Déjà Vu and Déjà-Vu

The weird phenomenon of “déjà vu” in French has a different way of spelling it (with a hyphen), déjà-vu.

There is no difference in pronunciation with the “déjà vu” meaning “having re-seen” (a person, place or things), which is why context is always key!

As-tu déjà vu ce film ? (Have you “already seen” this film?)

J’ai eu un sentiment déjà-vu. (I had a (feeling of) déjà vu.)

C’est du déjà-vu. (It’s nothing new./It’s predictable.)

Note: There is always a space before “?” and “!” when writing in French.