Salutations Françaises (french greetings)

Bonjour- “Good day”/ good morning/ Hello

It literally means “good day”, and it's by far the most well-known French greeting.

The nice thing about bonjour is that it's the most safe and polite of all greetings in
French. You can use it in any situation, no matter what the level of formality.

Bon après-midi - Good Afternoon

French speakers generally use it when they are saying goodbye, so you should
follow their lead and avoid using it at the beginning of a conversation.

Bonsoir – “Good evening”

Like bonjour, bonsoir is safe and polite. The only thing that matters is the time of
day – it means “good evening”, so only use it at the appropriate hour!

Bon appétit- have a good meal!

It literally means “good appetite.” It is one of the most common things to say to
people before they eat.

Bonne nuit- Good night

Literally meaning “good night”, Bonne nuit is used more as a “goodbye” than as a
“hello”. So if you are spending time with your French friends, Bonne nuit is a great
way to let them them know you are retiring.

Bonne Chance- good luck!

Bonne chance means "good luck" in the true sense of the words: it expresses your
desire for someone else’s wish to come true, for them to experience the good
fortune they’re hoping for.

Merci - Thank you!

S'il vous plaît (formal)- Please

S'il te plaît(Informal) - please

Allô? - Hello?

Although it is not specific to face to face interactions, Allô is still considered a

greeting.Usually expressed with the raising tone of a question, Allô is what you
could say over the phone to check whether the person you are talking to is still on
the other end of the line or not: Allô?

Salut! / Coucou - Hi! / Hey!

Salut/coucou is the informal French greeting you can use with family and friends
but not with your boss or teacher.

Excusez-moi? - Excuse me?

Looking for a polite way to get someone’s attention in French? Maybe there’s
someone blocking your way in the store or maybe you want to get noticed by the
office clerk. In these situations, a classic greeting would be a bit redundant. So
instead you could use this “question-like” Excusez-moi? that has a double
meaning and works as both a greeting and a way to get someone’s attention.

Comment ça va? - How are you?

Almost equally as notorious as Bonjour, Comment ça va? can be used the same
way we use the English “how are you?”: directly on its own or together with
another greeting. For example, you can simply say Comment ça va? (“How are
you?) or Bonjour! Comment ça va? (”Hello! How are you?“).

If someone says Comment ça va? to you, you can respond with Ça va bien, merci!
(“I’m good, thanks!”), Ça va bien. Et vous? (“I’m good. And you?”) or Pas mal (“Not
bad”).

Ça va? - how's it going?

The English translation of Ça va?, the little and cooler brother of Comment ça va?,
is “how’s it going” or literally “does it go?” and it can be used exactly the same
like 'comment ça va?'. The only slight difference is the level for formality
associated of each phrase: Ça va? is obviously more suitable for informal
interactions with friends and family.

Quoi de neuf?/ Que faites vous?/ Vous faites quoi? - What's up?

Want to spice up and diversify your “ça-va”s? Go with the informal Quoi de neuf
that translates to “what’s up?” or “what’s new?”.

Enchanté(e) – Nice to meet you

In a more formal setting, it’s polite to indicate that you’re delighted to meet
someone after they introduce themselves, and this phrase is the perfect way to
do so.

Monsieur - Mr.

Mademoiselle - Miss

Madame - Mrs.

Très bien- very well

Parting Phrases in French (goodbyes)

Au revoir! – Goodbye!

Rather formal, this is a safe way to say goodbye in French no matter the social
setting.

À plus tard! – see you later!

This is one of those easy greetings in French and a simple way to indicate that you’ll
see them at a later, unspecified time.

À demain! – See you tomorrow!

The word demain can be replaced with any day of the week if you know that you
will see the other person soon.

À bientôt- See you soon

Tout à l'heure- See you later

Bonne journée - have a good day

Bonne soirée- have a nice evening