How to Say Hello in French

 

Whether you're a French speaker or simply interested in learning the language, greetings are a key element of any conversation. Whether you're saying hello to a shopkeeper or your co-workers, it's almost always a good idea to greet someone politely. Depending on your situation, you can use bonjour (hello) or bonsoir (good evening).

You can also use salut in less formal situations, although it is usually used between friends and family members and is not often heard at work, for example. It's similar to saying Ciao in Italian, and is a bit more informal than bonjour. You can also use it to say goodbye, but this is less common.

If you want to sound more formal, The french connection fact or fiction you can add Madame/Massimor/Masieurs to the end of a salute, which will make it more polite. You can also use the more general bonjour a tous or bonjour to all, which is an appropriate way to say hello to a large group of people.

A cute way to greet someone is to say coucou, which means cuckoo. It's more typically used by or to children, but can be said to adults as well — you might hear it in movies where two people who have just slept together wake up and greet each other this way (with varying results).

Another casual way to ask how someone is doing is to say quoi de neuf?, which is basically a way of asking "what's up?" It's even used by Bugs Bunny in the French version of Looney Tunes.

Similarly, if it's been a long time since you last saw someone, you can greet them by saying comment vas-tu? or ca fait longtemps? This is a great way to start a conversation, and it will surely make them smile.

If you're greeting a group of people for the first time, you can also use bonsoir a tous or bonjour to all in place of a more personal bonjour. It's a good idea to add Madame/Massimor/Masieurs if you're addressing women or Monsieur/Masieurs if you're greeting men.

You can also say bonne soiree or bonne nuit in place of bonsoir if you're saying goodbye to someone, but it's more appropriate at night and later before going to bed.

Share on Google Plus

About Andy Wirth

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.