Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Default "Hello"
• Method 2 of 2: Time-dependent greetings

Although "bonjour" is the most common French greeting, there are several ways you can say hello in French. These are some of the best ways.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Default "Hello"

1. Say "Bonjour" in any situation. This term is the standard translation of "hello" and can be used in both formal and informal situations.
   • Bonjour is a combination of the term "bon" meaning "good", and "jour" meaning day. The literal translation is "good day".
   • The term is pronounced bon-zjoer.
2. Use "Salut" in less formal situations. This term can be translated as "hi".
   • although salut an exclamation is to greet people, it is related to the French verb "saluer", which means "to greet" or "to greet".
   • The term is pronounced without the last "t", so it sounds like sá-lú.
   • Another informal greeting with this term is "Salut tout le monde!" This means something like "Hello everyone!" The term "tout" means "all" and "le monde" means "the world". This greeting is only used with a group of close friends.
3. Also use "Hey" or "Tiens" in informal situations. Both terms are not as standard or formal as bonjour, but they are used to say "hello" in situations that are not particularly formal.
   • Hey is actually the same as the Dutch "hey". The terms are pronounced the same.
   • Another casual greeting between friends is "Hey là!" This means "Hey there!"
   • If exclamation is ten! basically a surprised "hello!" The "ie" in the word is nasally pronounced "ye", so the word sounds like well.
4. Pick up the phone "Allô". This greeting most closely resembles the Dutch "hello", and is usually used to greet someone on the phone.
   • The term is pronounced ah-loo, with a heavy accent on the second syllable.
   • You can also ask "âllo?" Now the stress is on the first syllable. This phrase is used when asking something like, "Hello? Are you listening?"
5. Use "bienvenue" to welcome someone. When someone comes into your home or office, you can welcome them with this phrase, which translates as "Welcome!"
   • A more literal translation of the term would be "Good Arrival". Bien means "good", and venue is a noun meaning coming.
   • The term is approximately pronounced bjè-venú.
   • Another way to welcome someone is to say "être le bienvenu." The term "être" is a verb that means "to be".

Method 2 of 2: Time-dependent greetings

1. Use "Bonjour" in the morning and in the afternoon. There is no special greeting for the morning or afternoon.
   • Since bonjour literally means "good day", you are actually saying "good morning" or "good afternoon" when using this term, because morning and afternoon are both daytime.
2. Use "Bonsoir" in the evening. The literal translation of this word is "good evening", and should be used to say "hello" at night.
   • The term can be used in formal and informal situations, but is usually heard in formal situations.
   • Receipt means "good" and soir means "evening".
   • Pronounce the term as bon-swaar.
   • One way to greet a group of people at night is to say "Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs", which means "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen".