French Greetings: 40+ Ways to Say Hello, Goodbye & Everything In Between

Most language courses hand you bonjour and au revoir, pat you on the back, and call it a day. And look, bonjour will keep you from being completely ignored in a boulangerie. But if you've ever watched a French TV show and heard people say things like ça roule, coucou, or t'as la forme? and had absolutely no idea what was happening... that's the gap we're here to close.

Because French greetings aren't just pleasantries. For French people, the way you greet someone tells them everything: whether you respect them, how well you know them, and whether you actually speak French or just memorized a phrase. Use the wrong greeting in the wrong situation, and you’ll come across as either rude or weirdly formal.

This guide covers every greeting you need from the safest formal opener to the slang only close friends use, so you can walk into any French-speaking situation with confidence.

Core French greetings you'll use every day

The most common French greetings come down to four words. Master these, and you'll handle 95% of real-life situations across all French-speaking countries.

Bonjour: Hello / Good morning / Good day

Pronunciation tip: bohn-ZHOOR.

This is the single most important word in the French language. Use it with everyone: strangers, shopkeepers, your boss, your neighbor, a French person you just met at a party. It works from sunrise until around 6 PM, covering what English speakers would call 'good morning' and 'good afternoon' in a single word. It’s both formal and informal, which makes it uniquely useful. When in doubt, bonjour is always right.

If you only remember one thing from this guide: always say bonjour before making any request, asking any question, or starting any interaction in France.

Bonsoir: Good evening

Pronunciation tip: bohn-SWAHR.

This French greeting takes over from bonjour after about 6 PM (or earlier in winter when the sun sets sooner). Like bonjour, it works in formal and informal settings, with strangers and friends alike. Unlike bonjour, you can also use bonsoir as a farewell during evening hours.

Salut: Hi / Hey

Pronunciation tip: sah-LOO — the final "t" is silent.

This is your casual greeting for friends, peers, and colleagues you're genuinely close with. Don’t use it with your boss, a doctor, or anyone you're meeting for the first time in a formal situation. Salut also doubles as "bye," and so it's honestly one of those handy words that works at both ends of a conversation.

Coucou: Hey there!

Pronunciation tip: coo-COO.

Even more casual than salut. Think of it as the French equivalent of "heeey!" — the greeting you text your best friend or say when you pop your head into a room. It comes from baby talk (related to the cuckoo bird and the game of peekaboo). Save it strictly for close friends and family members. Using coucou with a French person you don’t know well will just confuse them.

Formal French greetings: when and how to use them

Formal French greetings go beyond just choosing the right word — they involve the right title, the right pronoun, and the right tone. French culture places a high value on formality in professional and unfamiliar settings.

• Bonjour, Monsieur / Madame — The polite, safe opener for any formal situation
• Comment allez-vous? — How are you? (formal, uses vous). Pronunciation: koh-mahn-tah-lay-VOO
• Vous allez bien? — Are you doing well? (formal version of checking in)
• Enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance — Delighted to make your acquaintance (men say enchanté, women say enchantée)
• Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer — Lovely to meet you (formal, slightly warmer)
• Comment vous appelez-vous? — What is your name? (formal). Answer with Je m'appelle [name].
• Je vous en prie — You're welcome / Please (formal; more elevated than de rien)
• Au revoir, Monsieur / Madame — Goodbye, Sir / Madam

A polite bonjour with a title

The simplest upgrade you can make is adding a title after bonjour. This signals respect immediately and is standard practice with people in authority, elderly individuals, or anyone you've just met professionally.

• Bonjour, Monsieur — Hello, Sir
• Bonjour, Madame — Hello, Madam
• Bonjour, Mademoiselle — Hello, Miss (used for young women, though increasingly less common in formal situations)

Vous vs. tu in French greetings

French has two words for "you," and choosing the wrong one can seriously damage a first impression. This is one of the trickiest parts of French for English speakers to internalize, because English offers no equivalent.

Vous is the formal version. Use it in formal situations with:

• Strangers and anyone you're meeting for the first time
• People significantly older than you
• Authority figures: doctors, professors, managers, police
• Shopkeepers and service workers
• Anyone you want to show respect to

Tu is the informal version. Use it with:

• Close friends and family members
• Kids
• Colleagues you know well and are friendly with
• Anyone who explicitly invites it with on peut se tutoyer? (Can we use tu with each other?)

When in doubt, use vous. French people will never be offended if you’re too polite. They will notice if you were too familiar. And once you switch to tu with someone, you don't really go back — the relationship moves in one direction only, from formal to informal.

Informal and casual greetings in French

Once you're past formal settings and talking to friends or younger people, French greetings loosen up significantly.

• Salut — Hi / Hey (the everyday casual greeting between friends)
• Coucou — Hey there! (very close friends and family only)
• Ça va? — How's it going? / You good? (both a greeting and a check-in; works in most informal settings). Pronunciation: sah-VAH
• Comment ça va? — How are you doing? (slightly fuller version of ça va, still informal)
• Comment vas-tu? — How are you? (informal tu version). Pronunciation: koh-mahn-VAH-too
• T'as la forme? — Are you in good shape? / Feeling good? (informal, common among friends)
• Quoi de neuf? — What's new? / What's up? Pronunciation: kwah-duh-NUF
• Ça roule? — How's it rolling? (very casual, means how's it going)
• Ça bouge? — Anything happening? / What's going on? (very casual)
• Enchanté(e) — Nice to meet you! (works in casual settings too, not just formal ones)

Younger generations across French-speaking countries use a layer of slang greetings you'll hear constantly in TV shows, movies, and real conversations, but almost never in a classroom.

• Wesh — Hey / Yo. Originally from Arabic-influenced French slang, now used widely by younger French speakers.
• Yo — Used exactly like in English, common among teenagers and young adults.
• La forme? — Shortened version of t'as la forme? — "You good?"
• Ça baigne? — Literally "it's bathing?" but means "everything going smoothly?"
• Rebonjour — A small but charming word for when you run into the same person a second time on the same day. It means "hello again." Using it correctly is a genuine sign of fluency.

How to ask "how are you" in French

After the initial greeting, French conversation almost always moves to a check-in. Here are all the main ways to ask how it going in French, ordered from most formal to most casual:

How to respond when someone asks

Here's where learners often freeze. Someone says ça va? and you have no idea what to say back. The good news: ça va is beautifully versatile. It works as both the question and the answer.

• Ça va — I'm good / I'm fine
• Ça va bien, merci — I'm doing well, thanks
• Va bien, merci — Doing well, thanks (very casual shortening)
• Je vais bien — I'm doing well (zhuh vay byehn)
• Je vais très bien — I'm doing very well
• Je vais — I'm okay / I'm fine (simple, neutral)
• Tout va bien — Everything's good
• Très bien, merci — Very well, thanks
• Pas mal — Not bad
• Comme ci, comme ça — So-so / Okay-ish (koh-see koh-SAH)
• Couci-couça — So-so (slightly more old-fashioned version, same meaning)
• Ça va pas super — Not great (honest answer, only for friends)

After your answer, it's standard in French culture to ask back. Et vous? (formal) or Et toi? (informal) — just "And you?" Skipping this can come across as self-centered even in quick exchanges.

How to say goodbye in French

Goodbyes in French form their own system, with different phrases for different relationships, time frames, and times of day. This is where a lot of learners are underprepared.

Goodbyes for any situation

• Au revoir — Goodbye. The standard, safe farewell that works in every setting with anyone at any time. Literally "until we see each other again." Pronunciation: oh-ruh-VWAHR.
• Bonsoir — Good evening. As mentioned earlier, bonsoir doubles as a farewell after 6 PM.

Casual goodbyes for friends

• Salut — Bye! (Same word as "hi" — very informal, friends and close colleagues only)
• À plus — See you later! Short for à plus tard. Pronunciation: ah-PLOOS — the "s" is audible here, which is an exception to standard French pronunciation.
• À plus tard — See you later (slightly fuller, still casual)
• Tchao / Ciao — Bye! Borrowed from Italian, used widely in casual settings across France.

"See you" phrases

Use these when you know when you'll see the person again.

• À bientôt — See you soon (ah byehn-TOH)
• À très bientôt — See you very soon
• À demain — See you tomorrow
• À lundi / À mardi (etc.) — See you on Monday / Tuesday
• À la semaine prochaine — See you next week
• À la prochaine — Until next time (casual but warm)
• À tout à l'heure — See you in a bit (for when you'll see someone again within a few hours the same day). Shortened to à toute in casual speech.

Departure wishes

These are the phrases you say when leaving — wishing someone well for the rest of their day. Getting these right is a small but very real sign of fluency.

• Bonne journée — Have a good day (used when leaving in the morning or early afternoon). Two words, unlike bonjour which is one word.
• Bon après-midi — Have a good afternoon (used when leaving in the afternoon; in France, this is a farewell phrase, not a greeting)
• Bonne soirée — Have a good evening (used when leaving in the evening)
• Bonne nuit — Good night. Critical rule: only use this when someone is genuinely going to bed. It is not a general evening farewell — that's what bonne soirée is for.

La bise: The French cheek kiss explained

No guide to common French greetings would be complete without talking about la bise — the cheek kiss that confuses, intimidates, and occasionally surprises non-French visitors to France and other French-speaking countries.

What is La bise in French?

La bise is not a real kiss. You touch cheeks lightly, make a kissing sound in the air, and that's it. You are not actually kissing someone's face. The physical contact is cheek-to-cheek, not lips-to-cheek. The exception is with small children, who may give you an actual kiss and expect one back.

Women typically do la bise with everyone, both with other women and with men. Male colleagues in traditional settings tend to shake hands with each other, reserving la bise for close friends and family members.

When to do it:

• With friends, when arriving and when leaving
• When being introduced to someone new through mutual friends at a social gathering
• With family members
• With close colleagues in informal workplaces, sometimes every morning
• In any situation where a woman is greeting someone socially — la bise is the default

When NOT to do it:

• In formal business settings when meeting someone for the first time
• With your boss, unless you know them well and the culture is relaxed
• When someone extends their hand for a shake hands greeting — always follow their lead

How many cheek kisses?

This is where it gets regional, and even French people get confused when they travel within France.

• Paris and most of northern France: two kisses (usually left cheek first)
• Southern France: three kisses
• Some eastern regions: four kisses
• Brittany: often just one

The safest move is to let the other person lead. They'll initiate, and you follow. Getting the number slightly wrong won't cause offense, but backing away as if someone tried to bite you will.

French greetings by situation

Here's how to navigate common French greetings in real-life contexts.

Entering small shops or any shop

Say Bonjour the moment you walk through the door, even before approaching anyone, even if no one looks up. This is non-negotiable in French culture. In the evening, say Bonsoir. When you leave: Au revoir, bonne journée (daytime) or Au revoir, bonne soirée (evening).

Meeting a French person for the first time (formal)

Bonjour, Monsieur / Madame + handshake. Follow with Comment allez-vous? for a professional introduction. Introduce yourself with Je m'appelle [name]. They may ask Comment vous appelez-vous? to learn your name. Close with Enchanté(e) or Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer.

Meeting someone new through friends (casual)

Salut! or Bonjour + la bise if the social cues indicate it. End with Enchanté(e) — this phrase works in informal settings too, not just formal ones.

On the phone

Say Allô? (ah-LOH) when answering, as a question to confirm someone is there. This is strictly for phone use — you would never say allô to greet a French person in person.

Email and written greetings in French

• Formal: Bonjour Monsieur / Madame, or simply Madame, Monsieur,
• Semi-formal: Bonjour [first name],
• Informal: Salut [name], or Coucou [name],
• Sign-off (formal): Cordialement / Je vous en prie
• Sign-off (informal): À plus / À bientôt

How to actually get comfortable with French greetings

Here's the honest truth: memorizing a list gets you to recognition. Actually using French greetings without freezing, second-guessing yourself, or defaulting to English requires something different. You need to hear them constantly, in context, delivered by native French speakers the way real French people actually talk — not the way a recording studio actor reads them slowly into a microphone.

That's exactly where Lingopie can help you!

Lingopie lets you learn French through real French TV shows and movies that native French speakers actually watch. Every time a character walks into a room and says bonjour to a shopkeeper, every time two friends greet each other with salut or coucou, every time someone says bonne journée while leaving a café, you're hearing common French greetings land in their natural habitat, with real rhythm, real emotion, and real context. With interactive subtitles and built-in vocabulary tools, you build genuine instincts rather than just memorizing phrases.

The difference between knowing French greetings and actually feeling comfortable using them is exposure. And the most enjoyable way to get that exposure is to watch great French TV.

Try Lingopie free and start hearing French the way French people actually speak it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common French greeting?

Bonjour is the most common French greeting and the most versatile. It works in formal and informal settings, from morning until around 6 PM, with strangers, colleagues, shopkeepers, and friends alike. If you could only learn one word in French, bonjour would be it. A simple bonjour before any interaction is considered basic good manners across all French speaking countries.

What is the difference between "bonjour" and "bonsoir"?

Bonjour is used as a greeting from morning until approximately 6 PM. Bonsoir takes over in the evening. Both work in formal and informal settings and with anyone. The key difference is purely time-based. Note that bonjour covers both good morning and good afternoon in French — there is no separate good morning greeting in standard French from France (though bon matin is used in Quebec).

When should I use "tu" vs. "vous" in French?

Use vous with strangers, authority figures, anyone older than you, and in any formal situation. Use tu with close friends, family members, children, and colleagues you know well. When in doubt, always start with vous. The French will forgive being overly polite. They won't forget if you were too familiar. Let the other person invite the switch to tu, or ask on peut se tutoyer? (Can we use tu with each other?).

How do you say "nice to meet you" in French?

The most common way is Enchanté(e) — men say enchanté, women say enchantée (same pronunciation, different spelling). For a more formal setting, use Ravi(e) de faire votre connaissance (delighted to make your acquaintance) or Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer (lovely to meet you).

What is "la bise" and when should I do it?

La bise is the French cheek-kiss greeting: you touch cheeks and make a kissing sound in the air. It's used between friends, family members, and social acquaintances. In formal situations, stick to a handshake. The number of cheek kisses varies by region: two in Paris and most of northern France, three in the south, four in some eastern regions. Always follow the other person's lead.

How do you say goodbye in French?

The safest goodbye for any situation is Au revoir. For casual settings with friends, Salut and À plus work well. If you know when you'll see the person again: À demain (see you tomorrow), À bientôt (see you soon), or À la prochaine (until next time). When leaving during the day say Bonne journée, in the evening say Bonne soirée, and only say Bonne nuit when someone is actually going to sleep.

How do you say "how are you" in French?

The most common way is Ça va? for informal situations and Comment allez-vous? for formal ones. Comment ça va? sits comfortably in the middle and works in most settings. To respond, say Ça va bien, merci (I'm doing well, thanks), Je vais bien (I'm doing well), Tout va bien (everything's good), or Pas mal (not bad). Always follow up with Et vous? (formal) or Et toi? (informal) to ask back.

Is it rude to skip the greeting in France?

Yes, genuinely rude. In French culture, saying bonjour before any interaction is a fundamental social requirement. Entering a shop, asking for directions, or starting any conversation without greeting first is considered disrespectful — even in quick exchanges. Even a simple bonjour before "où est..." makes a significant difference in how you're received by French people.