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How to Say ‘I'll go and say hello to Gérard, then.’ in French

Je vais dire bonjour à Gérard, alors.

zhuh veh deer bohn-ZHOOR ah zhay-RAHR Ah-lor

[zhuh veh deer bohn-ZHOOR ah zhay-RAHR Ah-lor]

🇫🇷 In France: In a French home you're expected to greet each person individually when you arrive, usually with the bises. Skipping someone, even a quiet father-in-law in the next room, comes across as rude.

Phrase Breakdown

Je vais dire bonjour

zhuh veh deer bohn-ZHOOR

I'm going to say hello

Near future. Say it smoothly in one breath.

Example

Je vais dire bonjour aux voisins.

I'm going to say hello to the neighbors.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

vais

[veh]

am going to

Present tense of 'go,' used to express future intention.

Example

Je vais préparer le dîner.

I am going to prepare dinner.

dire

[deer]

to say

To express in words.

Example

Il va dire la vérité.

He is going to say the truth.

bonjour

[bohn-ZHOOR]

hello

A common polite greeting used at the start of a conversation, email, or message.

Example

Bonjour, merci encore pour notre échange lors de l'événement.

Hello, thank you again for our conversation during the event.

à Gérard, alors.

ah zhay-RAHR Ah-lor

to Gérard, then.

'Alors' here means 'then' or 'in that case'. 'Gérard' sounds like 'zhay-rar'; the D is silent.

Example

On y va, alors.

Let's go, then.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

Used with infinitive verbs to indicate purpose.

Example

Elle commence à chanter.

She begins to sing.

Gérard

[zhay-RAHR]

Gérard

A French male first name.

Example

Gérard aime le café.

Gérard likes coffee.

alors

[Ah-lor]

Then

Used to indicate a result or consequence.

Example

Vérifiez le bracelet, alors nous continuerons.

Check the strap, then we will continue.

Guides for French learners

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.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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