Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"

Hello in French is Bonjour, and if you only learn one French greeting, make it that one. But French greetings come with a few rules English doesn't have: bonjour turns into bonsoir in the evening, "how are you?" has a formal and a casual version, and the reply is usually shorter than you'd expect. Here's what to say, when to say it, and what you'll hear back, with native audio on every phrase that has a ▶ button.

Hello in French: bonjour, salut and coucou

• Bonjour: hello, good morning, good day. The safe greeting with anyone, from the morning until evening. Say it when you walk into a shop, get on a bus or step up to a counter, before you ask for anything.
• Salut: hi. Casual, for friends, classmates, kids and relaxed colleagues. It also means "bye", which is handy.
• Coucou: hey there. Very casual and affectionate, for close friends and family, and in text messages. Don't use it with your landlord.
• Allô ? hello? Only on the phone.

With strangers, add monsieur or madame: Bonjour, madame. It sounds old-fashioned to English ears, but in France it's simply polite. You don't need the surname. Mademoiselle has largely dropped out of use, so madame is the safe choice for any adult woman.

How to say it: bonjour is roughly "bohn-ZHOOR", with a soft j like the s in "measure". Salut is "sah-LEW"; the t is silent.

French lesson · 16 phrases with audioBasic greetings: Common greetingsPractise this conversation →

Good evening in French: when bonjour becomes bonsoir

Good evening in French is Bonsoir ! ("bohn-SWAHR"). The switch from bonjour to bonsoir happens when evening starts, not at a set time. In practice that's somewhere around six o'clock, earlier in winter when it's already dark. If you're unsure, bonjour is never wrong in the afternoon.

What catches people out is that French has separate words for arriving and leaving:

So Bon après-midi is really a goodbye, not a hello: you wish someone a good afternoon as you leave. And Bonne nuit is only for someone going to bed.

I learned that one at a bakery in Bordeaux during my first winter. I left at six in the evening with a cheerful Bonne nuit ! The baker smiled and said Bonne soirée, which was her polite way of letting me know I'd just wished her sweet dreams.

How are you in French

There are three ways to ask how someone is, from casual to formal:

• Ça va ? How are you? / How's it going? The one you'll hear most, with almost everyone. Literally "it goes?", and it works as both question and answer.
• Comment ça va ? How are you? A little fuller than ça va ?, still friendly and everyday.
• Comment allez-vous ? How are you? The polite, formal version, for older people, clients, your partner's parents and anyone you call vous.

For people you call tu there's also Comment vas-tu ? and the more conversational Tu vas bien ? (are you doing well?). With vous that becomes Vous allez bien ?

You'll also hear a greeting and the question run together: Salut, ça va ? is the French "hi, how are you?", and Bonjour, comment allez-vous ? is the formal "hello, how are you?". Neighbours who know you a bit often add the time of day: Ça va ce matin ? (how are you this morning?).

French lesson · 37 phrases with audioBasic greetings: Greeting your neighborPractise this conversation →

"I'm fine, thank you" in French, and other answers

"I'm fine, thank you" in French is Je vais bien, merci. Literally "I'm going well", because French uses aller (to go) for how you are, not être (to be). Don't say je suis bien; it means something closer to "I'm comfortable".

Most of the time, though, people answer with ça va:

• Ça va. I'm fine. The everyday short answer, and usually all anyone expects.
• Ça va bien, merci. I'm doing well, thanks.
• Très bien, merci. Very well, thanks.
• Pas mal. Not bad.
• Bof: meh. Honest, very French, and only for friends.

Then hand the question back: Et vous ? (and you?) or, with friends, Et toi ? Leaving it out sounds abrupt.

A shopkeeper's ça va ? is a greeting, not a real question. Answer with ça va, merci and get on with your croissant. Save the details about your week for friends.

Tu or vous?

Every French greeting changes a little depending on whether you say tu or vous to the person, so it's worth getting this right early. My rule: use vous with every adult you don't know, and switch to tu only when the other person does or suggests it (on peut se tutoyer).

I got this wrong the first time I met my girlfriend's parents: I opened with tu, and her mother kept answering with vous, a little more clearly each time. Nobody minds a learner's mistake, but vous is the one that never causes it.

French lesson · 26 phrases with audioBasic expressions: Greeting someone and apologizing for being latePractise this conversation →

Meeting someone new

• Enchanté. Nice to meet you. A woman writes Enchantée., and it sounds the same. On its own it's what most people say; enchanté de vous rencontrer is correct but a little stiff.
• Comment vous appelez-vous ? What's your name? Polite. In everyday speech you'll more often hear Vous vous appelez comment ?, or with tu, Tu t'appelles comment ?
• Je m'appelle Emily: my name is Emily. More natural than mon nom est Emily, which sounds like you're filling in a form.

In France, greeting friends and family usually comes with la bise: a light touch of cheeks, usually one on each side, with a kiss sound rather than an actual kiss. The number varies by region and by group of friends, so follow the other person's lead. With strangers, colleagues you've just met and anyone in a shop, a handshake or just bonjour is normal.

Saying goodbye in French

• Au revoir: goodbye. The neutral default, fine with anyone.
• Bonne journée ! Have a good day. The standard friendly goodbye to shop staff in the daytime.
• Bonne soirée. Have a good evening. Its evening equivalent.
• À bientôt. See you soon. Friendly and open-ended.
• À demain. See you tomorrow.
• À la prochaine see you next time. Relaxed, with acquaintances and colleagues.
• Salut and à plus (later): casual goodbyes for friends.

French lesson · 52 phrases with audioMeeting old friends: Friend is married with a childPractise this conversation →

French greetings cheat sheet

Practise them out loud

Greetings are the one part of French you'll use every single day, so they're worth saying out loud until they're automatic. For what comes after hello, see common French phrases and French conversation for beginners. The lessons below take you through real greetings, with a neighbour, a teacher and an old friend, with native audio for every line.