FALF Guide to Saying Hello in French | Basics | French à la folie (2024)

What are the options for saying “hello” in French? What is there beyond the venerable bonjour? More importantly, what are the rules? Which are formal? Which salutations should you NOT use with your boss or the cashier?Here’s the ultimate guide with all my tips learned over the years!

The Greetings and the Rules

BONJOUR. [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ] • “boh(n) zhoor”

🌞 • FRIENDLY TO FORMAL

Ahh, bonjour. This is the all-purpose hello/good morning / good afternoonin French. Satisfying all levels of politeness,bonjour is the safest, most foolproof greeting to use with anyone of any age, from early morning to dusk.

⛔ The only limitation: don’t use bonjour at night.

⚠️ English-speakers should also note that bonjour, while literally meaning “good day,” is only used when greeting someone. When parting, one would say, “bonne journée,”which means “have a good (rest of the) day.”

PRO TIP: use “bonjour” to get good french service

If you want good service at a French establishment,bonjouris the key to getting it.So go in with a confident bonjour,regardless of your actual French fluency.

Just as importantly,greet your host and the staff upon entering or as soon as you encounter them. Seriously, say bonjourbefore anything else—then you can throw in the “Excuse me, do you speak English?” In a way, saying “bonjour” isa request for permission to enter someone’s domain. And of all the niceties in French culture, where niceties persist, this simple gesture remains one of the most important.

This cultural savvy will often mean the difference between decent service and the cold shoulder— or, as many unsuspecting tourists and inexperienced students have borne witness, a good dose of gallic sass! And while we can wrangle over whether that’s rude or not, the simplest way to sidestep this cultural misunderstanding is to channel your inner francophone, as timid as he or she may be, and say one word:bonjour.

• • •

BONSOIR. [bɔ̃.swaʁ] • “boh(n) swahr”

🌛 • FRIENDLY TO FORMAL

Bonsoir isbonjour’s nighttime self. It has the same profile, but is only employed in the evening when it replaces bonjour.

⚠️ Literally meaning “good evening,” bonsoircomes with the same warning for anglophones as bonjour: it’s only used when greeting someone. When parting, one should say “bonne soirée,”which means “have a good (rest of the) evening.” Or, if it’s really late and everyone’s turning in for the night, then say “bonne nuit,” which means “good night.”

PRO TIP: WHen to switch to bonsoir

Naturally, the question is when to transition from bonjour to bonsoir. Hélas, there’s no exact answer to this! Some may flip the greeting switch at the end of their workday; others may do it when the sun sets. It’s often a personal preference or a question ofmood.But a good rule of thumb: aim for 6PM.

• • •

SALUT. [sa.ly] • “sah lu”

🌞🌛 • FRIENDLY & INFORMAL

Salut(pronounced without the T) is one way to know you’ve made it from VOUS Territory to TU Territory.

Why? Because this is an informal greeting used between peers, friends, and family. It translates best as “Hi!” or “Hey!”Alors, il va sans dire (it goes without saying) that you shouldn’t use it with people to whom you’d need to show deference — and if you’re an anglophone, this may include some unexpected individuals…

⛔ Donot say “salut”to aFrench server, cashier, receptionist, mailman, etc.In French culture, the rules of formality are stricter than in many anglophone cultures. So while we tend to be very “chill” with English-speaking customer service people — we may even gush about how refreshingly casual everyone is — you’d likely need to usebonjour orbonsoirwith their French counterparts.

📍Note thatsalut is like ciao in Italian or aloha in Hawaiian: it can mean both“hello” and “goodbye.”

📍Note thatsaluthas the French U sound. There should be an audible difference between the U in salut and the OU in bonjour.

PRO TIP:salut in the workplace

Here’s a burning question: should you use salut with your boss?

Many French people will say, “NO” — and I agree.

However, there are exceptions. For example, at the small French company where I worked, I was on a TU basis with everyone practically from the beginning — including my employers! Sosalut was perfectly fine.But in a larger, hierarchical, traditional French corporation,you may want to stick with thedeferentialbonjour-bonsoir combountil you’ve figured out the company culture and your standing vis-à-vis everyone else, especially your superiors.

• • •

COUCOU ! [ku.ku] • “coo coo”

🌞🌛• FRIENDLY & VERY INFORMAL

Coucou is the even friendlier version ofsalut.The best translation for it is “hey there,” although it also translates as “peekaboo!” More literally, coucou means cuckoo, like the bird in the clock, peeking out at certain times. (There’s also the expression jouer à coucou, which is to play peekaboo.)

So, clearly, it’splayful and cute, and therefore suitable forchildren,close friends, and family. This is also why some assert that only women use it, thoughboth genders do in fact employ it. You’ll also see it in emails, text messages, and online forums where the social rules are more relaxed.

Another thing to note: coucouis oftenmeant to get someone’s attention, which differentiates it slightly from other greetings. For example, you’re more likely to hearcoucou when someone is peeking into your office from behind the door, wanting to chat, than when you’re just passing them quickly on the way to the bathroom. In a way, it’s a less grating, more restrained version of the English “yoo-hoo!”

⛔ Do notuse coucouif you’re not even on a salut basis.

⚠️ Be careful with the pronunciation ofcoucou. It’s nearly identical to the English, so don’t employ the French U! (That would change the meaning to something quite embarrassing.)

• • •

ADAPTING YOUR GREETINGS

For a Crowd

If you’re greeting a group, you can add tout le mondeor à tous to mean “to all.”
👉 Salut à tous.
👉 Bonjour tout le monde.

to be extra polite

If you want tobe really polite when saying “hello” in French,add Monsieur or Madame* to bonjour orbonsoir.
👉 Bonjour Madame.
👉 Bonsoir Monsieur.

* You may also useMademoiselle for a little girl or a younger, unmarried woman. However, this sometimes presents its own dilemma: determining a woman’s age and marital status at a glance. In this case, clues like a wedding ring may help. That said, in general, if she doesn’t look like a little girl or a teenager, then Madame is usually fine.

• • •

Special Greetings

ALLÔ ? [a.lo] • “ah lo”

🌞🌛• 📞 ONLY ON THE PHONE

It’s so tempting to equateallôto the English “hello.” But in most of the French-speaking world, allô is only used when answering the phoneor whenchecking if someone is still on the line.

Therefore, by nature, it’s a question and needs to have a rising tone at the end.

⛔ Do not use allôas an in-person greeting…EXCEPT in Québec, where it’ssimilarto salut.

⚠️ If you need to bemore polite when answering the phone,default to bonjour.

📍There are a few instances when you’ll hear allôin person. In these cases, it’s veryinformal and its meaning changes: it becomes an expression of incredulity or disbelief, with a hint of disdain. In a way, it’s like asking if someone is still mentally there. Some English equivalents would be “seriously?!” or “I mean, helloooo?” (For more on this, look up the controversial French TV personality Nabilla. She coined the nonsensical and now-trademarked expression “Allô non mais allô quoi,” which effectively means “What, are you kidding me?!”)

• • •

REBONJOUR. [ʁə.bɔ̃.ʒuʁ] • “ruhboh(n) zhoor”
REBONSOIR. [ʁə.bɔ̃.swaʁ] • “ruhboh(n) swahr”

ONLY When re-encountering someone on the same day

If you’ve already greeted someone earlier in the day, add the prefix re- (which rhymes with “duh”) to bonjour the second time you meet. The resultingrebonjour literally means “re-hello” or “hello again.” And though you won’t hear it as often (perhaps because there are fewer evening waking hours), there’s also rebonsoir.

Now, it bears mentioning that,while many francophones are forgiving of this, some will recoil at a secondbonjour orbonsoir. Furthermore, somemay even sass you with a corrective rebonjour.(This is how my classmates and I learned about this expression!)

What’s with the attitude? Again, it’s an issue of culture and niceties. For some people, a second bonjour indicatesthat you’ve clearlyforgotten that you already saw them that day, which would be consideredrude. As a result, subsequent greetings must acknowledge earlier encounters — at least until the situation resets the next day and you can use bonjour again!

📍For very informal situations, you cancut it down to re. (No, seriously, you can.)

📍Alternatively — or for succeeding encounters — you can go with a simplenod or smile.

PRO TIP: What should you do if you get corrected for saying “bonjour” twice?

A quick acknowledgment of your mistake should diffuse the situation: “Ah oui, excuse(z)-moi. On s’est déjà vus.” (Oh, yes. Excuse me. We’ve already seen each other.”) This will allay the person’s suspicion that you failed to recall an earlier meeting.

• • •

BON MATIN. [bɔ̃.matɛ̃] • “boh(n)mah ta(n)”

🌞• only IN QUÉBEC

Of all the ways to say “hello” in French, this is the most controversial. Why? Because in most of the francophone world, this expression does not exist. In fact, it would likely come across as a failed anglophone attempt at translating “good morning” and elicit a swift and reproachfulbonjour.

However, there isone place where it is used: Québec.

Mais pas is vite ! (But not so fast!) Before you use bon matin with everyone you meet on your trip to la Belle province, be aware that itremains controversial even there. This is because it competes with bonjour andis a calque (loan translation) from English. And there are laws and some strongly held views against such linguistic intrusions, especially over at the Office québécois de la langue française (the Québec language authorities).

Therefore, if you plan to use it — as many Québécoisdo — bear in mind that it may ruffle some feathers. If in doubt, the best choice remains the 100% French choice: the ever-trustworthybonjour.

• • •

The Takeaways

Congratulations! Now, you know the different ways to say “hello” in French.

And to recap, here are the two best practices that sum up the most salient cultural points:

The first reminds me of what military folks often say: it’s better to accidentally salute someone junior to you than fail to salute someone senior. In other words, when in doubt, assume you have junior status and go the formal route. This means using the polite (but friendly) duo:bonjour and bonsoir. They really are solid choices— and you can always calculate your social standing later!

The second: follow the lead of the francophones you’re talking to until you get the hang of things! If they use TU with you, you can use less formal greetings like salut. If they’reQuébécoisand usebon matin with you, you can reciprocate with the same.

With that information in tow, you can now smoothly navigate the cultural waters to make a good first impression as an aspiring francophone!Good luck! Bonne chance !

• • •

Mastered how to say “hello” in French?Looking for more basic French lessons?

Hey, we’ve all got to start with the basics; there’s no shame in that! And the stronger your grasp of basic French, the easier the language will be as you progress. So shore up your French foundations HERE.

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FALF Guide to Saying Hello in French