French greetings are one of the basic lessons you would learn in your French journey. Generally, the word “Bonjour” is used to greet people in French but there are various occasions such as formal events, talking to strangers, or different times of day, that would require you to greet using other terms. Most people learning French only use “Bonjour” because it is the most common. In this article, we will cover common french greetings and other french greeting phrases you can use, how to use them in a sentence, and finally how to say goodbye in French.
Most common French greeting: Bonjour
Bonjour is the most popular phrase used in French greetings. It’s probably one of the simplest and most common French sayings that a French learner must learn. It is also used by everyone and you can easily hear this phrase whether you go to a salon, meet someone randomly on the street or enter a pastry shop. The French people you meet will probably greet you with the phrase bonjour (if it is not dark). Bonjour literally means “Good morning”, but it can also be used to say “hello”. This phrase can be used in almost any occasion, either formal or informal, as it is quite a universal greeting, and since it actually means ‘‘good morning’’, then it should only be used to greet someone in the morning time of the day. However, just like there are many ways to say thank you in French, there are many other French greetings that you can use perhaps at other times of the day or in other contexts.
Other French greetings
1. Hi: Salut
Salut is a simple greeting that can be used with anyone you see rather often or with whom you are well acquainted with. Salut is an informal greeting that means “hi”, or sometimes “hello”. It is also often used to mean goodbye. People you would use this expression with include your friends, family, colleagues, and people you are close to. It may sound absurd or rude to say it to your boss or use it in a business meeting or official gathering. Also note that the “t” at the end of the word is silent, thus following the general rule in French that if a final consonant is not followed by an “e” or other vowels, it is not pronounced.
Example: Salut Paul, comment ça va?
Translation: Hi Paul, how are you?
2. Good morning: Bon matin
Another method of saying good morning in French is “Bon matin” pronounced as bon mah-teen. Although this phrase also translates to “good morning” it is not commonly used by French speakers. Rather, it is an Anglicization, or Anglicisme, that works as a literal translation but that isn’t commonly heard. However, bon matin may be heard more frequently in Québécois French, the variety of French spoken in Canada. Generally speaking, as we mentioned in the introduction, bonjour is the standard method of saying “good morning” but depending on where in the world you are, you may also hear bon matin!
Example: Bon matin mon ami j’espere que tu as bien dormi
Translation: Good morning my friend I hope you slept well
3. Good afternoon: Bon apres midi
To greet people in the afternoon you say “bon apres midi”. Also note that French speakers generally use this expression, at the end of their discussion (in the afternoon) when they are saying goodbye, so you should follow their lead and avoid using it at the beginning of a conversation. Again you can hear that the “s” in apres is silent, it follows the general French rule of not pronouncing a final consonant that is followed by an “e”. “Bon apres midi” can be used in both formal and informal settings.
Example: Je vais être sur mon chemin maintenant, bon après-midi.
Translation: I would be on my way now, good afternoon.
4. Good evening: bonsoir
Once the twilight settles in, it is safe to switch from “bon apres midi” to “bonsoir”, which means good evening. The tricky part here is that you should only use this phrase in the evening time and not tell someone good night, because there is actually another phrase for that. Another term similar to this phrase is “Bonne soiree” which means “Have a good evening”. These two terms are generally the same but “Bonne soiree” is used when you are saying farewell or goodbye. Just like “bon apres midi”, “bonsoir” can also be used on any occasion.
Example: Bonsoir monsieur, je suis là pour votre service
Translation: Good evening sir, I am here for your service
5. Good night: bonne nuit
Bonne nuit is the expression to use when you want to go to sleep and need to bid goodbye to your friends, family, or people you are spending time with. You must be sure you wouldn’t be seeing those people again that day. Bonne nuit is basically the end-of-day greeting in French and can be used with anyone.
Example: Que vous pour votre temps, je dois aller me reposer maintenant. Bonne nuit
Translation: That you for your time, I need to go rest now. Good night
6. Hello: allô
Remember what you say when you are on a call with someone and you are not sure if they are still with you or not. Yeah, we call it Allô in French. Although, this greeting is not really used in face-to-face interactions it is still regarded as one of the French greetings.
Example: Allô êtes-vous là? Pouvez-vous m’entendre?
Translation: Hello are you there? Can you hear me?
7. Excuse me: excusez-moi
Are you looking for a French phrase to call someone’s attention in a polite manner, Excusez-moi is the phrase that you need. Maybe there’s someone blocking your way in the store or maybe you want to get noticed by the office clerk, you can easily say Excusez-moi. This term is also important since it can serve as a greeting and also a way to get someone’s attention. This expression is mostly used in a formal setting like the workplace but may also be used informally.
Example: Excusez-moi, à quoi servent ces boîtes à l’entrée ?
Translation: Excuse me, what are those boxes on the entrance used for?
8. How are you in French: comment ça va ?
Almost as popular as bonjour, comment ça va is also one of the most common French phrases you would hear. This phrase can be used as it is, or together with other French greetings like salut or bonjour. For example, you can simply say Comment ça va? (“How are you?) or Bonjour! Comment ça va? (”Hello! How are you?“). If someone says Comment ça va? to you, you can respond with Ça va bien, merci! (“I’m good, thanks!”), Ça va bien. Et toi? (“I’m good. And you?”) or Pas mal (“Not bad”). Comment ça va can be used as a formal or informal expression.
Example: Comment ça va mon fils?
Translation: How are you my son?
9. What’s up: ca va
If saying Comment ça va is too long, you can go for its short form, ça va. This expression, unlike Comment ça va can be used anywhere, and it is purely informal. You would not want to say ça va to someone older than you or someone with that you only share formal relationships like your boss or professor. Other than these kinds of people you can easily use the expression, ça va, to ask about them.
Example: Hey ma soeur, ça va?
Translation: Hey sister, what’s up?
10. Whats up: quoi de neuf
Looking for another way to ask what’s up without saying ça va? You can spice up and diversify your “ça-va”s with the expression, Quoi de neuf. This phrase also means “what’s up?” or “what’s new?”, and it is only used informally with friends, colleagues, family, etc.
Example: Salut, j’ai entendu dire que tu étais de retour. Quoi de neuf?
Translation: Hi, I heard you are back. What’s up?
11. The cute bonjour: coucou
The sweetest greeting you will ever hear in French is coucou. Its literal translation is “cuckoo,” and it is pronounced similarly to the English word “hey.” Coucou is adorable, but you shouldn’t use it in official settings. Greeting your employer in Coucou would seem a little strange, wouldn’t it?
Example: Coucou, il y a quelqu’un?
Translation: Hey, is anyone there?
12 How’s it going: ca roule
Another way to greet and ask people how they are doing in french is by using the expression Ça roule. This phrase literally means “that rolls”, and is used to mean “how’s it going?” or “how are things?”. It is also an informal expression and must be used with caution so as not to sound rude to the elderly.
Example: Bravo les gars, ca roule?
Translation: Welldone guys, how is it going?
13. Nice to meet you: enchanté
When you want to say “nice to meet you” in French, the phrase to use is “enchanté”. This phrase has a gendered form to it. If it’s a man you will use “enchanté”, while you use enchantee for the feminine gender. The translation is literally the word “enchanted,” which sounds extremely formal to many English speakers, but is actually both formal and casual for French speakers.
Example: Enchanté, Mlle Marie
Translation: Nice to meet you, Miss Marie
14. Long time no see: ça fait longtemps
Ça fait longtemps is a french expression to say to someone you have not seen for quite a long time. You can use this phrase formally or in a casual manner.
Example: Ça fait longtemps que tu n’as pas rendu visite à ta famille.
Translation: It’s been a long time since you visited your family.
15. How are you doing/Are you well: tu vais bien
Feeling like Çomment ça va is too common and you want another phrase to with almost the same meaning. Then you can use the phrase tu vais bien instead. This phrase can be used as a sentence (You are fine) or a question (How are you doing?/Are you fine?) depending on if there is a question mark at the end of it or not.
Example: J’ai remarqué que tu n’étais pas venu jouer, tu vas bien?
Translation: I noticed that you didn’t come to play, are you well?
5 Phrases to Say Goodbye in French
1. Au revoir! – Goodbye!
Just as commonly used as the phrase Bonjour, Au revoir is the expression you need to bid someone goodbye. This expression can be used in almost any situation (formal or informal) as you can say it as you leave the restaurant, or alighting from a bus, with an acquaintance, or in a business meeting. It is even considered rude not to say this when taking your leave, as well as over the phone, just before hanging up. To pronounce this phrase you just need to merge the two words together, so it sounds like ohr-vwar.
Example: Je vais rassembler mes affaires et dire au revoir
Translation: I am going to go collect my things and say goodbye
Example: Au revoir, merci beaucoup
Translation: Goodbye, thank you very much
2. Salut! – Bye-bye!
As we discussed earlier, Salut is used to mean hi but it is frequently also used to say bye. Although bidding someone farewell with this expression is quite informal, it’s not bad at all to know this very useful little word.
Example: Salut! Je suis nouveau ici
Translation: Hi, I am new here
Example: Salut tout le monde! Je m’en vais maintenant!
Translation: Bye everybody! I’m leaving now.
3. Je suis désolé(e), mais je dois y aller – I’m sorry, but I have to go
The main idea of this expression is its sense of urgency, and it is the je dois y aller that relays this message. This phrase can either be used formally or otherwise. The Je suis désolé(e) shows that you are sorry for leaving, as it literally means I am sorry. Also, you must note that when the speaker is feminine, an extra “e” is needed at the end. This doesn’t change the pronunciation of the word, it is merely a grammatical aspect of the language which is only evident on paper.
Example: Il commence à faire sombre, Je suis désolé(e), mais je dois y aller
Translation: It’s getting dark, I’m sorry, but I have to go
4. À plus tard! (À plus!) – (See you) later!
This is another useful expression especially when you know that it won’t be long before you see the person again but you are not quite sure when that will be. It is also not particularly formal or informal, as you can use it with someone you know well enough or someone you meet with seldomly.
Example: Je dois y aller maintenant, à plus tard
Translation: I need to go now, see you later
Example: C’était sympa de te parler, à plus tard
Translation: It was nice talking to you, see you later
5. À tout à l’heure! – See you soon, See you in a while!
This is the perfect expression to use if you are parting with friends that you are certain to see again later in the day.
Example: Au revoir, À tout à l’heure
Translation: I’m going to see him in a moment/in a while
Example: Je vais le voir tout à l’heure
Translation: I will see him soon
À plus tard! Good luck on your French learning journey!
As we all know that bonjour is the most common way of greeting in French but in this article we discussed other different French expressions you can use to greet people. You have to be careful to know which of these phrases you should use, and this depends mostly on the situation and formality. Also, we provided 5 expressions you can easily use to say goodbye to someone in French. Just before you go, kindly check our blog on how to say you’re welcome in French, you will definitely need it. To develop your French communication skills, check out AmazingTalker to connect with online French tutors who can assist you in learning the French language easily, efficiently, and quickly, and you would be speaking French like a native in a short time.
