Saying Yes in French With Oui, Ouais, Mouais, and Si

Any student of French,  whether class-taught or self-taught, knows how to say yes: oui (pronounced like we in English). But there are some secrets to be revealed about this simple French word if you want to speak like a French native. Yes, I do. Yes, I am. Yes, I can...Just oui in French Saying yes looks pretty straightforward. - Tu aimes le chocolat? Do you like chocolate?- Oui. Yes, I do. However, things are not as easy as they seem. In English, you would not answer this question simply by saying yes. Youd say: yes I do. Its a mistake I hear all the time, especially with my beginner French students. They answer oui, je fais, or oui, jaime. But oui is self-sufficient in French. You may repeat the whole sentence: - oui, jaime le chocolat. Or just say oui. Its good enough in French.   Ouais: the informal French yes When hearing French people speak, youll hear this one a lot.   - Tu habites en France? Do you live in France?- Ouais, jhabite à   Paris. Yep, I live in Paris. Its pronounced like way in English. Ouais is the equivalent of yep. We use it all the time. Ive heard French teachers say it was vulgar. Well, maybe fifty years ago. But not anymore. I mean, its definitely casual French, just like you wouldnt say yep in English in every situation... Mouais: showing little enthusiasm A variation of ouais is mouais to show that you are not too crazy about something. - Tu aimes le chocolat?- Mouais, en fait, pas trop. Yeah, in fact, not that much. Mouais: showing doubt Another version is mmmmouais with a doubtful expression. This is more like: yeah, youre right, said ironically. It means you doubt the person is saying the truth.   - Tu aimes le chocolat?- Non, je naime pas beaucoup à §a. No, I dont like it a lot.- Mouais... tout le monde aime le chocolat. Je ne te crois pas. Right... everybody likes chocolate. I dont believe you. Si: but yes I do (although you said I didnt) Si is another French word to say yes, but we only use it in a very specific situation. To contradict someone who made a statement in the negative form. - Tu naimes pas le chocolat, nest-ce pas? You dont like chocolate, right?- Mais, bien sà »r que si! Jadore à §a! But, of course I do! I love that! The key here is the  statement in the negative. We dont use si for yes otherwise. Now, si is yes in other languages, such as Spanish and Italian. How confusing! Mais oui This is the typical French sentence: mais oui... sacrebleu...blah blah blah...I really dont know why. I promise you French people dont say mais oui all the time... Mais oui is actually quite strong. It means: but yes, of course, its obvious, isnt it? Its often used when youre annoyed. - Tu aimes le chocolat?  - Mais oui! Je te lai dà ©jà   dit mille fois! YES! I already told you a thousand times! Now, lets see how to say no in French.