by Olly RichardsWhen you learn French, you discover that it has its own range of different ways to greet people, to present yourself and to take your leave.
French greetings like these can seem deceptively simple. But understanding which ones to use in the appropriate situations can help you strike the right tone – all while avoiding any embarrassing cultural faux pas from saying the wrong thing.
So to help you master the basics and to give you a couple of more interesting expressions to sprinkle into your speech, in this post, you'll discover everything you need to know about French greetings and when to use them.
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Table of Contents
Basic French Greetings: Say Hello In French And More
Let’s start with some common greetings in French you’ll need to say hello in French and more.
1. Bonjour
The most standard, universal greeting in French – and the one that even those who don’t speak another word of the language are likely to know – is bonjour.
If you break it down into its component parts, it literally translates as “good day” since bon means “good” and jour means “day”. However, it has long since lost its former sense of wishing someone a good day and now is best simply translated as “hello”.
You can use this word with anyone, from close friends to people you don’t know (although with those closer to you, you’re more likely to use something a little more informal), and it works at any time of the day before the evening.
If you bump into somebody twice in a short space of time, you might also use or hear re-bonjour, which is a slightly humorous way of saying “hello again”.
2. Bonsoir
Bonsoir is another one of the traditional French greetings that many people know.
It's essentially the same as bonjour but is used in the evening since soir is French for “evening”. In the evening, if you say bonjour, it will seem a little strange – so from around dusk, it’s better to use bonsoir.
3. Salut
Salut is the French equivalent of “hi” and can be used among friends of the same age or social standing.
Generally speaking, you can use salut with anyone you would use “hi” with in English.
4. Coucou
Coucou is the French equivalent of “cuckoo”, the noise the bird of the same name makes – but it’s also used as a kind of greeting.
It’s more intimate or informal than salut and is considered “cute”. So while couples might use it together and female friends often use it too, it wouldn’t be considered appropriate in a more traditionally masculine setting – whatever that might mean.
It’s also the noise you make when playing “peek-a-boo” with a baby, so that should give you some idea of the cute nature of this word and why it might not work in certain “macho” environments.
5. Allô
This is the correct word to use when answering a telephone in French – so don’t be tempted to pick up the phone and say bonjour as a translation of the English “hello”.
Cultural notes – When To Greet People In France
In France, it’s normal to say bonjour or give some other greeting to people when you meet them, even in situations where you might not in British or American culture.
For example, this might include greeting a shopkeeper when you enter a shop or saying bonjour to a neighbour in the street but could also include saying bonjour to a stranger as you sit down next to them on a train, something that’s perhaps less likely in the UK.
This is subjective, however, and there are no hard-and-fast rules about it. Like most other places in the world, this kind of thing is more prevalent among older generations, with younger people preferring to keep to themselves.
When greeting friends, for males, it’s normal to shake hands – while for males greeting females or females greeting females, it’s customary to perform la bise, the traditional kiss on each cheek. Not shaking hands or performing la bise would be considered very rude.
Among family members, sometimes males will also greet each other with la bise.
Concerning la bise, the most common variation is a peck on the person’s right cheek (from your point of view) followed by one on the left. However, in some regions, this is reversed – and in some places, it’s even common to give three kisses.
Asking How Somebody Is In French
After greeting somebody, there are various ways of enquiring how they are, so let’s look at some of these now.
6. Ça Va ?
If bonjour is the universal way of saying “hello”, ça va? is the equivalent formula for asking “how are you?”.
Literally, it means “that goes” – or with a questioning intonation, it could be translated as “how does it go?” – and it’s the expression that’s used to enquire how things are going.
In linguistic terms, this is an example of what’s known as “phatic communication” – it’s just a formula we repeat automatically at the appropriate times because it’s expected.
In other words, like in English when you ask “how are you?”, you don’t usually want a detailed lowdown on the other person’s personal life, health and financial situation. It’s just what custom dictates that you’re supposed to say.
This means the correct reply could be something like ça va très bien, merci, et toi/vous? (I’m very well thank you, and you?). If you want to launch into a discussion of all your problems and everything that’s bothering you, save it until you get to the proper conversation!
Ça va is extremely common and is suitable for use with pretty much anybody in almost any situation except the most formal.
7. Comment Tu Vas ? / Comment Allez-Vous ?
A variation on the normal ça va? is comment tu vas? – which literally means “how do you go?”. This formulation indicates slightly more interest in the person’s well-being than the phatic ça va? but it’s still used as a general greeting with no expectation of a long-winded reply.
You may also hear comment vas-tu? with the words inverted to make a more grammatically correct question.
When speaking formally, you can also use comment allez-vous? – this is something you may remember from old school textbooks or French phrasebooks, but it’s an expression that people genuinely use in real life too!
For more on the distinction between tu and vous and how to ask questions in French, check out my post on basic French grammar.
8. Tout Va Bien ?
A more informal way to ask how somebody is, tout va bien? literally means “everything goes well?”. This is a good option if you’re fed up of repeating ça va? endlessly every time you meet people.
9. Quoi De Neuf ?
Not an expression you hear all the time but a good one to know, quoi de neuf? is the French equivalent of “what’s new?”. Again, it’s worth remembering if you want to vary your language a little instead of always reverting to ça va?
10. Ça Roule ?
Much more familiar and much more “street”, ça roule? literally translates as “that rolls?” or “that turns?”. A better translation would be something along the lines of “how’s it going?” or “how’s it hanging?”.
It’s fine to use this with your friends, and it’s not considered in any way vulgar. But at the same time, it’s not the kind of expression you’d want to employ when meeting your new girlfriend or boyfriend’s parents for the first time…
11. La Forme ?
This is another familiar way to enquire about someone’s health and well-being. Être en forme means “to be fit” or “to be healthy”, so saying la forme? is like asking if somebody is fit and healthy – or in other words, if they are well.
In terms of English, it’s a bit like greeting somebody by saying something like “you all good?”.
Meeting People For The First Time In French
Here are some of the expressions you’ll need for telling people your name, asking other people’s names and other similar situations.
12. Je M’appelle….
In French, the standard way to tell someone your name is je m’appelle… Literally, this translates as “I call myself…”. In French, this way is the correct way to say it, and saying the word for word equivalent of “my name is…” in French would sound very strange.
13. Moi, C’est…
This translates as “me, it’s…” and it can be used as a more informal version of je m’appelle. It’s roughly the equivalent of saying “I’m…” and giving your name in English.
14. Comment Tu T’appelles ? / Comment Vous-Appelez Vous ?
Comment tu t’appelles? is the standard way to ask somebody’s name when using tu. The vous form is comment vous appelez-vous?
The forms tu t’appelles comment? comment t’appelles-tu? and vous vous appelez comment? are also possible.
15. Je Te / Vous Présente…
If you want to introduce somebody to someone, you can say je te présente… or je vous présente…, depending on whether you are using the tu or vous form.
16. Enchanté(e)
When you meet somebody for the first time and exchange names, you can then say enchanté or enchantée, depending on whether you are male or female.
However, since the masculine and feminine forms are pronounced in exactly the same way, you only need to think about that extra “e” at the end of the feminine form if you’re writing it!
17. Je Suis Ravi(e) De Vous Connaître / Faire Votre Connaissance
These are two more elegant versions of enchanté(e) and can be used in more formal situations. They can be translated as “I’m delighted to meet you” and would be appropriate in the same kinds of situations you would use such an expression in English.
Cultural Notes – La Bise, Shaking Hands
When meeting people for the first time, for males, it’s normal to shake hands. However, with males meeting females and females meeting females, things are a little more complicated.
In an informal setting, for younger people, it’s acceptable for males and females or females and females to perform la bise – for example, when meeting friends of friends socially. However, for older people, it would be more appropriate to shake hands instead.
In a formal setting – for example, in a business environment – you should shake hands, regardless of gender.
A long time ago when I was living in France and was teaching a bit of English on an informal basis, I wasn’t quite so clued up on the intricacies of these unspoken rules.
As a result, once when I met a new female student, I performed la bise instead of shaking hands, which would have been more appropriate.
Thinking about the slightly surprised look in her eyes that told me I’d made a cultural misstep still makes me cringe to this day. But we live and learn, and hopefully my mistake all that time ago can now help others avoid making similar mistakes in the future!
Taking Your Leave: Goodbye In French And More
There are several different expressions you can use when you take your leave of people, and here are some of the most important.
18. Au Revoir
This is the standard way to say goodbye in French that just about everyone knows, even if they know little else in the language.
19. Bonne Journée
When you greet someone, you say bonjour, but when you leave them, you can say bonne journée, which is the feminine version of the same thing. It’s a way to wish someone a good day, a bit like the American expression “have a nice day”.
20. Bonne Soirée
The feminine version of bonsoir can be used to wish someone a good evening when you take your leave in the same way as bonne journée is used during the day.
21. Bonne Nuit
Bonne nuit is the correct expression to use when someone is about to go to bed.
22. Bonne Continuation
A peculiarly French expression that doesn’t translate well into English. As you can probably guess, it means “good continuation”, and it is used in formal or semi-formal contexts.
For example, you might use this expression if you interrupt a colleague who is in the middle of doing something.
After they have given you the information you needed or answered your question, you might then thank them and say bonne continuation to express the idea that you’ll let them get back to whatever they were doing before you spoke to them.
Alternatively, if a boss checks in on an employee for an update on what they’re working on, after the report, the boss might then also say bonne continuation.
In this context, it’s a bit like the boss saying “ok, carry on, keep up the good work” in English.
However, you wouldn’t use this expression in a more informal context – you wouldn’t use it if you interrupted your partner while they were cooking dinner to ask them where your socks were, for example – except perhaps as a joke!
23. À Bientôt
This expression is best translated as “see you soon” and is one of the most commonly heard ways of expressing this sentiment. It’s used when you don’t know when you will see the person again but expect to see them soon.
24. À Toute À L’heure
When you expect to see someone again later in the same day, you can use à toute à l’heure, which means something like “see you later”.
In informal, fast French, the initial à is often dropped.
25. À Tout De Suite
When you expect to see someone very soon, you can use à tout de suite.
For example, if you’re on the telephone with someone while trying to find them, when you fix a meeting place and expect to see them imminently, you can use this expression.
When pronounced at normal speed, tout de is pronounced together and comes out sounding like toud or even toute, the latter being the feminine version of tout (although this is just a matter of pronunciation, and the gender doesn’t actually change).
Again, when speaking quickly, the initial à is often dropped.
For more on the fast pronunciation of French, take a look at my post on spoken French.
26. À La Prochaine
An alternative form you can use when taking your leave of someone, especially if you don’t know when you’ll see them again. It means something like “see you next time”.
27. À Demain
This is the expression you can use to say “see you tomorrow”.
28. À Plus Tard
This one means “see you later” and can be used when you expect to see someone again later in the same day.
29. À Plus
A shortened version of à plus tard, this is more informal and can be used among friends. It’s the French equivalent of saying something like “laters!”.
30. Salut
Salut means hi, but it can also be used to say goodbye. You can use it this way with the same people you would greet with salut.
31. Ciao
Borrowed from Italian, ciao can be used to say goodbye to someone in the same way as salut. However, unlike in Italian, you can’t use this one as a greeting to say “hi”.
Cultural notes – Saying Goodbye To Everyone
In France, when you leave, it’s normal to go round and say goodbye to everybody individually, shaking their hand or performing la bise accordingly.
This is true for gatherings of 10 or even perhaps up to 20 people.
However, if you’re at a party, for example, and are in a hurry, it’s acceptable to announce to the room that you’re leaving as a way of saying goodbye to everyone at once.
FAQs About French Greetings
What Is A Typical French Greeting?
Typical French greetings include bonjour (hello), salut (hi/bye) and au revoir (goodbye).
What Are The Top Ten French Greetings?
1. Bonjour (Hello)
2. Bonsoir (Hello in the evening)
3. Salut (Hi/Bye)
4. Au revoir (Goodbye)
5. Allô (Hello on the phone)
6. Ça va ? (How are you?)
7. À bientôt (See you soon)
8. Enchanté(é) (Nice to meet you)
9. À toute à l’heure (See you later)
10. Bonne nuit (Good night!)
How Do You Respond To Bonjour?
You can simply say bonjour back to the person who greeted you. The important thing is to respond, even if you don't know the person very well (or at all) including shop assistants, neighbours who greet you on the stairwell or even a stranger who sits next to you on a train. Saying and responding to bonjour is a key part of being polite in French.
Learn French Greetings By Taking Your Lead From Natives
Learning how and when to use the correct French greetings – as well as things like when to shake hands or perform la bise – is something that takes time and exposure to French or francophone culture.
However, the best advice is always to remain respectful and to take your lead from the native speakers you interact with.
And to only use the casual greetings in French you pick up with people you know well and are sure you won’t offend by employing such vocabulary.
In the meantime, the best way to pick up French greetings is to follow the rules of StoryLearning and read short stories in French. As you read, you'll see these French greetings over and over in context and they'll soon become second nature.
