Key Takeaways
âBonjourâ â The Most Common French Greeting
âBonjourâ is the most widely used way of saying hello in French, suitable for almost any situation. It literally means âgood dayâ and often goes with a kiss on the cheeks or a handshake.
Informal Greetings
For casual encounters, âSalutâ and âCoucouâ are popular choices. âSalutâ is akin to saying âhiâ but is usually only used among friends and peers, while âCoucouâ is an affectionate way to say hello to close friends and family.
Time-Specific Hellos
âBonsoirâ is used to say hello in the evening, similar to âgood eveningâ in English. This greeting is appropriate from late afternoon onwards (but the âdeadlineâ can be tricky to master)
A Hello Reserved For The Phone
When answering the phone, the French use âAllĂ´?â Strangely, this hello is exclusively used for phone conversations and is not used in face-to-face interactions1.
So now letâs see the many more ways to say hello in French.
Bonjour: the Most Common Way to say hello in French
Saying âbonjourâ has to be the most common way of saying hello in French. And itâs usually accompanied by a âbisous Ă la françaiseâ â a kiss on the cheeks â or a firm hand shake. Note we do not hug in France when we greet each other.
A Polite Way to Say Hello in French
Note that it is much more polite to follow this âbonjourâ by âMadameâ (for a lady), âMonsieurâ (for a man) or âMademoiselleâ (tricky⌠for a younger woman: read my article about this Madame or Mademoiselle, a delicate question)
So, when saying hello in French, try to get in the habit of saying:
- Bonjour Madame
- Bonjour Monsieur
- Bonjour mademoiselle
- or Bonjour Camille if you are on a first-name basis with the person
- Bonjour monsieur Dupont â for more formal occasions.
When a politician addresses the nation, he usually starts his speech with âBonjour Mesdames, bonjour MessieursââŚ
Saying Hello in French to a Large Group of People
If you were to enter a room full of people, like at the boulangerie (bakery) when there is a line, you may then just greet everybody with a general âbonjourâ.
When I start my French videos, I usually say âbonjour Ă tousâ !
How to Say âHiâ in French?
Many French people use âsalutâ to say hello in a relaxed, informal manner.
So, Iâve met many American students who therefore concluded that âsalutâ meant âhiâ in French. And itâs a big mistake.
See, in the US I would say âhiâ all the time : to my friends, but also at the grocery, or greeting the postman.
I would NEVER use âsalutâ at the grocery or talking to the postman to say âHiâ in French! I would say âBonjourâ.
âSalutâ is used among peers⌠Now, this is also a question of social class. Iâm sorry I cannot be PC here, but social class counts a lot in France. Someone from a blue collar class may easily use âsalutâ, even with total strangers if he feels they belong to the same social class.
Someone from a white collar class would only use âsalutâ with friends or acquaintances, but not strangers.
Of course, itâs difficult to write about what âpeopleâ do and donât do⌠There always are exceptions to all stereotypes. Yet I thought this was worth mentioning.
What does âCoucouâ Mean?
Thatâs my personal favorite way to say hello in French. I use it a lot. Use âcoucouâ with all my friends and family. There is really no US English equivalent⌠Itâs a bit like âtoodalooâ in British English except that âtoodalooâ is used to say goodbye!
If you study French with my French audiobook learning method, youâll learn all these expressions with audio within the context of an ongoing novel.
A new approach to learning both traditional and modern French logically structured for English speakers.
Now letâs see how to say hello in French in particular occasions.
Bonsoir â Hello in French â But in the Evening
When you greet someone with âHelloâ in French in the evening, you can say âbonsoirâ. Same as with âbonjourâ, itâs more polite to use something after âbonsoirâ;
- Bonsoir madame
- Bonsoir monsieur,
- Bonsoir mademoiselle,
- Bonsoir Camille
- Bonsoir Monsieur DupontâŚ
When do you start saying bonsoir in France? Even the French donât agree⌠Read the article on the Local.fr for more info on that subject.
AllĂ´ ? Hello in French but Only on the Phone
I understand there was a famous TV show called âAllĂ´, AllĂ´â and therefore many English speakers are convinced that âAllĂ´â is a common way to say hello in French.
Only it is not. We only use âAllĂ´â to say hello in French on the phone. On the phone, you use âAllĂ´â when you answer the phone, so with a rising questioning voice : âAllĂ´â ?
And then you may start speaking by using it again âAllĂ´, bonjour, câest Camilleâ⌠or skip it âBonjour, câest Camilleâ.
So the beginning of a phone conversation could go this way:
More about the French Phone vocabulary in my article.
Rebonjour
If youâve already said hello to someone and run into them again, itâs common to say ârebonjourâ: âbonjour againâ, if you wantâŚ
Skipping Hello in France â A Big Mistake
Some people may skip the âbonjourâ part and go directly to another greeting like âça vaâ (how are you)⌠but itâs not that common.
In any case, whether you use the word âbonjourâ or not, you should always take the time to greet people in France. Itâs considered quite rude to go ahead and ask a question without first saying hello in French.
Also, if someone is busy, and you get their attention by saying âexcusez-moiâ, once they have your attention, you still need to say âbonjourâ. Unlike âexcuse-meâ in English, which kind of takes the place of hello, in French it does not. So, first say âexcusez-moiâ and then âbonjourâ or âbonsoirâ, and only then your question⌠Sounds like itâs too much, but itâs critical for the French, and itâs one of the main reasons why you might get a rude attitude if you donât do this.
Oh! And please smile !! I really donât know who decided that you shouldnât smile in France!! A smile will open so many doors, and itâs so much nicer to talk to people when they smile.
Now, if you are a young lady entering a bar full of men and say âbonjourâ with a huge smile, you may get some unwanted attention⌠But outside this context, please do smile :-)
What About Kissing Hello in France?
When French people say hello, they will either kiss or shake hands. Sometimes just wave â like a teenager may do â but itâs not common.
As I am writing this article, we are in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, and for safety reasons, the French respect the social distancing and hold on kissing or shaking hands. Will this crisis affect the way French people say hello? I donât know⌠Only time will tell!
[Update] Well, now 2.5 years after the lockdowns, the French are back to kissing in most circumstances. Some (like my daughter Leyla) have decided to ONLY kiss on the cheeks with very close family or friends but just nod/wave and smile to others ⌠To make it âseemâ a bit more normal, sheâll often use the excuse of âIâm feeling a little sick, I wonât give you a kissâŚâ but to be often answered back âoh, it doesnât matterâŚâ and still get a kiss! An engrained culture is difficult to change!
In any case, kissing in France definitely deserves another article !
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