Good Morning In French (Bonjour) The Natural Way

My very first French “good morning” in France was a disaster. I walked into a bakery in Lyon at 7:30 a.m., rehearsed my line, and proudly said: Bon matin /bɔ̃ ma.tɛ̃/ — literally “good morning.” The baker blinked, looked deeply confused, then smiled and said Bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello, good day, in the gentle way adults correct children.

I bought my croissant, walked out, and immediately googled: “Why is bon matin wrong??” Turns out, in France, people basically never say bon matin. I had invented a phrase that sounds “kind of French” but isn’t really used. Classic foreign yak move.

This article is the guide I wish I’d had that morning. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to say “good morning” naturally in French, how bonjour really works, what to pair it with, and when other phrases like bonne journée /bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/ — have a good day step in to complete the morning ritual.

Quick Primer: There Is No Real “Bon Matin” In France

Let’s clear up the core confusion first:

bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello, good day (used in the morning and daytime)
bon matin /bɔ̃ ma.tɛ̃/ — technically “good morning,” but not used in everyday French in France
bonne matinée /bɔn ma.ti.ne/ — have a nice morning (used more as a farewell)

In France, people don’t normally say a direct equivalent of “good morning” like English does. They just say bonjour, from early morning until late afternoon or early evening. Your “good morning” is essentially:

Bonjour.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/
Good morning / hello.

So if you remember just one thing from this article:
“Good morning” in real-life France French is simply Bonjour.

Everything else is nuance.

Bonjour In The Morning: When And How To Use It

In the morning, bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ is everywhere:

You’ll hear it:

When you enter a bakery or café
When you walk into a shop
When you greet coworkers at the start of the day
With neighbours in the stairwell or the street
At the doctor, bank, post office, school, everywhere

Two key habits of French life:

Bonjour comes first.
You don’t start with “Excuse me” or “Do you have…?”. You start with Bonjour. Always.
Titles soften things.
Adding madame /ma.dam/ — ma’am or monsieur /mə.sjø/ — sir, makes your greeting feel polite and complete.

Example:

Bonjour madame, je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam ʒə vu.dʁɛ ɛ̃ ka.fe sil vu plɛ/
Good morning, ma’am, I’d like a coffee, please.

Common Mistake: Saying “Bon Matin”

As my poor baker discovered:

Bon matin.
/bɔ̃ ma.tɛ̃/
“Good morning.” (Weird in France.)

In France, it sounds off, like you’re translating directly from English. Some people will understand, but it’s not natural. You’re much better off with:

Bonjour.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/
Good morning.

Think of bon matin as a trap phrase your brain invents. Smile, pat it on the head, and leave it at home.

Saying “Good Morning, How Are You?”

Most real-life greetings are a mini-package: “Good morning + how are you?” Here’s how to build that in French.

Usage:

With strangers, colleagues, or anyone you say vous /vu/ to:
Bonjour, vous allez bien ? feels warm and polite.
With friends or people you use tu /ty/ with:
Bonjour, ça va ? or Bonjour, tu vas bien ? are perfect.

Realistic exchange:

Bonjour, ça va ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ sa va/
Good morning, how’s it going?

Ça va, merci, et vous ?
/sa va mɛʁ.si e vu/
I’m fine, thanks, and you?

“Have A Good Day” And “Have A Nice Morning”

After the morning interaction, you often close with a “have a good day” type phrase. Here’s how they fit in:

Typical patterns:

When leaving a bakery or shop in the morning:

Bonjour… (order, pay)… Bonne journée !
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ … bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Good morning… Have a nice day!
When you know it’s still early and you won’t see the person later:

Bonne matinée !
/bɔn ma.ti.ne/
Have a nice morning!

bonne matinée is used as a goodbye, not as the initial “good morning.” So your sequence can be:

Bonjour.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/
Good morning.

…then at the end:

Bonne matinée.
/bɔn ma.ti.ne/
Have a nice morning.

Informal “Morning” With Friends

With friends, family, or housemates, French mornings can be more relaxed.

You can still use bonjour with people you’re close to—many do. It’s just that salut /sa.ly/ — hi becomes very common in private spaces.

A typical flatmate scene:

Salut, bien dormi ?
/sa.ly bjɛ̃ dɔʁ.mi/
Morning, sleep well?

Bof… mais bon, bonjour quand même.
/bɔf mɛ bɔ̃ bɔ̃.ʒuʁ kɑ̃ mɛm/
Meh… but well, good morning anyway.

Region Notes: France vs Québec

Quick geography check, because your YouTube algorithm likes to mix accents:

In France, people say bonjour in the morning.
In Québec and some other francophone regions, bon matin is more accepted and can sound normal in local French.

So if you hear a cheerful Bon matin ! in a Québecois vlog, that’s fine—for them. If you use it in a Paris bakery, you’ll sound a bit off. Since we’re focusing on France French, your safe, natural “good morning” is bonjour.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Morning In The Apartment Building

Bonjour monsieur, ça va aujourd’hui ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ mə.sjø sa va o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
Good morning, sir, how are you today?

Bonjour, ça va bien merci, et vous ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ sa va bjɛ̃ mɛʁ.si e vu/
Good morning, I’m well thanks, and you?

Ça va très bien, bonne matinée.
/sa va tʁɛ bjɛ̃ bɔn ma.ti.ne/
I’m very well, have a nice morning.

Merci, à vous aussi.
/mɛʁ.si a vu o.si/
Thank you, same to you.

Dialogue 2: At The Office, Early Meeting

Bonjour tout le monde.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ tul mɔ̃d/
Good morning, everyone.

Bonjour, tu vas bien ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ty va bjɛ̃/
Good morning, you okay?

Oui, un peu fatigué mais ça va.
/wi ɛ̃ pø fa.ti.ɡe mɛ sa va/
Yeah, a bit tired but okay.

Allez, bonne réunion à tous.
/a.lɛ bɔn ʁe.y.njɔ̃ a tus/
Alright, have a good meeting everyone.

Dialogue 3: Café Stop Before Work

Bonjour madame, un café crème s’il vous plaît.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam ɛ̃ ka.fe kʁɛm sil vu plɛ/
Good morning, ma’am, a white coffee please.

Bonjour monsieur, à emporter ou sur place ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ mə.sjø a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te u syʁ plas/
Good morning, sir, to go or to have here?

À emporter, merci.
/a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te mɛʁ.si/
To go, thanks.

Très bien, ça fait deux euros. Bonne journée !
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ sa fe dø ø.ʁo bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Very good, that’s two euros. Have a nice day!

Merci, bonne journée à vous aussi.
/mɛʁ.si bɔn ʒuʁ.ne a vu o.si/
Thank you, have a nice day as well.

Quick Reference: “Good Morning” Essentials

Five-Minute Practice Plan

Bonjour vs Bon Matin Drill
Say out loud 10 times:
Bonjour… Bonjour madame… Bonjour monsieur… Bonjour, ça va ?
Then say Bon matin once… and promise yourself you won’t use it in France.
Morning Scripts
Write two tiny morning scenes:
- One for a bakery (use bonjour, s’il vous plaît, bonne journée).
- One for work (use bonjour, ça va ?, bonne journée).
  Read each scene aloud twice.
Add The Goodbye
Take the line Bonjour, je voudrais un café and add three different endings:
- … merci, bonne journée.
- … merci, bonne matinée.
- … merci, à bientôt, bonne journée.
  Practice them as mini-conversations in your head.
Switch Tu / Vous
Write: Bonjour, vous allez bien ? then rewrite it as Bonjour, tu vas bien ?
Read both a few times, paying attention to vous vs tu and how it changes the vibe.
Real-Life Practice
Tomorrow morning, pick one specific moment (first email to a French contact, first message in a French app, or just talking to yourself) and start it with a clear Bonjour and one of the “how are you” phrases.

Yak-Style Closing Spark

The morning I stopped saying bon matin and started using bonjour like every other half-awake human around me, France suddenly felt less like a grammar exam and more like a place I could live. Get this tiny ritual right, and your day in French starts smoother: one simple bonjour at a time, one less eyebrow raised, and one more croissant earned.