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How to Say ‘Excuse me, good evening!’ in French

Excusez-moi, bonsoir !

eks-kew-zey mwah bohn-SWAHR

[eks-kew-zey mwah bohn-SWAHR]

🇫🇷 In France: In France you greet someone before you ask or say anything else. Going straight to a compliment without a Bonsoir can feel abrupt, even to a busker.

Phrase Breakdown

Excusez-moi,

eks-kew-zey mwah

Excuse me,

A polite way to get someone's attention. Say it 'ex-kü-zé-mwa'. The final 'z' of 'excusez' is silent, and 'moi' sounds like 'mwa'.

Example

Excusez-moi, où est la gare ?

Excuse me, where is the station?

Words in this phrase

Excusez

[eks-kew-zey]

Excuse

A polite request for forgiveness or attention.

Example

Excusez-moi, je dois passer.

Excuse me, I need to pass through.

-moi

[mwah]

Used to refer to oneself, asking for attention or pardon.

Example

Excusez-moi de vous déranger.

Excuse me for disturbing you.

bonsoir !

bohn-SWAHR

good evening!

A greeting used from late afternoon onward. Say 'bon-swar' with a nasal 'on'. Don't pronounce the 'n' fully.

Example

Bonsoir, madame !

Good evening, madam!

Words in this phrase

bonsoir

[bohn-SWAHR]

good evening

A polite greeting used in the evening, common at professional events and formal introductions.

Example

Bonsoir, je suis ravi de parler de votre entreprise.

Good evening, I’m pleased to talk about your company.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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