Good Night In French (Bonne Nuit And What To Say Before Bed)

The first time I tried to say goodnight in France, I was not going to bed. I was leaving a bar in Toulouse at 10 p.m., waved at the group and confidently said: bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ — good night. The table went quiet for half a second, then someone laughed and said bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — have a good evening, as if they were gently sending me to bed with warm milk.

That’s when I realised French has rules for how sleepy the situation actually is. If people are still out, eating, drinking, or going somewhere, you don’t send them to “night-night mode” with bonne nuit. You wish them a bonne soirée. bonne nuit is for when someone is literally going to sleep, or you’re ending the day for real.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know when to say bonne nuit, when bonsoir and bonne soirée are better choices, what to add if you want to sound affectionate (without getting weird), and how to text goodnight like a real human and not a phrasebook.

Quick Primer: Bonne Nuit, Bonsoir, Bonne Soirée

Here are the three main evening “goodnight-ish” phrases and what they actually do.

Simple rule:

Use bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening as a greeting when it’s already evening or dark.
Use bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — have a good evening as a goodbye in the evening when people are still up, going out, or staying up.
Use bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ — good night only when someone is going to sleep or the day is truly ending.

If your conversation partner is about to brush their teeth and find their pyjamas: bonne nuit.
If they’re about to find another bar: bonne soirée.

Saying “Good Night” At Actual Bedtime

When someone is going to sleep, bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ — good night is exactly what you want.

French | IPA | English
bonne nuit | /bɔn nɥi/ | good night (sleep well)

Typical bedtime lines:

Usage:

With kids, partners, family, flatmates when everyone is actually heading to bed.
To close a late-night call or message when both people are done for the day.

Common mistake:
Saying bonne nuit when people are leaving a restaurant at 9 p.m. and clearly going clubbing, not sleeping. It sounds like you’re sending them home with a hot-water bottle.

Bonne Soirée: “Have A Good Evening”

If it’s night-time but not bedtime, bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — have a good evening is what you use as you say goodbye.

French | IPA | English
bonne soirée | /bɔn swa.ʁe/ | have a good evening

Where you’ll hear it:

Leaving a restaurant or bar in the evening
Saying goodbye to coworkers after an after-work drink
Saying goodbye to someone at 8 or 9 p.m. when life is still happening

Typical exchanges:

Usage notes:

You can stack it with other phrases: Bonne soirée, rentre bien /bɔn swa.ʁe ʁɑ̃tʁ bjɛ̃/ — have a good evening, get home safe.
If you’re leaving work at 6 p.m., bonne soirée is more natural than bonne nuit. No one is going straight to bed (hopefully).

Bonsoir: Evening Hello (And Sometimes Goodbye)

bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening is mainly an evening greeting.

French | IPA | English
bonsoir | /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ | good evening (hello in the evening)

You use it:

When arriving at a restaurant, event, or someone’s home in the evening
When greeting neighbours in the stairwell at night
Instead of bonjour once it’s clearly evening or dark

Example:

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?

It can sometimes work as a goodbye too, but bonne soirée is more standard for “have a good evening” when you’re leaving.

Affectionate Goodnight Phrases (Family, Partners, Close Friends)

If you’re saying goodnight to someone close, French has a few cosy extras.

With kids:

Usage note:
Anything with bisous /bi.zu/ — kisses or mon chéri/ma chérie /mɔ̃ ʃe.ʁi, ma ʃe.ʁi/ is intimate. This is not for your Airbnb host unless things got unexpectedly interesting.

Texting “Good Night” In French

When you’re texting or messaging, the same phrases apply, just with hearts and emojis if you want.

Common message endings:

Usage notes:

If the other person is clearly going out or staying up: bonne soirée by text.
If you’re both about to crash: bonne nuit.
If you’re half-flirting, half-normal: Bonne nuit, fais de beaux rêves is classic.

Usage Notes And Common Mistakes

A few patterns that trip English speakers up:

Using bonne nuit too early.
If people are leaving a dinner at 8:30 p.m. and talking about another bar, bonne soirée fits the mood. bonne nuit sounds like “Okay, children, off to bed.”
Using bonne nuit instead of bonsoir as a greeting.
You don’t walk into a restaurant at 9 p.m. and say bonne nuit to the waiter. That’s like saying “good night” as soon as you arrive. Use bonsoir.
Forgetting any kind of evening farewell.
In France, closing with bonne soirée or bonne nuit is part of the social glue. Just walking away feels a bit abrupt; add one of them and everything softens.
Mixing up bonne nuit and bonne soirée in messages.
Think: Are we still in “evening mode” or are we done for the day?
Evening mode = bonne soirée. Sleep time = bonne nuit.

Region Notes

Since French YouTube loves mixing accents:

In France, usage is pretty consistent:
- bonsoir as evening greeting
- bonne soirée as evening goodbye
- bonne nuit for bedtime
In Québec and other francophone regions, the same three exist, but frequency and warmth can differ slightly. You might hear bonne nuit a bit more casually in some families or small-town contexts.

For safe, natural France French, follow the rules in this article and you’ll sound perfectly normal in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, or that tiny village where the bus comes twice a day.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Leaving A Restaurant At 9 p.m.

C’était très bon, merci beaucoup.
/se.tɛ tʁɛ bɔ̃ mɛʁ.si bo.ku/
That was very good, thank you very much.

Avec plaisir, bonne soirée !
/a.vɛk plɛ.ziʁ bɔn swa.ʁe/
With pleasure, have a good evening!

Bonne soirée, à bientôt.
/bɔn swa.ʁe a bjɛ̃.to/
Have a good evening, see you soon.

Dialogue 2: Flatmates Going To Bed

Bon, moi je vais dormir.
/bɔ̃ mwa ʒə vɛ dɔʁ.miʁ/
Okay, I’m going to sleep.

Bonne nuit, dors bien.
/bɔn nɥi dɔʁ bjɛ̃/
Good night, sleep well.

Merci, bonne nuit, à demain.
/mɛʁ.si bɔn nɥi a də.mɛ̃/
Thanks, good night, see you tomorrow.

Dialogue 3: Texting A Partner

Bonne soirée avec tes amis 😘
/bɔn swa.ʁe a.vɛk te za.mi/
Have a good evening with your friends 😘

Merci, à tout à l’heure.
/mɛʁ.si a tu.ta.lœʁ/
Thanks, see you later.

Bonne nuit si je ne te revois pas.
/bɔn nɥi si ʒə nə tə ʁə.vwa pa/
Good night if I don’t see you later.

Dors bien, à demain 😴
/dɔʁ bjɛ̃ a də.mɛ̃/
Sleep well, see you tomorrow 😴

Quick Reference: Good Night And Evening Phrases

Five-Minute Practice Plan

Sort The Three Bs
Say each aloud three times: bonsoir, bonne soirée, bonne nuit. Then write one example situation where you’d use each.
Bedtime Stack
Build three bedtime lines and read them aloud:
- Bonne nuit.
- Bonne nuit, dors bien.
- Bonne nuit, fais de beaux rêves, à demain.
Evening Goodbye Drill
Take the English line “Okay, I’m going home, have a good evening” and turn it into French:
Bon, je rentre, bonne soirée.
Read it aloud five times until it feels automatic.
Text Template
Create two copy-paste message templates in French on your phone:
- One for bonne soirée (when the other person is going out).
- One for bonne nuit (when you’re both going to sleep).
Real-Life Check
Next series you watch in French, pause the episode the first time someone says bonne nuit or bonne soirée. Note the situation: are they actually going to bed, or just ending the evening?

One Last Yawn En Français

Once you get the difference between bonne nuit, bonsoir, and bonne soirée, French evenings stop feeling like a social trap and start feeling cosy. You’ll know when you’re sending someone off to sleep, when you’re just wrapping up the night, and when you’re simply walking into the room like a smooth, well-adjusted yak who absolutely did not tell a whole bar to go to bed at 10 p.m.