Ready to learn some more French expressions? Of course!

To truly express yourself in any language, you need to know much more than just the basics. In fact, you’ll want a whole roster of synonyms for everyday expressions in your arsenal so that you can avoid saying the same phrases over and over again.

We’ve already looked at different ways to say common expressions such as thank you, how are you, and nice to meet you. In this post, we’re going to explore how you can say of course in French, so you can demonstrate your fluency with a range of expressions at the drop of a hat!

Bien sûr

Of course

If you do a quick Google search for how to say of course in French, this is the first answer that will pop up. And with good reason – bien sûr is by far the most common way to say of course in French.

Appropriate for both formal and informal situations, bien sûr is an extremely versatile expression that can be used in virtually any instance where you’d say of course in English. There are many different ways to use it, so let’s take a moment to explore them!

Firstly, you can use bien sûr as a standalone phrase in response to a question or statement.

• L’aimes-tu? / Bien sûr! – Do you like him? / Of course!

• Elle veut partir en vacances. / Bien sûr! – She wants to go on holiday. / Of course!

It’s also possible to say of course to start off a sentence to express something that’s obvious, or a given. The important thing to remember here is that you’ll need to follow it with que if you’re using it this way.

• Bien sûr que j’ai aimé ton cadeau. – Of course I liked your present.

As you would in English, you can also use bien sûr to link two clauses or ideas. In these instances, it’s common for bien sûr to follow directly after the verb of the sentence, although this isn’t a strict rule.

• Nous visitons la France; bien sûr nous boirons du vin. – We’re visiting France; of course we’ll drink wine.

• Il est tard, bien sûr tu es fatigué. – It’s late, of course you’re tired.

Finally, you can also use bien sûr sarcastically. Just as you might say of course in English to express irony with a wry smile, so too can you use bien sûr in French. Don’t overthink this one – you can use it any situation where you’d say of course in English to show you’re not being serious.

• Je lui ai dit que l’assiette était chaude alors bien sûr, il l’a touchée. – I told him the plate was hot, so of course, he touched it.

• C’était un entretien important et bien sûr j’étais en retard. – It was an important interview and of course I was late.

In fact, you can use most of the different ways to say of course in French that we’ll look at below as standalone responses, links between clauses, or sarcasm, not just bien sûr.  However, as the most common expression, bien sûr is certainly the one to make note of!

Bien sûr que oui

Yes, of course

We can also think of of course as a more emphatic way of saying yes. But if you’re really looking to show your enthusiasm, you can opt for the stronger bien sûr que oui. This one’s nice and simple: use it to show your sincerity or just how strong your emotions are.

• Je t’aime, bien sûr que oui. – I love you, of course I do.

• Aimerez-vous visiter Paris? / Bien sûr que oui! – Would you like to visit Paris? / Yes, of course!

Bien sûr que non

Of course not

On the flip side of bien sûr que oui is bien sûr que non. This expression is slightly more formal and polite, particularly in comparison to other ways to express disagreement, but it’s still a strong way to respond to a question. Use it just as you would in English: to express a guarantee that something did not or will not happen.

• Allons-nous gagner? / Bien sûr que non. – Are we going to win? / Of course not.

• Elle ne voulait pas tomber malade. / Bien sûr que non. – She didn’t want to get sick. / Of course not.

Evidemment

Obviously

While évidemment translates directly as obviously, we can use it in very similar circumstances to of course. If something seems so predictable or self-explanatory that you think it’s obvious, you can use évidemment as another way to say of course in French.

• Elle n’a mangé pas le déjeuner, évidemment elle a faim. – She didn’t eat lunch, of course she’s hungry.

• Veux-tu une part de gâteau? / Evidemment! – Do you want a slice of cake? / Obviously!

Just as replying to a question in English with obviously may raise a few eyebrows, the same is true in French. Don’t risk saying this to somebody that you wouldn’t want to offend, and be sure to only use it in light-hearted situations where something really is obvious!

C’est clair

It’s clear, Clearly

This one is used pretty similarly to évidemment, as a confirmation of some statement or question where the response is clear. The literal translation of c’est clair is it’s clear, though it can also translate as clearly in some sentences. Depending on the context, another equivalent in English is of course. If you want to reiterate what’s so clear, you follow c’est clair with que.

Just remember that this expression is very casual, so it should be used around people with whom you already have a friendly rapport.

• Il a attendu trois jours avant de te répondre avec un emoji? C’est clair qu’il ne s’intéresse pas! – He waited three days before responding to you with an emoji? Of course he’s not interested!

• Avec un ciel si sombre, nous devrions amener une parapluie ce soir. / C’est clair! – With a sky this dark, we should bring an umbrella tonight. / Clearly!

Mais oui

But of course

Literally meaning but yes, mais oui is another way to say of course in French.

However, use mais oui with caution! It’s not only much more informal than the other expressions we’ve covered in this article, but it can even be interpreted as condescending, impatient, or annoyed. While it’s not always used in this manner, it can be said in an exasperated or frustrated tone of voice.

With that in mind, be wary of how often you use this expression, and to whom!

• Veux-tu toujours y aller ? / Mais oui, je te l’ai déjà dit trois fois! – Do you still want to leave at 5? / Of course, I’ve told you three times already!

• Es-tu sûr? / Mais oui! – Are you sure? / Of course!

Mais non

Of course not

Just as we saw how bien sûr que non appears as the opposite to bien sûr que oui, we also have mais non as the opposite to mais oui. This expression also means of course not, but it’s much more informal than bien sûr que non. Much like mais oui, it can verge on sounding rude depending on the tone of voice, so save this one for family and friends!

Because of its informality, mais oui can also be translated as the more colloquial no way!

• Suis-je trop sensible? / Mais non! – Am I being too sensitive? / Of course not!

• Je peux l’acheter? / Mais non, c’est trop cher. – Can I buy it? / Of course not, it’s too expensive.

Bien entendu

Of course, Understood

The final way to say of course in French that we’ll explore in this post is bien entendu. An interesting expression, bien entendu has multiple potential translations. The word entendu comes from the verb entendre, meaning to hear, to understand, or, in the reflexive form as s’entendre, to get along with someone. With that in mind, we could translate bien entendu (or even entendu on its own) as simply understood, or, depending on the context, to have heard someone correctly.

• Je ne veux pas en parler. / Bien entendu. – I don’t want to talk about it. / Understood.

• Je vous ai bien entendu? – Did I hear you correctly?

Yet as we’ve seen, another translation of bien entendu is as a way to say of course! Bien entendu is a slightly more polite version of bien sûr, and is a good alternative to keep up your sleeve for more formal social settings. You may also hear it when receiving service from a waiter or sales assistant.

Just like bien sûr, you can use this expression both as a response to a question or at the start of a sentence. At the start of a sentence though, you don’t need to follow it with “que.”

• Je voudrais un croissant, s’il vous plaît. / Bien entendu, monsieur. – I’d like a croissant, please. / Of course, sir.

• Avez-vous fini votre travail? / Bien entendu. – Have you completed your work? / Of course.

• Bien entendu, il le veut maintenant. – Of course, he wants it now.

Conclusion: How to say of course in French

And that’s a wrap on how to say of course in French! We’ve covered six different ways you can say of course, alongside two bonus ways to say of course not. Now, in addition to the trusted bien sûr, you’ll have a whole host of different expressions to pull out of your back pocket when the need arises.

If you need a quick refresher on the different ways to say of course in French, we’ll leave you with the following table for you to return to at any time!