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David
Different Pronunciations of Oui. In French films I hear several pronunciations of oui. I hear it pronounced like english 'way', 'why' and of course 'we'. I also hear people say 'sie' a lot. I'm just curious if there is meaning in the different usages. Would you be more likely to use a certain pronunciation for a certain context? Merci.
Feb 9, 2015 5:44 PM
Answers · 5
3
There are two words for 'yes' in French. The main one is 'oui', usually pronounced 'oo-ee'. Sometimes French speakers pronounce this word 'oo-ay' in a more casual fashion, in much the same we as we might pronounce 'yes' as 'yeah' . 'Si' has a different function, and is used to contradict a previous negative statement. It's the equivalent of the English contradictory 'Oh, yes, I am!' or 'Oh, yes it is!' . For example: 'T'es pas fatigué, toi?' 'Si!' You're not tired, are you?' 'I am!
February 9, 2015
And if you watch films from Québec, you will also hear "ouin" [WAIn] and "ouais" [WÈ]. It's just for fun and effects. For example, if I want to say "oh really!" I would say "ha ouin!" It's all just variation of "oui", "ouais" being he most casual. For some grown up men, "oui" [oo-ee] is too childish! We even use "yep" and "yup" as another variation, obviously borrowed from the English speaking world around us.
February 10, 2015
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