Content

• Steps

Although "bonjour" is a common greeting in French, there are actually many ways to say hello in this language. Here are some of the best sentences you should know.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Basic greeting

1. 

   Say "Bonjour" in all situations. This is a phrase commonly translated as "hello" by books and can be used in formal and casual contexts.
   • Bonjour is the combination of "bon", which means "good" and "jour" which means "day". This word literally translates to "good day".
   • This word is pronounced as bon-zhoor.

2. 

   
   
   Use "Salut" in a less formal context. Instead of saying "hello" politely, the word is just ordinary "hello".
   • In spite of salut is an exclamation used to greet someone, but it is related to the French verb "saluer", meaning "hello". Correctly translated, "salut" means "goodbye or goodbye" and is often used in informal situations.
   • This word is pronounced without the end "t" sound so it will read as sah-loo.
   • "Salut" can also mean "goodbye". So you can use "salut" when starting or ending a conversation.
   • Another common greeting that uses the word "Salut" is "Salut tout le monde!". This sentence can be understood as "Hi everyone!". The word "tout" means "all" and "le monde" means "the world". This greeting is only used to greet a group of close friends.

3. 

   
   
   Say "Hé" or "Tiens" in common context. Both of these words are not as standard and formal as bonjour should be used to say hello in a less formal context.
   • Revealing is used as "hey" (hello) in English. Both words are pronounced quite similar but sound é somewhat negative ei in English.
   • A common way to say hello is "Hey is!". This phrase translates as "Hi there!"
   • Originally an exclamation, tiens! is a surprise greeting. Pronounced "ie" in this word with a nasal sound like "y" in English, so it sounds the same t-y-ns.

4. 

   
   
   Say "Hello" when answering the phone. This greeting is like a common expression in Vietnamese and is often used to greet someone over the phone.
   • This word is pronounced as ah-low but emphasis on the second syllable.
   • You can also ask "allo?". When used in this approach, you will emphasize in the first syllable. This is used if you want to ask something over the phone like "Hello? Did you hear that?"

5. 

   Use "bienvenue" to greet someone. If someone comes to visit your home or office, you can greet them with something like "Welcome!" (welcome) in English.
   • This word translated correctly will mean something like "arrive safely". Specifically bien is "good" and venue is a noun meaning "to arrive".
   • This word is pronounced as bea-venoo.
   • Another way to genuinely greet someone is "être le bienvenu". The word "être" is a verb with the same meaning as "very" in English.
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Method 2 of 2: Hi from time to time

1. 

   Use the word "Bonjour" in the morning and at noon. There is no special greeting for the morning or noon.
   • Bonjour which actually means "good day", you would mean "good morning" or "good noon" by using this word since mornings and noon are both daytime times.

2. 

   Switch to "Bonsoir" for the evening. This word literally translates to "good evening" and should be used to say "hello" in the afternoon or evening.
   • This word can be used in formal and informal contexts but is often heard in formal context.
   • Bon means "good" and soir means "evening".
   • Pronounced this word bon-swar.
   • Another way to greet people at night is to use the phrase "Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs", which means "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen".
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