Lesson 1 : Saying hello in French

Lesson 1 : Saying hello in French

Saying hello in French is very easy, but you will have to adapt the phrase depending on the situation and who you are speaking to.

(click on the audio player below to listen to the French sounds and repeat aloud)

English

French

Hello
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good day

("bon" means good, "jour" day.
Do not say "BUN-JAW" ! )

Bonjour
Hello John Bonjour Jean
Good evening
Bonsoir
Good evening ladies and gentlemen Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs
Hi, Watch'ya
Salut
Hi everybody!
(Very informal, use this only with close friends)
Salut tout le monde!

 

Audio

Comments

It is very common in France to say "bonjour" to everybody, when you enter a shop, restaurant or bar etc.

At school it is very common for the boys to shake hands when meeting, girls kiss each other on the check, girls and boys kiss each other on the check.

At work it is normal practice to shake hands.

When you greet someone of the opposite sex who you know well, you often kiss him or her on each cheek. There is no fixed rule for this.

Within the family cheek kissing is normal between all sexes.
In the north of France you kiss each check twice, whilst in other regions it is once.