Fillers

Fillers are words or phrases that are commonly used in casual or spoken French to ‘fill’ gaps in conversation or help the speaker to think. They’re not usually necessary for the sentence’s meaning.
These can be equivalent to English phrases such as “um”, “like”, or “you know”.
The French use fillers, such as “euh” (um), “quoi” (like), “ben” (well), “alors” (so), and “donc” (so, consequently).

“Euh” can be used when you need a moment to think. For example, “Euh, je ne sais pas” (“Um, I don’t know”).
“Quoi” can be added to the end of an informal statement for emphasis. For example, “C’est dingue, quoi!” (“That’s crazy, like!”)
“Ben” is often used at the beginning of an explanation or response. For example, “Ben, je pense que…” (“Well, I think that…”).
“Alors” can be used to buy time when you aren’t sure how to respond. For example, “Alors, comment dire…” (“So, how to say…”).
“Donc” can be used to link ideas or delve deeper into a topic. For example, “Je suis fatigué, donc je vais dormir” (“I am tired, so I’m going to sleep”).

Don’t overuse fillers as they can make your speech or writing seem hesitant or unstructured.
Be aware that fillers are more common in spoken French than in written French.
Practise using different fillers to naturally incorporate them into your French and make your speech flow more smoothly.
Use fillers that commonly occur together to sound more natural. For example, “bon ben” is a common pairing. For example, “Bon ben, on y va ?” (“Well then, shall we go?”)
Remember, fillers should help your French sound more natural and fluent, but they should not become a crutch. Consider them an extra tool in your French language toolkit.