When talking to one’s peers or to children, Salut is used as a greeting. It’s English equivalent would be hey and hello. Bonjour, literally meaning Good day, should be use for anyone else. Bonsoir, literally meaning Good Evening, should be use after 7p.m. Bonne Nuit is used to say Good Night before going to bed.
| French Greetings | English Greetings |
| Comment ça va? | How are you? |
| Enchantée | Nice to meet you. |
| Salut | Hi/Bye. |
| Bonjour | Good Morning/Hello |
| Bonsoir | Hello |
| Bonne Nuit | Good Night |
| Pas grand-chose. | Not much. |
| Bonne Soirée | Good Evening |
| Quoi de neuf? | What’s up? |
| Bienvenue | Welcome |
| Bon après-midi | Good Afternoon |
| Je t’en prie/ Je vous en prie | You’re welcome! |
| Il n’y a pas de quoi! | It doesn’t matter! |
| désolé | Sorry |
| s’il te plaît/ s’il vous plaît | Please |
| Vous allez bien? / Comment allez-vous? | Are you good? / How are you doing? |
| comme si comme ça | So.. so..! |
| ça va mal! pas mal | Not good/ Not bad. |
Good-Byes
In addition to being used as an informal greeting, Salut is also used to say bye. But it should only be used among friends. Another informal greeting used is ciao, an Italian word commonly used in France. Au Revoir, is the only formal way to say Good-bye. If you will be meeting someone again soon, use À bientôt or À tout à l’heure. À demain is used if you are going to meet the person the following day.
| French Good-bye | English Good-bye |
| Salut | Bye |
| Au Revoir | Good-bye |
| À demain | See you tomorrow |
| À bientôt | See you soon |
| À tout à l’heure | See you (later today)! |
| À la Prochaine | See you (tomorrow)! |
| Au Revoir, À demain. | Bye, See you tomorrow. |
| Tchao | Bye/ cheers! |
| À plus tard | See you later! |
| Gros bisou | Big kisses! |
| Embrasse-moi | kiss me! |
Experience the warmth of French culture with authentic greetings. From “Bonjour” to “Au revoir,” master the art of saying hello and goodbye en français.