👋 Common French Greetings
Here are the most used greetings in French, explained word by word:
- Bonjour – Hello / Good day
Bon = good, jour = day
- Bonsoir – Good evening
Bon = good, soir = evening
- Salut – Hi / Bye (informal)
Used with friends or people your age
- Ça va ? – How are you?
Literally: It goes?
- Comment ça va ? – How’s it going?
Comment = how, ça va = it goes
- Très bien, merci – Very well, thank you
Très = very, bien = well, merci = thank you
- Enchanté(e) – Nice to meet you
Literally: Delighted
🙋 Saying Goodbye
Learn to say goodbye in different ways:
- Au revoir – Goodbye
Au = to, revoir = see again
- À bientôt – See you soon
À = to/until, bientôt = soon
- À plus tard – See you later
Plus tard = later
- Bonne nuit – Good night
Bonne = good (fem.), nuit = night
💡 Quick Grammar Tips
- Bon/Bonne changes with gender: "bon" (masculine), "bonne" (feminine).
- “Salut” is casual—don’t use it with teachers or strangers.
- “Ça va” can be a question or an answer:
Q: Ça va ? A: Oui, ça va.
📘 Example Conversations
Person A: Hello! How are you?
Bonjour ! Ça va ?
Person B: I’m fine, thank you. And you?
Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ?
Et = and, toi = you (informal)
Person A: Nice to meet you!
Enchanté(e) !
Person B: Goodbye! See you later!
Au revoir ! À plus tard !
💭 Did You Know?
- 🗣️ French greetings change by **time of day**: use Bonjour until 6 PM, then switch to Bonsoir .
- 🧒 Say Salut only to **friends or people your age**—it’s informal!
- 🌙 Bonne nuit is used only when someone is going to sleep, not just leaving in the evening.
- 🤝 It’s polite to greet people in shops and offices with Bonjour – always!