Salutations
Greetings
Greetings and politeness
Greetings are the first words you say in any exchange, and the first thing an examiner hears in the speaking section. French changes with the time of day and, above all, with how formal the situation is. Getting this right sets the tone for everything that follows.
| Bonjour | Hello / Good day (formal, daytime) |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Salut | Hi / Bye (informal) |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| À bientôt | See you soon |
| À demain | See you tomorrow |
| Bonne journée | Have a good day |
| Merci (beaucoup) | Thank you (very much) |
| S'il vous plaît | Please (formal) |
| De rien | You're welcome |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me (formal) |
Il est 20 h et vous saluez un commerçant. Que dites-vous ?
It is 8 p.m. and you greet a shopkeeper. What do you say?
Associez chaque expression française à sa traduction.
Match each French expression to its meaning.
- Bonjour
- Bonsoir
- Au revoir
- Merci
- De rien
Grammar: tu or vous?
French has two words for you. Use tu with friends, family and children. Use vous with strangers, officials and elders, and whenever you want to be respectful; vous is also the plural you. The verb changes too: Comment vas-tu ? (tu) becomes Comment allez-vous ? (vous). When in doubt, choose vous.
Vous parlez à un examinateur que vous venez de rencontrer. Quelle forme est correcte ?
You are speaking to an examiner you have just met. Which is correct?
Complétez cette salutation polie et formelle (le jour).
Complete this polite, formal daytime greeting.
____ , comment allez-vous ?
In context
Construisez la question formelle : « How are you? »
Build the formal question: "How are you?"
Construisez la phrase : « My name is Claire. »
Build the sentence: "My name is Claire."
Listen
Écoutez et tapez ce que vous entendez.
Listen and type what you hear.
Écoutez et tapez ce que vous entendez.
Listen and type what you hear.
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
Good evening
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
Thank you very much