Bonjour! Thinking of learning French? Planning a trip to a French-speaking country? Working with French clients or partners?
Whatever the motive, it’s always a good idea to start with the basics. We’ll explain how to say hello in French in a variety of ways, and why it is important.
At the end of this article, you will master all the subtleties of the French greetings and feel like a “poisson dans l’eau” (comfortable) in no time!
Why is it important to know how to say hello in French?
Some will argue that things are changing, but la politesse is part of the French language and culture. Even if you don’t master la langue de Molière, a few words in French can go a long way. With that in mind, you might want to complement your greetings with some French slang, to strengthen your conversational skills. And actually, this rule applies to any language.
Next time you are abroad, try to greet the locals in their language and see what happens! Seeing a broad smile will also help you to overcome language anxiety.
But revenons-en à nos moutons (this expression means “Let’s get back to the point” in French). Politesse aside, learning to say hello in French is the base to initiate communication and maybe make some new friends.
Firstly, how do you actually say “hello” in French?
The most common greeting in French is the very useful “bonjour”, and “bonsoir”. The first can be used throughout the day, and the second in the evening. “Salut” is also widely used in a more informal setting. These are the most basic greetings that will commonly be learned in lessons for French for kids.Here is a small recap with pronunciation:
| French greeting | English translation | IPA pronunciation | Pronunciation for English speakers | Use |
| Bonjour | Good morning | /bɑn.ˈʒʊɹ/ | bohn-jhoor | Morning |
| Bonsoir | Good evening | /bõ.swaːʁ/ | bohn-swahr | Evening |
| Salut | Hi/Hey/Hello | /sɑˈlyː/ | sah-loo | Informal setting |
23 other ways to say hi in French
If you’re having a hard time proncuniating French words as a local - or almost - the International Phonetic Alphabet can help. It’s easy to learn and will help you with any language you study in the future.
Everytime you look for a word in a language book, dictionary, translator or online resource, you'll notice the IPA pronunciation next to it, like in the table above. In no time, your French will sound parfait!
But for now, let’s have a look at other ways to say “hello”, or “hello how are you” in French, with their respective pronunciations for English speakers.
