The first time I tried to say “Good afternoon” in France, I was standing in front of a bakery in Lyon, rehearsing in my head like an anxious opera yak. I had bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello, good morning, good day — ready to go, but it was clearly not morning anymore. My English brain wanted a neat “Good afternoon = ?” button. French did not cooperate.
So I tried to improvise. I walked in and said something like bon après-midi bonjour in one breath. The baker smiled very kindly, the way you smile at someone who has fallen over but is clearly trying their best.
Here’s the truth: there is no perfect, one-to-one “Good afternoon” in French. But there are very natural ways to greet people in the afternoon, and polite phrases to wish someone a nice afternoon when you leave. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly when to use bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/, bon après-midi /bɔ̃ a.pʁɛ.mi.di/, bonne après-midi /bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di/, and bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — and you can stop overthinking it in front of innocent bakeries.
Quick Primer: “Good Afternoon” Doesn’t Map Perfectly
English splits the day into “good morning / good afternoon / good evening.”
French… doesn’t. The basic pieces:
- bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello, good morning, good day (used from morning through most of the afternoon, often into early evening)
- bon après-midi /bɔ̃ a.pʁɛ.mi.di/ — (have a) good afternoon (more a goodbye/wish than a greeting)
- bonne après-midi /bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di/ — (have a) nice afternoon (also goodbye/wish; bonne sounds more natural to many speakers)
- bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening, hello (used as an evening greeting)
- bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — (have a) good evening (used when you’re leaving)
The key idea:
- You greet people with bonjour until sometime in the later afternoon or early evening.
- You usually don’t start a conversation with bon après-midi or bonne après-midi; you use those when you’re saying goodbye.
Using Bonjour All Afternoon (Yes, Really)
This is the part nobody tells you clearly: bonjour is your default “good afternoon” in France.
On first mention:
- bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello, good morning, good day
You can use bonjour:
- When you walk into a shop at 2 p.m.
- When you greet a colleague at 3:30 p.m.
- When you answer the door at 4 p.m.
For everyday interactions, French speakers don’t suddenly switch to a special “afternoon” greeting. Bonjour comfortably covers that whole chunk of the day.
A few typical lines:
| French | IPA | English |
| Bonjour. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ | Hello. / Good morning. / Good afternoon. |
| Bonjour monsieur. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ mə.sjø | Hello sir. |
| Bonjour madame. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam | Hello ma’am. |
| Bonjour à tous. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ a tus | Hello everyone. |
You’ll hear the local rhythm a lot: “Bonjour, monsieur-dame” in some shops, or a quick “Bonjour, vous allez bien ? /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ vu za.le bjɛ̃/ — Hello, are you doing well?
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
My early mistake: I tried to avoid bonjour after lunchtime because “that’s ‘good morning,’ right?” In reality, French people hear bonjour as “hello / good day,” not strictly “good morning.”
If you want a safe, natural “good afternoon” greeting in France, just use bonjour. The only real change later is when you move to bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening — as it gets dark.
Bon Après-Midi vs Bonne Après-Midi: Wishing A Good Afternoon
Now for the phrase that looks like “Good afternoon” but behaves differently.
On first mention:
- bon après-midi /bɔ̃ a.pʁɛ.mi.di/ — (have a) good afternoon
- bonne après-midi /bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di/ — (have a) nice afternoon
These are usually used when you’re leaving someone around the middle of the day, especially in a polite context.
For example, you’ve finished at the doctor’s office at 2:30 p.m.:
Bonne après-midi, madame. /bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di ma.dam/
Have a nice afternoon, ma’am.
Or you’re wrapping up a call at 4 p.m.:
Bon après-midi. /bɔ̃ a.pʁɛ.mi.di/
Have a good afternoon.
Bon or Bonne?
You’ll hear both bon après-midi and bonne après-midi. You don’t need to win a grammar war over this at the checkout. In everyday life:
- Bonne après-midi feels more common as a friendly wish.
- Bon après-midi also exists and is understood.
The important part is the function: it works like “Have a good afternoon”, not “Good afternoon” as a conversation opener.
Why Not As A Greeting?
You technically can greet with bon après-midi, but it will sound unusual or very marked, like you’re trying to be overly fancy or theatrical.
Think of it this way:
- Walking in somewhere in the afternoon → Bonjour.
- Walking out in the afternoon → Bonne après-midi.
| French | IPA | English | When |
| Bonjour. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ | Hello. / Good day. | When you arrive |
| Bonne après-midi. | bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di | Have a nice afternoon. | When you leave |
When To Switch From Bonjour To Bonsoir
At some point, bonjour passes the baton to bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening.
On first mention:
- bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening, hello (evening greeting)
- bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — have a good evening
French doesn’t have a single strict rule like “at exactly 6 p.m. you must say bonsoir or the grammar police appear.” It depends a bit on:
- The time
- The light (is it clearly evening/dark outside?)
- The context (a restaurant dinner at 7 vs summer daylight at 8:30)
Roughly:
- Afternoon into early evening → bonjour is still fine.
- Once it feels like “evening” (people are having dinner, lights are on, it’s dark or late-ish) → bonsoir.
Examples:
| French | IPA | English |
| Bonsoir, vous avez une réservation ? | bɔ̃.swaʁ vu za.ve yn ʁe.zɛʁ.va.sjɔ̃ | Good evening, do you have a reservation? |
| Bonne soirée. | bɔn swa.ʁe | Have a good evening. |
| Bonjour, je viens pour le rendez-vous de 17h. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vjɛ̃ puʁ lə ʁɑ̃.de.vu də sɛ̃.tɑ̃.təʁ | Hello, I’m here for the 5 p.m. appointment. |
If you’re not sure whether to say bonjour or bonsoir, here’s my yak rule:
- If it still feels like daytime → bonjour
- If it feels like people have mentally moved to “evening mode” → bonsoir
And remember, nobody in France is sitting there timing your greeting to judge you. They’ll notice if you never say bonjour at all… but not if you switch to bonsoir thirty minutes “too early.”
Region Notes
We’re focusing on France French, but a couple of small variations are worth knowing:
- In France, the normal pattern is:
- Bonjour for greeting from morning through most of the afternoon.
- Bonsoir for greeting in the evening.
- Bonne journée /bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/ — have a good day, when you leave in the morning or early afternoon.
- Bonne après-midi if you’re leaving in the middle of the afternoon.
- Bonne soirée when you leave in the evening.
- Bonjour for greeting from morning through most of the afternoon.
- In Québec and some other places, you might hear more English-influenced patterns or different habits with time, but bonjour + bonsoir are still standard.
As a learner in France, the safest habit is:
- Greet: Bonjour (day), Bonsoir (evening)
- Say goodbye around midday/afternoon: Bonne journée or Bonne après-midi
- Say goodbye in the evening: Bonne soirée
Mini Dialogues
Each dialogue line: French, then IPA, then natural English.
1. Entering A Shop At 3 p.m.
Bonjour madame.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam/
Hello, ma’am.
Bonjour, je peux vous aider ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə pø vu ze.de/
Hello, can I help you?
Non merci, je regarde juste.
/nɔ̃ mɛʁ.si ʒə ʁə.ɡaʁd ʒyst/
No thanks, I’m just looking.
Très bien, bonne après-midi.
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di/
All right, have a nice afternoon.
2. Leaving The Office In The Afternoon
Bon, je m’en vais. Bonne après-midi !
/bɔ̃ ʒə mɑ̃ vɛ bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di/
Right, I’m off. Have a nice afternoon!
Merci, bonne journée !
/mɛʁ.si bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Thanks, have a good day!
À demain.
/a də.mɛ̃/
See you tomorrow.
3. Evening At A Restaurant
Bonsoir, vous avez une table pour deux ?
/bɔ̃.swaʁ vu za.ve yn tablə puʁ dø/
Good evening, do you have a table for two?
Oui, bien sûr. Suivez-moi, s’il vous plaît.
/wui bjɛ̃ syʁ sɥi.ve mwa sil vu plɛ/
Yes, of course. Follow me, please.
Merci, bonne soirée.
/mɛʁ.si bɔn swa.ʁe/
Thank you, have a good evening.
Bonne soirée à vous aussi.
/bɔn swa.ʁe a vu o.si/
Good evening to you too.
Quick Reference
A summary table you can screenshot and keep handy.
| French | IPA | English |
| Bonjour. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ | Hello. / Good morning. / Good afternoon. |
| Bonjour monsieur. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ mə.sjø | Hello sir. |
| Bonjour madame. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam | Hello ma’am. |
| Bon après-midi. | bɔ̃ a.pʁɛ.mi.di | Have a good afternoon. |
| Bonne après-midi. | bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di | Have a nice afternoon. |
| Bonne journée. | bɔn ʒuʁ.ne | Have a good day. |
| Bonsoir. | bɔ̃.swaʁ | Good evening. (greeting) |
| Bonne soirée. | bɔn swa.ʁe | Have a good evening. |
| Bonjour, je m’appelle… | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə ma.pɛl | Hello, my name is… |
| Bonne après-midi, à demain. | bɔn a.pʁɛ.mi.di a də.mɛ̃ | Have a nice afternoon, see you tomorrow. |
| Bonjour à tous. | bɔ̃.ʒuʁ a tus | Hello everyone. |
| Au revoir. | o ʁə.vwaʁ | Goodbye. |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Bonjour Marathon (1 minute)
Stand up, pretend you’re walking into different places: a shop, an office, a café. Each time, look at an imaginary person and say:
Bonjour., Bonjour madame., Bonjour monsieur.
Focus on the nasal /ɔ̃/ in bonjour and the soft ʒ sound. - Hello vs Goodbye Switch (1 minute)
Say these pairs aloud:
Bonjour ↔ Bonne journée
Bonjour ↔ Bonne après-midi
Bonsoir ↔ Bonne soirée
Feel the difference: greeting vs leaving. - Time-Of-Day Drill (1 minute)
Imagine it’s: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 9 p.m.
For each time, say one greeting and one goodbye you would use in France. Example for 2 p.m.:
Bonjour.
Bonne après-midi. - Mini-Dialogue Shadowing (1 minute)
Pick one of the Mini Dialogues and read both roles out loud three times, copying the rhythm. Try once without looking to see what sticks. - Real-Life Script (1 minute)
Write a tiny script for your next real interaction in French:
Bonjour, je m’appelle [Name]. Bonne après-midi.
or, for the evening:
Bonsoir, je m’appelle [Name]. Bonne soirée.
Say it out loud twice. - Nasal Vowel Focus (Bonus)
Practice bon /bɔ̃/ vs bonne /bɔn/:
bon, bonne, bon, bonne, bonjour, bonsoir, bon après-midi, bonne après-midi.
Exaggerate the difference for a few seconds; your tongue and nose will get the idea.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Once you’ve accepted that French doesn’t give you a tidy “Good afternoon” button, life gets much easier: bonjour does most of the heavy lifting, bonne après-midi waves politely as you leave, and bonsoir takes over when the lights come on. After that, the only real challenge is saying bonjour to the baker with confidence instead of trying to invent a brand-new time of day in French.