I was under the impression that it was spelled “eh ben” but pronounced “ah bon”…
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No, eh ben is a different expression entirely; it means more like “oh well, that’s how it goes.” I’ll be featuring it as the expression of the week at some point, but in the meantime you should know that it’s pronounced [ay beh(n)].
I see with an inflection at the end as it just shows interest. It is good to learn all these expressions, and not going to France speaking all one’s words literally.
June 27, 2011 at 2:06 am
(3) Cristian Pool says:
From personal experience, I’ve gotten the impression that “Ah bon?” is also used while speaking sarcastically. Is this correct, or it is just my impression?
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Sure, it can be. Anything can be turned into sarcasm with the right intonation.
Comments
I was under the impression that it was spelled “eh ben” but pronounced “ah bon”…
I see with an inflection at the end as it just shows interest. It is good to learn all these expressions, and not going to France speaking all one’s words literally.
From personal experience, I’ve gotten the impression that “Ah bon?” is also used while speaking sarcastically. Is this correct, or it is just my impression?