Reference · module 1
Hello and goodbye
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Bonjour
Greet people and say goodbye at any time of day.
- Bonjour is the everyday hello, from morning until early evening. In the evening people switch to bonsoir. The final r of bonjour is soft and the n is barely heard.
- Salut is hi and bye between friends, family and young people. Saying salut to a shop assistant or a stranger sounds too familiar, so use bonjour there.
- Au revoir is goodbye for everyone. À bientôt means see you soon, and bonne journée wishes a good day — shop staff say it constantly as you leave.
The mistake you are about to make
Salut, madame !
Bonjour, madame !
English hi works with anyone, so salut feels like the same word. It is not: with a stranger or in a shop, only bonjour is polite.
Je m'appelle
Say your name and ask someone theirs.
- Je m'appelle Anna means my name is Anna, literally I call myself Anna. The apostrophe replaces the e of me before a vowel sound: me appelle becomes m'appelle.
- To ask a friend: Tu t'appelles comment ? To ask politely: Comment vous appelez-vous ? A shorter everyday way to answer is Moi, c'est Anna.
- After meeting someone, say enchanté — pleased to meet you. A woman writes it enchantée, with an extra e, but it sounds exactly the same.
The mistake you are about to make
Je suis appelle Anna.
Je m'appelle Anna.
English my name is suggests être plus a verb. French uses one reflexive verb: je m'appelle, with me shortened to m'.
Tu or vous
Choose between tu and vous without offending anyone.
- French has two words for you. Tu is for friends, family, children and pets. Vous is for strangers, older people, shop staff and anyone at work you do not know well.
- Vous is also the plural: talking to two friends at once, you say vous even though you would say tu to each of them. When in doubt, start with vous.
- Ça va ? means how are you, and ça va is also the answer: fine. The polite version is Comment allez-vous ? — answered with Très bien, merci.
The mistake you are about to make
Tu es le directeur ?
Vous êtes le directeur ?
English has one you for everybody, so tu feels neutral. It is not: tu to a boss or a stranger sounds rude. Default to vous.