These are French equivalents I use when texting or messaging my friends – just note you might come across some alternate spellings:
haha – for laughing
hmmm – for thinking
Ouaouh/waouh/waou/waw – for amazement
Grrr/aaargh – for frustration
aaaah – for understanding
bof – for expressing a feeling of disappointment or lack of enthusiasm for something (ex: “pizza ce soir ? – bof, pas envie, j’en ai déjà mangé hier” “comment était le concert hier soir ? – bof, pas génial”)
pff – for expressing you are feeling let down or you are feeling a bit downhearted (ex: “hé, tu viens boire un verre ce soir ? -pff… pas possible, je dois travailler” “youpie, je pars en vacances ce soir ! Je penserai à toi quand je serai sur la plage ! – pfff, arrête, c’est pas drôle, je suis jaloux”)
euh (or euuuuh with multiple “u” to tell it is a long “euh”): for expressing a moment of doubt (ex: “sais-tu à quelle heure part notre train -euuuuuh… attends, je ne sais plus, je vais vérifier”)
As you can see, some are common to English or quite
close.
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