Matching game
French onomatopoeia: aïe, miam, chut, boum and more
Aïe means ouch, miam means yum, chut means shh. Match twelve French sound words to their English equivalents, including what French animals say.
- A2
- 12 pairs
- Tap to match
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
French has its own sound words: aïe (ouch), miam (yum), beurk (yuck), chut (shh), boum (bang), ouf (phew) and bof (meh). Animals sound different too: a French dog says ouaf, a rooster cocorico.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
How are French onomatopoeias used?
Aïe ! Je me suis cogné le pied.
Ouch! I stubbed my foot.
Ouf, on a eu le train de justesse !
Phew, we just made the train!
Miam, ça sent bon ! — Beurk, pas pour moi.
Yum, that smells good! — Yuck, not for me.
Oh là là is often misused by English speakers as "ooh la la" (saucy). In French it expresses surprise, worry or admiration, and can be stretched: oh là là là là ! means things are really bad. After someone sneezes (atchoum !), say à tes souhaits ! (bless you).
- Enfant
Miam ! Il y a des frites ce soir ?
Yum! Are there chips tonight?
- Parent
Non, des épinards.
No, spinach.
- Enfant
Beurk ! Bon… bof, j'ai plus faim.
Yuck! Well… meh, I'm not hungry any more.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| vroum | vroom |
| glouglou | glug glug |
| dring dring | ring ring |
| zzz | zzz (sleep) |
| plouf | splash |
| paf | smack, wham |
- Oh là là ! (to flirt)Oh là là ! (surprise, worry)
In French it isn't saucy.
- Ouch !Aïe !
French pain has its own sound.