How to Use the Typical French Expression Ah bon

The everyday French expression, Ah bon ?, pronounced  Ã‚  [a bo(n)],  is used primarily as a soft interjection, even when its a question, just as we say the equivalent in English, as in: Im going to the movies. Oh, really? The speaker is indicating interest and maybe a little surprise. Its the same in French. An Interjection With Many Meanings Ah bon,  literally means oh good, though  it  commonly translates into English as: Oh yes?Really?Is that so?I see. But there are a dozen more ways it could be correctly translated, too, depending on what you want to express. The expression ah bon, among the most common in the French language,  is, as we noted, really more of an interjection, and, in general, its used to acknowledge what another person just said, to reinforce a sentiment, or to ask for confirmation. Dont be fooled by  the use of bon. It doesnt carry the meaning of good here, so ah bon can be used when talking about both good things and bad things. Examples With ah bon, bon, ah, oh   Jai vu un film intà ©ressant hier. Ah bon ?  Ã‚  I saw an interesting movie yesterday. Oh, yes?  Nous avons dà ©mà ©nagà © aprà ¨s le dà ©cà ¨s de mon pà ¨re. Ah bon.  Ã‚  We moved after my father died. I see.Je pars aux États-Unis la semaine prochaine.  Ah bon?   Im going to the States next week. Really?  Jaimerais vraiment que tu viennes!  Bon, daccord. Id really like you to come! OK, I will.Bon, je reste.   Right, Ill stay.Il est venu. Ah bon  !   He came. Did he really ?Ils nen ont plus en magasin.  Ah bon  !  [with a ton of resignation] They dont have any more in stock. Oh well !Ah non alors  !   Certainly not !Ah oui  ?    Really ?  Pousser des oh et des ah To ooh and ah