How to Use Basic Greetings

Learn how to use basic greetings

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do French by FrenchPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use basic greetings in French.

For example, "Good afternoon" is

Bonjour.

Sadia Simon is the Collin family's French teacher.

Her schedule for the day is:

Constance Collin at 9:00 o'clock a.m.

Coralie Collin at 12:00 p.m.

Corentin Collin at 6:00 p.m.

Before you listen to the greeting exchange between the three pairs, let's preview some of its key components.

bonjour

"good morning"

bonjour

bonsoir

"good evening"

bonsoir

Listen to their conversations, and pay attention to the time of day.

Sadia Simon has a morning class with Constance Collin at 9 a.m.

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

Bonjour, Madame Collin.

Later, Sadia Simon has an afternoon class with Coralie Collin at 12 p.m.

Bonjour.

At the end of the day, Sadia Simon has an evening class with Corentin Collin at 6 p.m.

Bonsoir, professeure.

Bonsoir, Corentin.

Once more with the English translation.

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

"Good morning, Ms. Simon."

Bonjour, Madame Collin.

"Good morning, Ms. Collin."

Bonjour.

"Hello."

Bonjour.

"Hello."

Bonsoir, professeure.

"Good evening, teacher."

Bonsoir, Corentin.

"Good evening, Corentin."

Let’s take a closer look at each of these expressions.

In the first conversation, do you remember how Constance says,

"Good morning, Mrs. Simon."

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

First is Bonjour, which literally means "Good day," but translates as "Good morning" in this context. Bonjour. Bonjour.

Note, Bonjour is a flexible greeting that can be used to mean “good morning,” “good afternoon” or even just “hello.” You can use it all day until the evening.

Next is Madame. "Ms." Madame. Madame. This is an honorific used for women.

Finally, the teacher’s family name, Simon. Simon. Simon. Simon.

Together, it's Madame Simon. "Ms. Simon." Madame Simon.

All together, it's Bonjour, Madame Simon. "Good morning, Ms. Simon."

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

When including a person’s name in a greeting, it’s more common to say the person’s name after the greeting.

Note, using a person’s family name in a greeting may come across as more formal.

Do you remember the teacher 's response,

"Good morning, Ms. Collin."

Bonjour, Madame Collin.

First is Bonjour. "Good morning," in this context. Bonjour.

Next, madame, "Ms." Madame. Madame.

Finally, Constance’s family name, Collin, pronounced in French. Collin. Collin. Collin.

All together, it’s Bonjour, Madame Collin. "Good morning, Ms. Collin."

Bonjour, Madame Collin.

Note, this exchange is formal.

In the second conversation, which takes place at noon, do you remember how Coralie says,

"Hello."

Hint: It’s the same greeting as the one used in the morning.

Bonjour.

Note that Coralie’s greeting is slightly less formal, as she doesn’t say the teacher’s name.

Bonjour. "Hello." Bonjour.

The teacher's response is the same,

Bonjour.

This can translate as “Hello,” or “Good afternoon.”

Bonjour is a common way to greet people during the day. You can also use it in formal and less formal situations.

In the third conversation, which takes place in the evening at 6pm, do you remember how Corentin says,

"Good evening."

Bonsoir, professeure.

Bonsoir, professeure. "Good evening, teacher." Bonsoir, professeure.

Bonsoir is a common way to greet people during the evening and at night, in formal and less formal situations. Bonsoir. Bonsoir.

Next is, professeure. This is the title meaning "teacher," in this case. Professeure. Professeure.

In French, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Professeure is feminine and singular.

All together, it’s Bonsoir, professeure. "Good evening, teacher."

Bonsoir, professeure.

Do you remember the teacher 's response,

"Good evening, Corentin."

Bonsoir, Corentin.

First is Bonsoir. "Good evening." Bonsoir.

Next is Corentin’s name pronounced in French. Corentin. Corentin. Corentin.

Together, it's Bonsoir, Corentin. "Good evening, Corentin."

Bonsoir, Corentin.

Note that the teacher addresses Corentin by his first name, as he is younger. This makes the greeting sound more informal.

In this lesson, Constance is addressed as madame Collin. Madame is an honorific used for married women.

To address an unmarried woman there’s another honorific mademoiselle, meaning "Miss." Mademoiselle.

The word monsieur, meaning “Mr.,” is used to address adult men in general, similar to the way "Mr." is used in English.

Let’s look at the greetings once more.

Listen and repeat, or speak along.

Bonjour.

"Hello."

Bonjour.

Bonsoir.

"Good evening."

Bonsoir.

Bonjour, Madame.

"Good morning, Ms."

Bonjour, Madame.

Bonjour, Monsieur.

"Good morning Mr."

Bonjour, Monsieur.

Bonsoir, professeure.

"Good evening, teacher."

Bonsoir, professeure.

Salut !

"Hi!"

Salut !

Did you notice the last greeting?

Salut !

"Hi!"

In informal situations, you can use the greeting, Salut. "Hi." Salut. Salut.

Salut is a common greeting in French. However, it’s only suitable for informal situations, such as when greeting friends. It translates as "Hi" or "Hello," but it can also mean "Goodbye." Because of this, you can use salut both as a meeting and parting greeting.

Lets review the key vocabulary

"Teacher"

Professeur. Professeur.

Professeure. Professeure.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how Constance says,

"Good morning."

Bonjour.

Do you remember how Constance says,

“Good morning, Ms. Simon.”

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

Do you remember how Coralie says,

"Hello."

Bonjour.

And how to say,

"Good evening."

Bonsoir.

Do you remember how Corentin says,

“Good evening, teacher.” Use the feminine version of “teacher.”

Bonsoir, professeure.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Coralie Collin , and you're attending your morning class.

Respond by saying, "Good morning."

Ready?

Bonjour.

Listen again and repeat.

Bonjour.

Let’s try another.

Imagine you're Constance Collin , and you're attending your afternoon class.

Respond by saying ”Hello, Ms. Simon."

Ready?

Bonjour.

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

Listen again and repeat.

Bonjour, Madame Simon.

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you're Corentin Collin , and you meet your neighbor in the evening.

Respond by saying, "Good evening."

Ready?

Bonsoir.

Listen again and repeat.

Bonsoir.

This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to use basic greetings in French. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of using basic greetings.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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