Lesson 1 : Saying hello in French
Lesson 1 : Saying hello in French
Saying hello in French is very easy, but you will have to adapt the phrase depending on the situation and who you are speaking to.
(click on the audio player below to listen to the French sounds and repeat aloud)
English |
French |
|---|---|
|
Hello ("bon" means good, "jour" day. |
Bonjour |
| Hello John | Bonjour Jean |
| Good evening |
Bonsoir |
| Good evening ladies and gentlemen | Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs |
| Hi, Watch'ya |
Salut |
| Hi everybody! (Very informal, use this only with close friends) |
Salut tout le monde!
|
Audio
Comments
It is very common in France to say "bonjour" to everybody, when you enter a shop, restaurant or bar etc.
At school it is very common for the boys to shake hands when meeting, girls kiss each other on the check, girls and boys kiss each other on the check.
At work it is normal practice to shake hands.
When you greet someone of the opposite sex who you know well, you often kiss him or her on each cheek. There is no fixed rule for this.
Within the family cheek kissing is normal between all sexes.
In the north of France you kiss each check twice, whilst in other regions
it is once.