In this post we look a very simple and common ways to greet in French, using a step-by step approach. So you will learn the following:

The different ways to say hello.

Casual and formal ways to say Hello.

Differences between Tu and Vous , and when it is best to use these.

and , and when it is best to use these. How to start a very simple conversation from greetings.

One of the first things you will do when you are abroad is to speak to strangers to either ask for information, to give them information, or to just greet them. So let’s start with the most simple one: the greetings.

Bonjour (Hello!)

In French, there are several ways to say hello or hi; the word may differ whether you are greeting in the evening or during the day; however, as the words Hi or Hello, the Word Bonjour can be used in any situation; it is neither formal nor casual, and fits all situations. It literally means “Good (Bon) Day (Jour)“

This greeting word can be improved by making it more specific (or personalized) depending on the gender of the person you are talking to, and whether you know their name.

– Bonjour Monsieur (Hello Sir) [for a male]

– Bonjour Madame (Hello Sir) [for a female]

– Bonjour Jean (Hello John) [If you know this person]

After this, the rest of the conversation may depend on whether you ask for information, or whether you are meeting someone and just greeting him/her. For the latter, you can just add Comment ça va? (litteraly: How is it going?); as for the English version, you are not really asking how they are, but this is a rhetorical question, to make the person welcome. So you could say.

Bonjour Paul, Comment ça va? (Hi Paul, how is it going?).

This is a very casual form that works in many situations.

Pronunciation Tips:

– “Comment”: the t at the end of the word comment is silent and is not pronounced; this holds true for many words in French.

at the end of the word comment is silent and is not pronounced; this holds true for many words in French. – “Comment”: this word includes two parts; Co (pronounced like co operation) and ment (pronounced man sion).

(pronounced like operation) and (pronounced sion). – “Ça”: the c is pronounced like an “s” (like sa ck); the cedille (little sign below the c makes it an s); so anytime you see this sign, the c is pronounces like an s.

You may be asked this question (Comment ça va?), or ask this question yourself. The answer would usually be.

Très bien, merci (Very well, thank you)

Pronunciation Tips:

– “bien”: is pronounced like bee and im pecable.

and pecable. – “merci” is pronounced like mer cenary and sea t.

So the start of a conversation could be:

– Paul: Bonjour Jean, Comment ça va?

– Jean: Très bien merci, et toi?

– Paul: Ça va. Merci.

Pronunciation Tips:

– “toi”: is pronounced like Wha t.

In French, contray to English, there are two levels of familiarity that can be used to emphasises the distance (or level of familiarity) betweeen two people.

For a non-fomal and friendly way of communicating the English word You translates to “toi” or “tu” in French.

For a more formal way of communicating the English word You translates to “vous” in French.

When someone use “tu” or “toi” as they speak to you, they are implicitely removing any possible barriers between ye, and imply a casual conversation. It is a good sign that this person feels very comfortable with you. In fact you may witness that when you meet someone for the first time, they will use vous, and as you get to know eachother better, the words “tu” or “toi” will be used instead (it’s a good sign :-)). So a more formal way to greet someone could be:

Paul: Bonjour jean, Comment allez-vous?

Jean: Très bien merci, et vous?

Paul: Ça va.

Note that Jean replied using vous also as a mark of respect; using tu when someone first used vous in a conversation can be a little awkward. However, it is very common to ask the other peson if you can use “tu”. You would in this case say

“Je peux vous tutoyer?” [meaning, can I use “tu” or “toi”]

This is extremely common.

** If you have enjoyed this post, you can email me at pat.french.voiceover@gmail.com, and let me know what other topics you would like me to cover, or what you main struggles are when it comes to get started with the French language. I am also preparing a new book for beginners, so I can also let you know when it will be out then. **

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