8 minutes · reading · vocabulary · conversation
Hello
Choose the right French greeting for the person and the moment.
Start with bonjour
A greeting comes before almost every French exchange. With a stranger, a shopkeeper or someone older than you, bonjour is the safest place to start.
Salut is warmer and more casual. Use it with friends, family and people you already know well.
Greetings in context
Notice how the greeting changes with the situation.
Bonjour, madame.
Translation
Hello, ma’am.
Salut, Léa !
Translation
Hi, Léa!
Bonsoir, monsieur.
Translation
Good evening, sir.
Au revoir !
Translation
Goodbye!
Four words to keep
- bonjour
- hello / good morning
- salut
- hi / byeInformal
- bonsoir
- good evening
- au revoir
- goodbye
Rule at a glance
Choose the greeting that fits
Use bonjour in the daytime and bonsoir in the evening. Keep salut for people you already know well.
- Bonjour, madame.
- Hello, ma’am.
- Bonjour, monsieur.
- Hello, sir.
- Bonsoir, madame.
- Good evening, ma’am.
- Bonsoir !
- Good evening!
- Salut, Léa !
- Hi, Léa!
- Salut !
- Hi! / Bye!
Build the complete sentence
Greet the person in front of you
Choose bonjour, bonsoir or salut, then name the person you are speaking to
Greeting
- Bonjour
- Hello — daytime
- Bonsoir
- Good evening
- Salut
- Hi — friends only
Person
- madame.
- ma’am
- monsieur.
- sir
- Léa !
- Léa
See the structure
Change the blocks
Bonjour and bonsoir go with madame or monsieur. Salut is for someone you already know, so pair it with a first name.
Choose the evening greeting
You enter a restaurant at 8 p.m. What do you say?
Choose the most natural greeting.
Complete the polite greeting
Make the choice yourself
Write one greeting for a shopkeeper and one for a close friend.
Choose the register, not a long sentence.
Save your progress when you are ready.
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