How to say Hello in French
Greetings like “good morning” or “good afternoon” are incredibly important in French. As the French culture is more formal, going through the ritual of greeting another person is an important way of showing respect. The French shake hands while saying “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir” depending on the time of the day. You are expected to greet every person individually, even if they’re in a group. That means that if you’re walking along the road and pass a group of five people, you’ll have to say, “Bonjour,” and shake hands five times!
Once you know them, you may kiss them on the cheeks. It is usually on both cheeks but in some regions it is up to four times so keep an eye of how many times people kiss on the cheeks.
How to pronounce Bonjour
There are two ways of addressing someone in French: a polite or formal way using “Vous” and a more casual way using “Tu”. The same concept applies to greetings.
Remember to always use the following formal greetings when entering a French store or cafe. This level of politeness is expected and something as small as this can change your whole experience of French people!
Listen to the audio below to hear formal French greetings…
Important! Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Important! Remember What You Learn
Informal ways to say hello in French
That’s it for this lesson. Using different French salutations will make you sound more fluent, so try to remember as many as you can.
Check this lesson out if you want to know how to say Goodbye in French!
À bientôt !
Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team