How to Greet someone in French ?
Basic French Greetings Exercices
One of the very first things you need to know when learning French is the basic French greetings. How do you say hello and introduce yourself in French?
Vocabulary
- Bonjour
- Bonsoir
- Au revoir
- Bonne journée
- Bon après-midi
- Bonne soirée
- Bonne nuit
After greeting someone, you may wish to continue the conversation. There are two questions you will usually ask.
"How are you?" in French
There are two ways to ask this question; your choice will depend on whether it is a formal or informal situation.
Formal way:
Question: "Comment allez-vous?"
Answer: "Je vais bien, merci" (I am good, thank you)
Informal way:
Question: "Comment ça va?"
Answer: "ça va bien, merci." (Good, thanks)
"What's your name?" in French
Next, you might ask the person’s name, if you do not know him or her.
Question:
"Comment tu t'appelles?" (informal)
"Comment vous vous appelez?" (formal)
Answer: "Je m'appelle (your name), et toi?" ("et toi" means "and you")
Pronunciation
Now, let's practice your pronunciation.
Bonjour = Hello
Bonsoir = Good evening
Au revoir = Goodbye
Bonne nuit = Good evening
Formal situation (senior, policeman, judge, etc.)
Comment allez-vous? (How are you?)
Bien, merci. (Good, thank you.)
Et vous? (And you?)
Très bien, merci. (Very well, thank you.)
Informal situation (friends and family)
Salut, Mathieu ca va? (Hi, Mathieu, how are you?)
Ça va bien. Et toi ? (I am good, and you?)
Pas mal. (Means, “Not bad,” but in French it has a positive meaning.)
Au revoir ! (See you again!)
A demain! (See you tomorrow!
