hein
Hein is the ultimate French filler word. Tacked onto the end of a sentence, it seeks agreement and turns a statement into a question — like 'right?', 'eh?' or 'isn't it?'. Said alone with rising intonation, it means 'what?'. Start listening for it and you'll hear hein absolutely everywhere.
Where you'll hear it
Samuel
Eh bien, Sacré-Cœur ? Incroyable hein ?
Well, Sacré-Cœur? Incredible, isn't it?
Inès
Ah, ça saute aux yeux, surtout avec ce dôme blanc. Ça me fait penser à une énorme meringue ou un monticule de glace à la vanille !
Ah, it's obvious, especially with that white dome. It reminds me of a huge meringue or a mound of vanilla ice cream!
Samuel
Moi, j'ai toujours trouvé que ça ressemblait à une meringue géante. Mais tu sais, ce quartier a une réputation un peu... miteuse.
I've always thought it looked like a giant meringue. But you know, this neighborhood has a bit of a... seedy reputation.
How it shows up
Il fait beau aujourd'hui, hein ?
Lovely weather today, right?
C'était un bon film, hein ?
That was a good film, wasn't it?
Hein ? Tu peux répéter ?
What? Can you say that again?
Related expressions
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