Bonjour! Salut! Wech!
Just three of the many ways to greet someone in French!
Whether you’re learning French, or maybe you’re heading on a getaway to Paris, French greetings and responses are one of the first things you’ll want to take a look at. After all, they’re likely the first words and phrases you’ll be using on your journey to fluency.
Though French greetings may seem a lot at first, no fear, this handy guide to formal and informal greetings in French will get you up to speed in no time. So, let’s get started.
Greetings in French
Greetings in French are very important! In France and other French-speaking countries, greetings form a significant part of the culture and its emphasis on courtesy and politeness.
French greetings can admittedly be a bit confusing to get your head around at first.
Firstly, there are many different ways to greet someone in French, and you need to learn them by heart. Secondly, greetings can differ significantly based on who you’re talking to, what setting you’re in, what time of day it is, and even where in France or the rest of the world you find yourself.
Formal and Informal Greetings in French
In French, like in all languages, the formality of the language and greetings you use will differ based on who you’re talking to and the environment. When meeting other people, it is important to distinguish between formal and informal greetings in French.
In business settings, in a shop, when talking to people older than you, or when talking to strangers you would normally use formal greetings in French.
Informal greetings in French can be used with friends, family, peers and children.
As you may know, it’s not just the greetings themselves that differ based on formality but also the grammar you use.
The French words for “you” are tu (informal) and vous (formal). The conjugations will differ based on which version you’re using, so it’s important to be aware of this and learn your verb conjugations!
If you’re unsure which greetings or pronouns to use, it’s best to be a bit more cautious and use the formal option. If the other person or people reply in an informal way, then you know that you can switch over, and use the more informal greetings in French with this person in the future.
Hello
Formal Hello
The most common way to say hello in French is bonjour (good day). This is obviously one of the most famous French words, so it shouldn’t be too hard to remember. It is used in both formal and informal settings.
Bonjour is typically used to greet someone during the period of the daytime. Once it becomes night, you should use bonsoir instead (good evening). Though when to use bonjour or bonsoir differs across different regions of France (weird right!), a good rule of thumb is to use bonjour during daylight and bonsoir when the sun goes down.
In France, it is customary to say bonjour or bonsoir to most people you pass in your day, whether in the supermarket, at work, or in your apartment block. If not, you may be mistaken as rude! So now you know how to avoid that faux pas.
Also be sure not to confuse these with bonne journée and bonne soirée, which mean “have a nice day” and “have a nice evening”. You can use these at the end of an interaction with someone to wish them well. They can be used as both formal and informal French greetings.
If it’s the first time you’re meeting someone, you can also say enchanté(e), which means “nice to meet you”.
If someone is new to a particular place or environment, you might also want to say bienvenu(e) (welcome). Like other French adjectives, the word needs to be modified based on the gender and number of people you’re talking to.
Informal Hello
Bonjour and bonsoir can similarly be used as informal greetings in French amongst friends and family.
Alternatively, you could say salut (hi), which is a bit more informal. It’s commonly used among people you see often, such as friends and close colleagues.
Coucou (hi) is another one of the most common greetings in French. It is an informal way to say hello, and is a bit more friendly and informal than salut. It’s normally reserved for closer friends and family members.
You may even hear some young people using the word wesh, which can mean “yo” or “you alright?”. It originally comes from the Arabic phrase “wech rak?”, which means “how are you?”, and originated out of Arab-French communities in the south of the country.
| French | English |
| Bonjour | Hello / Good day |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Bonne journée | Have a nice day |
| Bonne soirée | Have a nice evening |
| Enchanté(e) | Nice to meet you |
| Salut | Hi (informal) |
| Coucou | Hi (informal) |
| Wesh | Yo (informal) |
| Bienvenu(e) | Welcome |
How are you?
Formal ‘How are you?’
After saying hello to someone, it is normally a courtesy to ask them how they are.
Typical ways to ask someone how they are in a formal manner include comment ça va? and comment allez-vous?. Notice here the use of the vous rather than tu.
To respond you may want to use one of these phrases, which can all be used in formal settings:
Ça va bien, merci = I’m good, thank you
Je vais bien, merci = I’m well, thank you
Ça va pas mal = I’m okay
If someone asks you how you are, you can give your response, and then ask the same question back. Alternatively, et vous? means “and you?”.
Informal ‘How are you?’
In informal settings, you can shorten the formal comment ça va? to simply ça va? (how’s it going?). It carries the same meaning of “how are you?”. You can also say comment vas-tu? as a more informal version of comment allez-vous?.
It is normal to respond to the question ça va? with the response ça va (I’m good), which simply means it’s going well. This makes for quite an interesting conversation:
Speaker 1: Bonjour, ça va?
Speaker 2: Ça va. Et toi?
Speaker 3: Ça va!
Other informal ways you could respond include tout va bien (all is good), en pleine forme (on good form), and pas mal (not bad).
| French | English |
| Comment ça va? | How are you? (formal) |
| Comment allez-vous? | How are you? (formal) |
| Ça va? | How are you? (informal) |
| Comment vas-tu? | How are you? (informal) |
| Ça va | I’m good |
| Tout va bien | All is good |
| En pleine forme | On good form |
| Pas mal | Not bad |
Goodbye
Formal goodbye
When saying goodbye to someone in a formal way, you can say au revoir (literally, until we see each other next).
If you’re going to see someone later in the day, you can use the expression à toute à l’heure (I’ll see you later). If you know you’re not going to see them later, you can also say bonne journée (have a good day) and bonne soirée (have a good evening).
Ă€ demain (see you tomorrow) is also a useful expression for colleagues or friends, and can be used in formal contexts.
Though you may have heard adieu (literally, to God) said in old movies, it is quite a traditional and archaic phrase, and isn’t really used anymore. Some older people may use the phrase.
Informal goodbye
One of the most common ways to say goodbye in an informal way is salut (bye). If you’re especially switched on, you’ll realize that this is the same word for saying hi, and can be used for either!
You can also say à plus tard or simply à plus (see you later). À toute à l’heure (I’ll see you later) can also be shortened to à toute, which makes it a bit more informal. À bientôt (see you soon) has the same meaning, but is a little bit more formal than the other phrases.
If you or the person you’re speaking to is heading to sleep, you can use the phrase bonne nuit (goodnight). You could even say fais des beaux rêves (sweet dreams) or dors bien (sleep well).
| French | English |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| À toute à l’heure | See you later |
| Bonne journée | Have a good day |
| Bonne soirée | Have a good evening |
| À demain | See you tomorrow |
| À plus tard | See you later (informal) |
| À plus | See you later (informal) |
| À toute | See you later (informal) |
| À bientôt | See you soon (formal) |
| Fais des beaux rĂŞves | Sweet dreams |
| Dors bien | Sleep well |
Written greetings
Formal greetings
In formal business letters or emails, it’s common to avoid a particular salutation and simply begin the letter with monsieur (Sir) or madam (madame). Following this, you can begin the body of your letter or email.
To close your letter or email, formal greetings include meilleures salutations (best wishes) and salutations distinguées (yours sincerely).
Alternatively, you can end your letter or email with the more semi-formal phrases cordialement (cordially) or bien Ă vous (yours truly).
Informal greetings
For semi-formal or personal written correspondence, you can begin with the salutation cher (dear) followed by their name. This needs to agree in gender, so it would be chère for a woman and chers for multiple people.
Informal ways to end a letter or email amongst friends and family include bisous (kisses), bien Ă toi (yours truly) and Ă bientĂ´t (see you soon).
| French | English |
| Monsieur | Sir (formal) |
| Madame | Madam (formal) |
| Meilleures salutations | Best wishes (formal) |
| Salutations distinguées | Yours sincerely (formal) |
| Cordialement | Cordially |
| Bien Ă vous | Yours truly (formal) |
| Bien Ă toi | Yours truly (informal) |
| Cher/chère | Dear (informal) |
| Bisous | Kisses (informal) |
| À bientôt | See you soon (informal) |
Final thoughts
Greetings can be important to the French language and to its speakers, so it’s worth spending a bit of time getting the basics up to scratch. Remember that it’s always better to be a little too cautious and formal, and you can always switch to informal later!
Though people will of course give you the benefit of the doubt as a non-native speaker, French greetings can be a great way to build up a good rapport with new acquaintances and to set off the conversation right.
And that concludes my guide to formal and informal greetings in French – Ă toute Ă l’heure and au revoir!