Kilo Lingo

œm

Line drawing of hum
Coloured illustration of hum
#1039 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

hmm; um

Word origin

An imitative interjection representing a hesitant or doubtful sound, formed directly from the noise rather than inherited from an older word. English hum and hmm are parallel imitative formations rather than shared descendants.

Origin
Onomatopoeic
Root
imitative

Examples

, cette .

Hmm, I am not sure about that idea.

, !

Mmm, something smells nice in the kitchen!

, - .

Hmm, let me think for a moment.

, convaincu cette .

Hmm, I'm not really convinced by this idea.

, au .

Mmm, this chocolate cake smells really good.

Where this fits

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French · Free printables

hum: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "hum" (hmm; um): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 21.