15 French greetings and how to say hello in French | Lessons learned (2023)

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15 French greetings and how to say hello in French | Lessons learned? ›

The most important French greetings include bonjour (hello

The most common greeting in French is the very useful “bonjour”, and “bonsoir”. The first can be used throughout the day, and the second in the evening. “Salut” is also widely used in a more informal setting. These are the most basic greetings that will commonly be learned in lessons for French for kids.

To greet people, you say "Bonjour". Among young people and students, "Salut" is used more frequently.

What is the proper response to bonjour? It's more than sufficient to simply say bonjour back in response to those who greet you, but if you want to go a step beyond, you can respond with comment allez-vous, which is the French equivalent of asking how it's going.

In the event you aren't familiar with the word, bonjour means hello or good day.

Generally speaking, bonjour is the standard method of saying “good morning.” But depending on where in the world you are, you may also be able to say bon matin! Interestingly, you generally want to say bonjour to someone once per day.

Is bonjour hello or goodbye? ›

Bonjour means “hello,” or “good morning,” or “good afternoon,” while bonne journée means “have a good day.” So if you ran into someone at the grocery store one morning you would say, “bonjour” when you saw them and then, “bonne journée” when you parted ways!

In France, you need to say bonjour when entering a place. Whether you are talking to a single salesperson or entering a crowded bakery, greet them by saying bonjour.

Signing off

Veuillez accepter, Messieurs (or Monsieur or Madame), mes salutations distinguées. Croyez, cher Monsieur (or chère Madame), à l'expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs.

Most of you know the formal expression “bonjour”, and you should since it's the most common way to greet someone in French. We use it to greet people in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. “Bonjour” is always polite, and works in any situation.

- Bonjour, madame. Hello, ma'am.

Hi and hello are practically interchangeable in their usage. They mean the same thing, and are used for the same purpose. However, 'hello' is more formal and is appropriately used in formal occasions or in greeting persons of authority. 'Hi' as mentioned earlier is more casual and is used among peers and equals.

What are simple greetings? The simplest greetings are the old-fashioned "hello," "hey," or "hi." You can use these in almost any situation!

We can greet people with a one-word greeting like 'hello,' 'hi,' 'hey' or 'morning. ' Or we can use formal greeting phrases like 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' or 'good evening.

Is it rude to not say bonjour? ›

In France, saying bonjour in French is a sign of respect and a cultural norm. It's not optional to forgo the greeting if you want people to know that you understand French manners.

General Guidelines (No Matter Where You Are)

In most countries where cheek kissing is the norm, you usually offer your right cheek first. No big deal if you both go in opposite directions — just laugh it off. Generally speaking, an air kiss is an air kiss. When in doubt, avoid planting your lips on the other person.

French kissing became popular after WWI

No one really knows the exact reason why we use the term, but it was likely adopted by Americans who traveled to France and kissed French women, who were more comfortable with a bit of tongue action, says Kirshenbaum. Naturally, the term “French kiss” developed.

The usual response to merci is de rien (You're welcome – literally, It's nothing) or il n'y a pas de quoi. In a more formal context, you could say Je vous en prie or Je t'en prie.

(informal) how are you.

Some proper ways to respond to ça va? include, “Très bien, et vous ?” or in a more casual setting, “Ça va bien, et toi ?” But you can also respond with a simple “ça va,” which means you're doing fine.

What does bonsoir mean? Bonsoir means good evening or good night. Bonsoir is borrowed directly from French, in which it means the same thing.

As you might already know, the most common word is Hola, which can be used at any time of the day, in any situation, either formally or informally, and all over Spain or any Spanish-speaking country. It's short, simple, and all you need to remember is that in Spanish we don't pronounce the letter h.

With a verbal greeting you should say "Bonjour" (Hello) + their title or first name if you are friends. The French etiquette for saying goodbye is pretty much the same. Merci Monsieur, Madame etc.

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow can ranges from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist. A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small nod with the head is casual and informal.

How do you say hello in French at night? ›

Bonsoir – Hello in French – But in the Evening

When you greet someone with “Hello” in French in the evening, you can say “bonsoir“. Same as with “bonjour”, it's more polite to use something after “bonsoir”; Bonsoir madame.

Good afternoon! Bon après-midi !

You can simply use the informal salut (hi) on its own. You can also use bonjour (good morning or good afternoon) or bonsoir (good evening). You would only use bonne nuit (good night) at bedtime.

One major difference is that Bonsoir can be used to say goodbye, whereas bonjour never is. This means that you can use Bonsoir when you meet someone (evening hours), and at the same time, you can use Bonsoir upon leaving (again not during the day).

Salut: “Hi” in French

This way of saying hello can also be used as a way of saying goodbye, in the same way that ciao can be used in Italian. Salut is not a way that you would greet strangers either, while it is used in informal settings, it is mainly said to people you know.

When someone says 'bonsoir' (pronounced: bohn-SWAHR), you can simply reply 'bonsoir' as well. Notice that this is the equivalent of 'good evening.

As with English, French people tend to reply to Ça va? with a positive response – Bien, or Bien, merci – much the same way as we would use fine in English. The following responses are polite enough for a new acquaintance, but general enough for a good friend, too: Très bien, merci.

Wondering how to say Cheers in French? You can say “Santé” which translates to “to your health”. A more polite way is to say “À votre santé!”, which is another common way to say cheers in French.

Why are Condoms Called French Letters? The term 'French letter' refers to 18th-century French condoms made from animal intestines. These condoms were sometimes referred to as 'Lettres de cachet', which literally translates as 'letters of seal' in English.

How do you greet your boss in French? ›

For example, if you are greeting your boss for the first time, you'll want to say “bonjour” instead of “coucou.” Conversely, if you are saying hi to a friend in the corridor, you can use any greeting but would probably use “salut.”

1. good morning. ton déférent) good morning Madam. 3. ( le nom est connu) good morning Mrs X.

Italians use buongiorno in much the same way — it means both “Good morning” as well as being useful during the day at the same times as bonjour. You might remember this from La Vita è Bella.

Bonjour means “hello,” or “good morning,” or “good afternoon,” while bonne journée means “have a good day.” So if you ran into someone at the grocery store one morning you would say, “bonjour” when you saw them and then, “bonne journée” when you parted ways!

“Bonjour” - The Classic “Good Morning” in French

“Bonjour” is not only limited to the morning, it can also be used to greet someone you meet for the first time during the day. You can say bonjour in many formal and informal situations. It is the easiest way to greet someone in French.

So to say “hello, how are you?” in French, simply say bonjour, ça va? or salut, ça va?

— Je vais bien. How are you? — I'm fine.

“Merci beaucoup” – Thank you very much. “Je vous en prie” – You're welcome.

As with English, French people tend to reply to Ça va? with a positive response – Bien, or Bien, merci – much the same way as we would use fine in English. The following responses are polite enough for a new acquaintance, but general enough for a good friend, too: Très bien, merci. Very well, thank you.

The most common way of saying “hello” in German is “Hallo”. This is a casual greeting. You should only use it when greeting friends and family: Hello = Hallo.