LinguaOne word for the whole day: bonjour
Bonjour is the greeting of the day – literally “good day” – and it works from the moment you get up until the evening, with anyone: a baker, a colleague, a stranger. French people say it far more than English speakers say hello: you say bonjour when you enter a shop, a lift or a waiting room, even to people you will never speak to again. Skipping it is what sounds rude, not saying it too often.
| Greeting | When | To whom |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | from morning until about 6 pm | everyone |
| bonsoir | from the early evening on | everyone |
| salut | any time | friends, family, young people |
| bonne nuit | only when someone goes to bed | everyone |
Salut and bonsoir: the friend and the evening
Salut is the relaxed greeting between people who know each other, and it also means “bye” – the same word opens and closes a conversation with a friend. Do not use it with a shop assistant or your teacher: there, bonjour. Bonsoir takes over in the evening, roughly from six o’clock, and like bonjour it is for everyone. Bonne nuit is not a greeting at all: you only say it to someone who is about to sleep.
– Bonsoir, madame. – Bonsoir, monsieur.– Good evening, madam. – Good evening, sir.
Ça va ? – the question that is also the answer
After the greeting comes Ça va ? (“is it going?”), the everyday way to ask how someone is. The answer uses the same two words: Ça va, or ça va bien, très bien, pas mal. Then you return the question with et toi ? to a friend or et vous ? to someone you address formally. The whole exchange can be three words long: – Ça va ? – Ça va, et toi ?
| Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| très bien | very well |
| ça va | fine, OK |
| pas mal | not bad |
| bof | so-so (informal) |
– Salut, Léa, ça va ? – Ça va bien, merci, et toi ?– Hi, Léa, how are you? – Fine, thanks, and you?
Saying goodbye: au revoir, à bientôt, à demain
Au revoir is the goodbye for everyone, at any hour. The little à phrases name the next meeting: à bientôt (see you soon), à demain (see you tomorrow), à plus (see you later, very informal, said “a pluss”). Merci and s’il vous plaît round off any exchange; de rien is the answer to merci. The polite trio to learn today: bonjour, s’il vous plaît, merci.
Merci beaucoup, madame. Au revoir et bonne journée !Thank you very much, madam. Goodbye and have a good day!
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | hello, good day | Bonjour, madame Martin ! Hello, Mrs Martin! |
| bonsoir | good evening | Bonsoir, monsieur, une table pour deux ? Good evening, sir, a table for two? |
| salut | hi; bye (informal) | Salut, Paul, tu vas bien ? Hi, Paul, are you well? |
| bonne nuit | good night (at bedtime) | Bonne nuit, les enfants ! Good night, children! |
| ça va | fine, OK; how are you? | Ça va, merci. Fine, thanks. |
| très bien | very well | Je vais très bien aujourd’hui. I am very well today. |
| pas mal | not bad | Pas mal, et toi ? Not bad, and you? |
| au revoir | goodbye | Au revoir, à lundi ! Goodbye, see you on Monday! |
| à bientôt | see you soon | Merci pour tout, à bientôt ! Thanks for everything, see you soon! |
| à demain | see you tomorrow | Bonne soirée, à demain. Have a nice evening, see you tomorrow. |
| merci | thank you | Merci, c’est gentil. Thank you, that is kind. |
| de rien | you’re welcome | – Merci ! – De rien. – Thanks! – You’re welcome. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
It is ten in the morning and you walk into a bakery. What do you say first?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.