move on.
C'était long, compliqué... bref, épuisant.
It was long, complicated... in short, exhausting.
Related expressions
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