French Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye and How Are You

French greetings at a glance

The single most important rule: bonjour opens every interaction. With a shopkeeper, a bus driver, a receptionist, a stranger you ask for directions, a doctor. Skipping it is not casual in France; it is rude.

Bonjour: the greeting that opens every door

Bonjour (bon-ZHOOR) means "good day" and is the standard hello from morning until roughly six in the evening. It works with everyone: your boss, your neighbour, the person at the till, a child.

Pronunciation details that matter:

• The on is a nasal vowel. Do not pronounce the n as a full consonant. Say "bo" and let the air go partly through your nose, as if you were about to say "n" and stopped.
• The j is the "zh" sound in "measure", never the English j in "jump".
• The r is in the throat, a soft gargle at the back, not the English r. If you cannot make it yet, a soft h-like sound is closer than an English r.
• The final r is pronounced, lightly. "bon-ZHOOR", not "bon-ZHOO".

When to say it and when not to

• Say it once per person per day. If you have already said bonjour to a colleague this morning and pass them again at lunch, French people often say rebonjour (re-hello) as a small joke, or just nod. Saying a full bonjour twice suggests you forgot the first time.
• Say it before any request. "Bonjour, une baguette s'il vous plaît" is right. "Une baguette" on its own is what tourists do and why they get a frosty reply.
• Add the title for politeness: Bonjour Madame, Bonjour Monsieur. In a shop or an office this is normal and warm, not stiff. "Bonjour Madame, Monsieur" to a couple, or Bonjour à tous (hello everyone) to a group.

Salut and coucou: the casual hellos

Salut (sah-LOO) is "hi" and also "bye", used between friends, family, classmates and colleagues you are on tu terms with. The t is silent. Do not say salut to a shopkeeper, an older stranger or anyone you address as vous.

Coucou (koo-KOO) is even more affectionate, like "hey there" or "hiya". It is common in texts, with children, and among close friends, especially women. It would sound odd in an office.

Hello itself is used by some younger French people, ironically or casually, but it is not a substitute for bonjour with strangers.

Bonsoir and bonne nuit: evening and night

Bonsoir (bon-SWAHR) replaces bonjour from around 6 pm. Like bonjour, it is both a greeting and, when leaving, a goodbye. If you enter a restaurant at 8 pm, say bonsoir, not bonjour.

Bonne nuit (bun NWEE) is "good night" in the sense of "sleep well". It is only said when someone is going to bed. Saying bonne nuit to leave a restaurant at 9 pm would be like telling the waiter to go to sleep. For leaving in the evening, say bonne soirée (have a good evening) or au revoir.

How are you in French: asking and answering

French has a formality split in the question, so learn both forms.

Formal (vous)

• Comment allez-vous ? (koh-mahn tah-lay VOO) "How are you?" The liaison makes "comment allez" flow as "koh-mahn-tah-lay".
• Vous allez bien ? (voo zah-lay BYAN) "Are you well?" Slightly warmer, still polite.

Informal (tu)

• Ça va ? (sah VAH) "How's it going?" The everyday question among friends and colleagues. Also the answer: "Ça va." So a complete exchange can be "Ça va ?" "Ça va, et toi ?" "Ça va."
• Comment vas-tu ? (koh-mahn vah TOO) Correct but a little formal-sounding among friends; ça va is more natural.
• Comment ça va ? (koh-mahn sah VAH) A slightly fuller ça va.
• Tu vas bien ? (too vah BYAN) "You doing well?" Very common.
• Quoi de neuf ? (kwah duh NUHF) "What's new?" Casual.

Answering

Always throw the question back: et vous ? (formal) or et toi ? (informal). Dropping it sounds abrupt.

Meeting someone: enchanté and the introductions

Enchanté (ahn-shahn-TAY), "delighted", is the standard "nice to meet you". A woman says or writes enchantée; the pronunciation is identical. Both people usually say it.

A : Bonjour, je m'appelle Claire. (Hello, my name is Claire.) B : Enchanté, Claire. Moi c'est Thomas. (Nice to meet you, Claire. I'm Thomas.) A : Enchantée.

Ravi de vous rencontrer (rah-vee duh voo rahn-kon-TRAY), "delighted to meet you", is the more formal version, used in business. A woman says ravie.

Je vous présente... (I introduce to you...) for formal introductions; je te présente... for informal. "Je vous présente ma collègue, Amélie."

Goodbye in French: choosing the right one

Au revoir (oh ruh-VWAHR) is the universal goodbye, literally "until seeing again". It works everywhere, from the bakery to the boardroom. Say it to the shopkeeper on your way out, ideally with merci and bonne journée attached: "Merci, au revoir, bonne journée !"

The casual goodbyes:

• Salut (bye) among friends.
• Ciao (CHOW), borrowed from Italian, very common among young people.
• À plus (ah PLOOS) or à plus tard (see you later), and in texts, A+.
• À tout à l'heure (ah too tah LUHR), see you later today.
• À tout de suite (ah toot SWEET), see you in a moment.
• À bientôt (ah byan-TOH), see you soon.
• À demain (ah duh-MAN), see you tomorrow.
• À lundi (ah lun-DEE), see you Monday, and so on with any day.
• À la prochaine (ah lah proh-SHEN), until next time.

The "have a good..." goodbyes, said as you leave and almost always by shop staff:

• Bonne journée (bun zhoor-NAY), have a good day.
• Bonne après-midi (bun ah-pray-mee-DEE), have a good afternoon.
• Bonne soirée (bun swah-RAY), have a good evening.
• Bon week-end (bon wee-KEND), have a good weekend.
• Bonne continuation (bun kon-tee-noo-ah-SYON), roughly "all the best with what you're doing", said when you will not see someone again for a while.
• Bonnes vacances (bun vah-KAHNS), have a good holiday.

The reply to any of these is merci, vous aussi (thanks, you too) or merci, à vous aussi, and toi aussi among friends.

Adieu (ah-DYUH) means goodbye forever. It is dramatic and almost never used in normal life. Do not say it to leave a shop.

Tu or vous: the decision behind every greeting

Every greeting above splits by whether you address the person as tu (informal singular) or vous (formal singular, and plural). Get this wrong and even a perfect bonjour sounds off.

Use vous with: strangers, shop staff, anyone older than you, anyone in authority, colleagues you have just met, clients, in-laws until invited otherwise, and any group of two or more people.

Use tu with: family, friends, children, classmates, close colleagues, and anyone who has asked you to ("on peut se tutoyer", we can use tu).

How it changes the greetings:

When in doubt, use vous. A French person will tell you if they would prefer tu, and being overly polite is never the mistake that costs you.

La bise: the cheek kiss

French greetings between people who know each other often involve la bise, a light touch of cheeks with a kissing sound, not an actual kiss on the skin.

• Who: friends, family, and in many workplaces, colleagues, especially between women or between a woman and a man. Between men it varies by region and closeness; a handshake is the safe default.
• How many: usually two, one per cheek, starting on the left in most of France. Some regions do one, three or four. Follow the local lead; if unsure, go for two and let them stop you.
• When not to: first meetings in a professional setting (handshake), with anyone you address as vous unless they initiate, and, since 2020, in some workplaces where the habit has faded. Always let the French person initiate.
• The handshake is standard for professional greetings and between men. Firm, brief, with eye contact and bonjour.

Not doing la bise when it is expected reads as cold; doing it when it is not expected reads as forward. If you are a foreigner, French people will usually cut you some slack either way, but the safest move is to watch what they do with each other first.

Greeting phrases for specific situations

Entering a shop, bakery or café "Bonjour !" (as you walk in, to the room in general). Then: "Bonjour Madame, je voudrais..." When leaving: "Merci, au revoir, bonne journée."

Answering the phone Allô ? (ah-LOH) is the telephone hello, like moshi moshi in Japanese. Not used in person. Businesses answer with the company name: "Boulangerie Dupont, bonjour."

Writing an email Formal: Bonjour Madame Martin, or Madame, Monsieur, to open; Cordialement or Bien à vous to close. Informal: Salut Marc, to open; À bientôt or Bises (kisses) to close.

Greeting a group Bonjour à tous (hello everyone), Bonjour tout le monde (hello everybody), Salut les amis (hi friends).

Welcoming someone Bienvenue (byan-vuh-NOO), welcome. Bienvenue en France, welcome to France. Entrez, je vous en prie, come in, please.

Checking in on someone Ça va mieux ? (Feeling better?) Tu tiens le coup ? (Holding up okay?) Comment va ta mère ? (How's your mother?)

Common mistakes with French greetings

• Skipping bonjour. The number one tourist error. Say it first, every time, to everyone.
• Saying bonne nuit to leave in the evening. That is for bedtime. Say bonne soirée or au revoir.
• Saying bonjour after 6 pm. Switch to bonsoir.
• Saying salut to strangers. Salut is for tu relationships. Bonjour for everyone else.
• Pronouncing the n in bon. It is a nasal vowel; the n is not a separate consonant.
• Saying "comme ci, comme ça". Grammatical, but French people do not say it. "Bof" or "ça va" is what you will hear.
• Forgetting "et vous ?" Not returning the question sounds self-absorbed.
• Going in for la bise with someone you address as vous. Let them initiate.
• Using adieu. It means "farewell forever".
• Answering "Comment allez-vous ?" with "Je suis bien". The reply is "Je vais bien" or simply "Bien, merci". Être bien means to be comfortable, not to be well.

A day of French greetings

8:00, bakery: Bonjour Madame ! Une baguette, s'il vous plaît. ... Merci, bonne journée ! 9:00, office: Bonjour tout le monde. Ça va, Julie ? Ça va, et toi ? Ça va, merci. 11:00, a client arrives: Bonjour Monsieur Lefèvre, ravi de vous rencontrer. (Handshake.) 13:00, lunch: Bon appétit ! 17:30, leaving: Bonne soirée, à demain ! 19:00, meeting friends: Salut ! Ça va ? (La bise.) Quoi de neuf ? 20:00, restaurant: Bonsoir, une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît. 23:00, parting: Allez, bonne nuit, à bientôt !

Practise them out loud

French greetings are short, fast and full of sounds English does not have: the nasal on, the throaty r, the silent final consonants. You will not get them from reading. You get them from saying "bonjour, comment allez-vous ?" out loud fifty times until the r stops being an effort.

1. Say the main table aloud, slowly, three times, checking the nasal vowels.
2. Run the "day of greetings" script standing up, with the handshake and the bise gestures.
3. Practise the ça va exchange until "Ça va ? Ça va, et toi ? Ça va." is one breath.
4. Then say them to something that answers back. SPAIKING's AI speaking partner will greet you as the baker, the colleague and the client, catch the English r in bonjour and the missing liaison in "comment allez-vous", and keep going until it sounds like you. The first bonjour to a real French person will be the fifty-first, not the first.