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How to Say ‘Hi! How's it going?’ in French

Salut ! Ça va ?

sa-loo sa vah

[sa-loo sa vah]

🇫🇷 In France: Between friends this is a casual greeting, not a real health check. With strangers or older people, use Bonjour instead.

Phrase Breakdown

Salut !

sa-loo

Hi!

An informal greeting. The final 't' is silent: 'sah-lu'.

Example

Salut, Marie !

Hi, Marie!

Words in this phrase

Salut

[sa-loo]

A casual greeting used with someone you know, like another parent at the school gate.

Example

Au portail, je dis Salut à une maman que je connais.

At the gate, I say hi to a mum I know.

Ça va ?

sa vah

How are you?

Literally 'it goes?'. Use a rising intonation for the question.

Example

Ça va bien ?

Are you doing well?

Words in this phrase

Ça

[sa]

It / that

A very common word in everyday spoken French, often used in expressions like Ça va.

Example

Dans Ça va ?, Ça veut dire it or that in a general sense.

In Ça va?, Ça means it or that in a general sense.

[vah]

goes

Indicates the state or condition something is in.

Example

Comment va ta journée ?

How is your day going?

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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