Filler Words in Other Languages: A List for Video Creators
5 min read
Short answer Every language has its own "um": euh in French, äh in German, eh or este in Spanish, ēto in Japanese. Most also have filler words that are ordinary words too, such as French du coup, German halt or Spanish o sea. In a video, cut the hesitation sounds and the filler that pads; keep the words that carry meaning. VCUTS does this in more than 90 languages.
Most advice about filler words is written for English. But if you film yourself in Spanish, Polish or Japanese, your ums sound different, and so do your "likes". Below is a list of common fillers in 25 languages, followed by which ones to cut from a video and which to leave alone.
Two kinds of filler
- Hesitation sounds are the "um" and "uh" of each language: noises that hold your place while you think. They mean nothing, so in a video they can always go.
- Filler words are real words used as padding: "like", "you know", "basically". They are only filler in some sentences. "I like it" needs its "like"; "it was, like, huge" doesn't.
Filler words by language
Fillers vary by region, age and personal habit, so treat this as a list of the usual suspects, not a complete one.
| Language | Hesitation sounds | Common filler words |
|---|---|---|
| English | um, uh, er | like, you know, I mean, so, basically, actually |
| Spanish | eh, em, mmm | este (Mexico, Latin America), o sea, pues, bueno, tipo, en plan (Spain) |
| French | euh, heum, bah, ben | du coup, en fait, genre, tu vois, quoi, voilà |
| German | äh, ähm, hm | also, halt, eben, sozusagen, quasi, irgendwie, eigentlich |
| Italian | eh, ehm, mmm | cioè, allora, tipo, praticamente, diciamo, insomma, ecco |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | é, hum | né, tipo, então, aí, assim, sabe |
| Dutch | eh, ehm | nou, dus, zeg maar, eigenlijk, weet je |
| Polish | yyy, eee, mmm | no, wiesz, jakby, w sensie, generalnie, w sumie |
| Russian | э-э (e-e), м-м (m-m) | ну (nu), вот (vot), это (eto), как бы (kak by), типа (tipa), короче (koroche) |
| Ukrainian | е-е (e-e), м-м (m-m) | ну (nu), типу (typu), як би (yak by), значить (znachyt), коротше (korotshe) |
| Latvian | ē, ēē, mmm | nu, nu jā, tā, it kā, tipa, zini, vispār |
| Lithuanian | ee, mm | nu, žinai, tipo, kaip ir, ta prasme, va |
| Estonian | ee, öö | noh, nagu, et, nii, tähendab, onju |
| Finnish | öö, ee, mm | niinku, tota, siis, no, sillee |
| Swedish | eh, öh, ehm | liksom, typ, alltså (asså), ba, va |
| Norwegian | eh, em | liksom, altså, bare, sånn, på en måte, ikke sant |
| Danish | øh, øhm | altså, ikke, ligesom, sådan, jo |
| Turkish | ıı, ee, mm | şey, yani, işte, hani, falan, böyle |
| Hindi | अ (a), आ (aa), हूँ (hũ) | मतलब (matlab), यानी (yaani), हाँ (haan), अच्छा (accha), क्या कहते हैं (kya kehte hain) |
| Arabic | إه (eh), ممم (mmm) | يعني (yaʿni), والله (wallāh), طيب (ṭayyib), بس (bas), يلا (yalla) |
| Hebrew | אֶה (eh), אֶם (em) | כאילו (ke'ilu), אז (az), בקיצור (bekitsur), כזה (kaze), זאת אומרת (zot omeret) |
| Japanese | えー (ē), えーと (ēto), あのー (anō) | まあ (mā), そのー (sonō), なんか (nanka) |
| Korean | 어 (eo), 음 (eum), 아 (a) | 그 (geu), 저 (jeo), 뭐 (mwo), 좀 (jom), 이제 (ije) |
| Mandarin Chinese | 呃 (e), 嗯 (en) | 那个 (nàge), 这个 (zhège), 就是 (jiùshì), 然后 (ránhòu) |
| Indonesian | eh, em, ehm | anu, apa namanya, gitu, kayak, jadi, terus |
Fillers even change over time. Across English, Dutch, German, Norwegian and Danish, "um"-type fillers have been gaining on "uh"-type ones, with women and more educated speakers leading the change (Wieling et al., 2016).
Why you can't just search and delete
Many filler words are also everyday words, which is why a find-and-delete leaves your video full of holes:
- German also is filler at the start of a sentence ("Also, ich finde…") but means "so" or "therefore" elsewhere.
- Japanese ano is a hesitation sound and also means "that" ("ano hito", that person).
- Spanish pues can pad a sentence, or mean "then" and "since".
- Russian vot is filler in "nu vot", and means "here" in "vot ona" (here she is).
- Latvian tā fills a pause ("nu tā…"), and also means "like that" or "that one".
Whether a word is filler depends on the sentence around it. A good edit, whether by hand or by an app, reads the sentence before cutting.
Which fillers to cut from a video
- Always: hesitation sounds, false starts and sentences you said twice, in any language.
- Usually: filler words that pad a sentence without changing its meaning, especially several in a row ("o sea, tipo, bueno…").
- Keep: fillers that are part of how you talk, and discourse words that connect your ideas. A sentence-opening "so", "also" or "alors" often helps the viewer follow.
The general method is the same as in English: how to remove filler words from a video walks through it step by step.
Removing fillers in your language with VCUTS
VCUTS is an iPhone app that removes ums, pauses, false starts and repeated takes from talking-head videos automatically. It works in more than 90 languages and recognizes which one you speak, so there's nothing to set up:
- Pick a video in VCUTS. In seconds, the fillers, long pauses and restarts are folded away.
- Tap any cut to hear it and bring it back if it mattered.
- Tell it what to keep in your own words, for example "Keep 'du coup', it's how I talk", and add names or terms it should recognize under Words to recognize.
- Add captions and save the video, or share it to your apps.
Saying fewer fillers in the first place works the same in every language too: how to stop saying "um" on camera.
Questions people ask
What is "um" in other languages?
French speakers say "euh", Germans "äh" or "ähm", Spanish speakers "eh" or "este", Italians "ehm", Japanese speakers "ēto" or "ano", and Mandarin speakers "nàge". Almost every language has its own hesitation sound.
Can I remove filler words from a video in Spanish, French or German?
Yes. Cut them by hand in any video editor, or use an app that understands the language. VCUTS works in more than 90 languages and recognizes which one you speak, so it removes "euh", "äh" or "este" the same way it removes "um".
Why can't I just search for filler words and delete them?
Because many filler words are also ordinary words. German "also" means "so", Japanese "ano" means "that", Spanish "pues" means "then" and Russian "vot" means "here". Whether they are filler depends on the sentence.
What are the most common filler words in Spanish?
The hesitation sounds are "eh" and "em". Common filler words include "este" (especially in Mexico and Latin America), "o sea", "pues", "bueno", "tipo", and "en plan" in Spain.