French - Fillers (Social Glue)

Lesson 85 of 159

Learner practicing French fillers aloud, focusing on social glue phrases like 'Bref' and 'Franchement'.

Goal: Short words that keep conversations flowing

Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome — ready to make your French sound more natural? This short lesson focuses on a few common conversational fillers that French speakers use to connect ideas and soften opinions. Have fun practicing them out loud!

Level A2: In this lesson you'll practice four useful French fillers — Bref, Franchement, Je dirais que, and Voyons voir — and learn when to use each one in real conversation. These neutral, everyday phrases help you return to the point, give an honest opinion, offer a guess, or buy a moment to think. (CEFR-aligned.)

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Recognize and use four common French filler phrases in conversation.
  • Practice softening opinions and returning to the main point with natural-sounding language.
  • Build confidence saying these phrases aloud (A2 level).
Two friends chatting in French using fillers to organize thoughts and opinions.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Bref, ___.

Anyway, ___.

Meaning: Anyway, ___.

When to use: Use 'Bref, ___.' to return to the main point after a long story or digression; it's a quick way to summarize or move on.

J'ai raconté toute l'histoire, bref, on a raté le bus.
I told the whole story — anyway, we missed the bus.
Bref, il faut appeler avant d'arriver.
Anyway, we need to call before arriving.

Franchement, ___.

To be honest, ___.

Meaning: To be honest, ___.

When to use: Say 'Franchement, ___.' when you want to introduce an honest opinion or soften what you say; tone can make it stronger or gentler.

Franchement, ce film était trop long pour moi.
To be honest, that movie was too long for me.
Franchement, je préfère rester chez moi ce soir.
Honestly, I'd rather stay home tonight.

Je dirais que ___.

I guess ___.

Meaning: I guess ___.

When to use: Use 'Je dirais que ___.' to give a tentative answer or opinion when you are not certain; it's a polite guess.

Tip: Beginners sometimes use a strong verb like 'Je pense que' when they want to sound less certain; 'Je dirais que' is softer.

Je dirais que la réunion sera à 15h.
I'd guess the meeting will be at 3 pm.
Je dirais que c'est une bonne idée, mais à petite échelle.
I'd say it's a good idea, but on a small scale.

Voyons voir, ___.

Let me see, ___

Meaning: Let me see, ___.

When to use: Say 'Voyons voir, ___.' when you need a short thinking pause to organize your thoughts before answering.

Voyons voir, où ai-je mis mes clés ?
Let me see, where did I put my keys?
Voyons voir, on peut comparer les dates et décider.
Let me see, we can compare dates and decide.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Planning a meeting after some confusion about times.

Anna and David using fillers — 'Voyons voir', 'Je dirais que', 'Franchement', 'Bref' — in a short conversation.

Who gives a tentative time for the meeting?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Voyons voir, le train part à quelle heure déjà ?

Let me see, what time does the train leave again?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Franchement, je ne suis pas sûr de l'horaire.

To be honest, I'm not sure about the schedule.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Je dirais que c'est vers 18h, mais vérifions.

I'd guess it's around 6 pm, but let's check.

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Bref, prenons un taxi si on est en retard.

Anyway, let's take a taxi if we're late.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which French phrase best matches 'Anyway, ...'?

Which phrase would you use to introduce an honest opinion?

Which phrase softens a statement when you are not certain?

Which phrase is best used as a short thinking pause?

I rambled for ten minutes; anyway, we decided to change plans.

I rambled for ten minutes; __ we decided to change plans.

To be honest, I didn't enjoy the restaurant; the food was too salty.

___, I didn't enjoy the restaurant; the food was too salty.

Can you choose a hotel? I guess we can pick the cheaper one.

Can you choose a hotel? ____, we can pick the cheaper one.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bref, ___.

Anyway, ...

Say this phrase out loud:

Franchement, ___.

To be honest, ...

Say this phrase out loud:

Je dirais que ___.

I guess / I would say ...

Say this phrase out loud:

Voyons voir, ___.

Let me see, ...