Mission: understand friends who talk fast
Discourse markers. Small words like bref, du coup and enfin steer a conversation.
FrenchB2 · Sounding naturalAbout 7 min: 3 reading, 4 practiceUpdated
- Recognise what bref, en fait, enfin, quand même and du coup signal
- Understand casual fillers such as genre, bon, ben, tu vois, voilà and franchement
- Tell which markers are casual
- Use a few markers correctly yourself
Sounding natural: lesson 2 of 4
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Level Level B2 (around the DELF B2 exam). Real French: following a quick, casual chat between friends.
What it is
Your mission: you are at a café in Bordeaux with Inès and Théo. They tell stories fast, and half of what they say seems to be little words: bref, du coup, enfin, genre, ben, tu vois. Work out what each one is doing so that you can follow the story, and then use some yourself.
Discourse markers are small words that organise speech: they show how a sentence relates to the previous one, correct it, soften it or close it. They rarely have a precise dictionary meaning, so learn what they signal.
- bref: in short; wrapping up a long story (casual: no)
- en fait: actually; the truth differs from what was expected (casual: no)
- enfin: well, I mean (correcting yourself); also "finally" (casual: no)
- quand même: all the same; still; "come on" (casual: no)
- du coup: so, as a result (casual: yes)
- alors: so, then; also a way to start (casual: no)
- franchement: honestly (casual: a little)
- genre: like, sort of (casual: very)
- bon: well, right: starts, closes or accepts (casual: a little)
- ben: well (hesitation or surprise) (casual: very)
- tu vois: you see, you know (casual: yes)
- voilà: there you go; that's it (casual: no)
A few details:
- enfin has two lives. Meaning "finally": Enfin, il est arrivé ! Correcting yourself: Il est sympa, enfin, il est surtout poli.
- quand même adds an attitude: Il a quand même réussi (he succeeded in spite of everything); Tu exagères quand même !
- du coup is everywhere in speech: Il pleuvait, du coup on est restés. In a formal email, use donc or par conséquent.
- genre is casual and approximate: Il y avait genre trente personnes.
- ben is the spoken form of eh bien: Ben, je sais pas.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Il y avait genre cent personnes. » What does genre do here?
- Here genre is not about a type of people
- It is an invented meaning
Show answer
It makes the number approximate (around a hundred). informal genre = like, around.
Why it matters
Fast casual French is built from these words. Without them, a friend's story sounds like a string of unconnected sentences. They also make your own speech sound natural and help you think while you talk (alors… bon… en fait…). Listening for them is half of understanding a conversation at natural speed.
Worked example
At the café, Inès tells a story.
- Inès: Alors, hier, j'attendais le bus, genre vingt minutes. Du coup, j'ai marché.
- Théo: Ben, c'est loin, quand même !
- Inès: En fait, non, c'est dix minutes. Il est sympa, ce quartier, enfin, il est surtout calme. Bon, bref, j'arrive et je vois mon ancien prof.
- Théo: Ah oui ? Franchement, c'est fou.
- Inès: Tu vois, c'est ça qui est drôle. Voilà, c'est tout.
Real French: young speakers use genre a great deal (genre, trop bien), and du coup is so frequent that some people find it overused. Both are fine among friends; in a formal text, avoid them.
Common mistake
Translating actually as wrong: actuellement. Actuellement means currently. For "actually", say en fait: wrong: Actuellement, il n'est pas malade, il est juste fatigué → En fait, il n'est pas malade, il est juste fatigué.
Also, don't pile up markers: one du coup per few sentences is natural, five in one sentence is not.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"Actually, I wasn't busy." Which is right?
- Actuellement means currently, and does not fit the imparfait
- Bref means in short: it sums up and doesn't correct
Show answer
En fait, je n'étais pas occupé.. en fait = actually; actuellement = currently.
Key terms
- bref
- in short
- en fait
- actually
- enfin
- well, I mean (correction); finally
- quand même
- all the same, still
- du coup
- so, as a result
- genre
- like, sort of (casual)
- bon
- well, right
- ben
- well (very casual)
- tu vois
- you see
- voilà
- there you go
- franchement
- honestly
- alors
- so, then
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 12 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| bref | in short |
| en fait | actually |
| enfin | well, I mean (correction); finally |
| quand même | all the same, still |
| du coup | so, as a result |
| genre | like, sort of (casual) |
| bon | well, right |
| ben | well (very casual) |
| tu vois | you see |
| voilà | there you go |
| franchement | honestly |
| alors | so, then |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« Elle a dit oui, du coup on part demain. » What does du coup show?
- That is en fait or mais
- That is bref
Show answer
A result: so, as a consequence. du coup = so, as a result.
« Il est timide, enfin, il est surtout réservé. » Why does she say enfin?
- Nothing here happens at last
- Voilà or bref could do that, not enfin
Show answer
She corrects or refines what she said. enfin can introduce a correction.
Théo has told a long story and wants to wrap it up. He says:
- Genre is approximate: it does not wrap up
- Franchement means honestly: it does not wrap up
Show answer
Bref, on a raté le train.. bref = in short.
Sort it
What does each one do?
du coup
soShow answer
Result. so
en fait
actuallyShow answer
Correction or contrast. actually
Il est sympa, enfin, il est poli
enfin corrects the first ideaShow answer
Correction or contrast. enfin corrects the first idea
bref
in shortShow answer
Wrap-up. in short
Voilà, c'est tout
that's allShow answer
Wrap-up. that's all
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| bref | in short |
| en fait | actually |
| du coup | so, as a result |
| quand même | all the same |
| franchement | honestly |
| tu vois | you see |
Build the sentence
Build "So we went home earlier."
Show answer
Du coup, on est rentrés plus tôt.. marker first, then subject + passé composé.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Théo, my friend, chatting fast in a café in Bordeaux. Speak naturally but clearly, at level B2, using tu. Start with « Alors, hier, c'était n'importe quoi… ». Tell me a story in short pieces, using casual markers (bref, du coup, enfin, en fait, genre, ben, tu vois, franchement), one piece at a time. After each piece, ask me in French what one marker meant, or ask me a question that I answer with a marker of my own. Correct me in English when I misread or misuse a marker, and let me try again. The mission is complete when I have explained five different markers correctly and used three of them myself: then say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Discourse markers organise speech: learn what they signal, not a fixed translation.
- bref wraps up; en fait corrects or contrasts; enfin can correct yourself; du coup gives a result.
- genre, ben, du coup and tu vois are casual: fine among friends, not in formal writing.
- Actuellement means currently; "actually" is en fait.
- Use markers sparingly: one now and then sounds natural.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
What does du coup mean in « Il pleuvait, du coup on est restés » ?
Show answer
So, as a result.
How do you correct yourself in the middle of a sentence?
Show answer
For example with enfin: « Il est sympa, enfin, il est surtout poli. »
How do you say "actually" in French?
Show answer
En fait (not actuellement, which means currently).
Further reading
- RFI, Journal en français facile, a free daily news bulletin in simple French, with clear speech to practise your listening.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free exercises built on real TV clips.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.