Useful French Greetings For Everyday Life (Bonjour, Salut, And Beyond)

When I first moved to France, I thought I had greetings under control. I’d memorised bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello and salut /sa.ly/ — hi/bye, so obviously I was ready for society.

Then I walked into a bakery at 8am, smiled, and forgot to say anything. The woman behind the counter looked right past me and greeted the person behind me who did say Bonjour, madame /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam/. I learned something important that day: in France, greetings are not optional. They’re the key that unlocks the whole interaction. No greeting, no croissant.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know which greeting to use (and when), how to sound polite without being stiff, how to greet friends vs strangers, and how to avoid the classic “Bonne nuit at 6 pm” mistake.

Greeting Gameplan: Formal vs Informal, Day vs Night

Before we collect phrases like Pokémon, you need the basic map.

Core everyday greetings:

And some polite add-ons:

Two big switches control your greetings:

tu /ty/ vs vous /vu/ — informal you vs polite/plural
time of day — bonjour in the day, bonsoir in the evening

General rules:

Strangers, shops, offices, older people → bonjour + vous
Friends, classmates, people your age you know → salut or coucou + tu
From late afternoon/evening → bonsoir instead of bonjour

Now let’s get into the details.

Morning To Afternoon: Bonjour And Everyday Politeness

bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello / good morning / good afternoon is your main daytime greeting.

French | IPA | English
bonjour | /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ | hello, good morning/afternoon

You use bonjour:

In shops and cafés
At work and school
With neighbours
With anyone you’re meeting for the first time that day

Polite “complete” versions:

Important culture trick: in France, you normally greet everyone involved in an interaction.

Enter a bakery: say Bonjour to the room or to the staff.
Before asking anything: greet first, question second.

Not:

Excusez-moi, une baguette ? (cold)

Better:

Bonjour, une baguette s’il vous plaît.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ yn ba.ɡɛt sil vu plɛ/
Hello, one baguette please.

Also: avoid “Good morning” style translations. Bon matin /bɔ̃ ma.tɛ̃/ isn’t standard in France; bonjour covers morning and early afternoon.

Evening Mode: Bonsoir, Bonne Soirée, Bonne Nuit

French switches greetings as the sun goes down.

Bonsoir: Evening Hello

bonsoir /bɔ̃.swaʁ/ — good evening / hello (evening) is used:

When arriving somewhere in the evening
In shops or restaurants after late afternoon
Picking up a takeaway at 8pm and trying to sound like you belong

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

Example:

Bonsoir, vous avez encore des pizzas ?
/bɔ̃.swaʁ vu za.ve ɑ̃.kɔʁ de pi.za/
Good evening, do you still have pizzas?

Bonne Soirée: Have A Nice Evening (Goodbye)

bonne soirée /bɔn swa.ʁe/ — have a good evening is for leaving, not arriving.

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

You might say:

Bonne soirée, à demain !
/bɔn swa.ʁe a də.mɛ̃/
Have a nice evening, see you tomorrow!

Bonne Nuit: Good Night (Bedtime Only)

bonne nuit /bɔn nɥi/ — good night is for when people are going to sleep, not just leaving a bar at 10pm.

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

Use:

With family, partner, close friends at bedtime
At the end of a late message when someone is about to sleep

If you walk out of a restaurant at 9pm and say bonne nuit to the staff, it sounds like you expect them to put on pyjamas in the kitchen. Use bonne soirée there instead.

Friendly Hellos: Salut, Coucou And Casual Vibes

Salut: The All-Purpose Casual “Hi/Bye”

salut /sa.ly/ — hi / bye is informal and very common.

French | IPA | English
salut | /sa.ly/ | hi, bye (informal)

Use salut:

With friends and classmates
With colleagues you’re close to (depending on workplace culture)
When texting or calling people you use tu with

Examples:

Salut, ça va ?
/sa.ly sa va/
Hi, how’s it going?

Salut, à demain !
/sa.ly a də.mɛ̃/
Bye, see you tomorrow!

Avoid salut with people you’d naturally call vous — like your doctor, your professor on day one, your landlord’s grandmother.

Coucou: Cute, Playful “Hey”

coucou /ku.ku/ — hey / hiiiii is very informal, playful, and often written more than spoken.

French | IPA | English
coucou | /ku.ku/ | hey, hi (very informal)

You’ll see or hear it:

In messages to friends and family
Between people who are close (romantic partners, siblings, close friends)
Sometimes with a teasing tone

Example:

Coucou, ça va ?
/ku.ku sa va/
Hey, how are you?

Don’t use coucou in job interviews unless you want that interview to end very quickly.

Polite Extras: How To Extend A Greeting Without Panicking

Once you’ve said bonjour, something terrifying happens: the other person answers and keeps talking. These small add-ons make you sound complete.

Asking “How Are You?” Lightly

Common combos:

Answers you can use without overthinking:

Enchanté: Nice To Meet You

enchanté /ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/ — nice to meet you is your go-to first-meeting greeting add-on.

French | IPA | English
enchanté | /ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/ | nice to meet you

If you’re a woman, people might write enchantée with an extra -e, but pronunciation stays the same for most accents.

Typical pattern:

Bonjour, je m’appelle Alex. Enchanté.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə ma.pɛl a.lɛks ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
Hello, my name is Alex. Nice to meet you.

You can also mirror:

Enchanté.
/ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
Nice to meet you.

Waving Goodbye The French Way (Still Part Of Everyday Greetings)

Goodbyes are the other half of greetings. In French, people notice if you leave without saying anything.

Key ones:

Usage:

au revoir works almost everywhere, polite and safe.
bonne journée is great when leaving during the day (shops, offices, friends).
à plus is super informal, often written à+ in messages.

Example exit from a café:

Bonne journée, au revoir.
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne o ʁə.vwaʁ/
Have a nice day, goodbye.

Region And Register Notes (France-Focused)

For everyday greetings in France:

bonjour is absolutely everywhere. Say it more often than feels natural at first; that’s usually about right.
bon matin is not standard in France; some other French-speaking regions use it, but stick to bonjour in France.
salut is friendly but not for every situation; if you’re unsure, bonjour + vous is safer.
coucou is fun, but keep it for people you’re genuinely close to.

If you’re aiming for France French (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, etc.), every phrase in this guide is safe to use.

Mini Dialogues: Everyday Greetings In Action

Dialogue 1: At The Bakery

Bonjour madame.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam/
Hello, ma’am.

Bonjour. Vous désirez ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ vu de.zi.ʁe/
Hello. What would you like?

Une baguette, s’il vous plaît.
/yn ba.ɡɛt sil vu plɛ/
One baguette, please.

Voilà. Bonne journée !
/vwa.la bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Here you go. Have a nice day!

Merci, bonne journée. Au revoir.
/mɛʁ.si bɔn ʒuʁ.ne o ʁə.vwaʁ/
Thanks, have a nice day. Goodbye.

Dialogue 2: Meeting Someone New

Salut, moi c’est Thomas.
/sa.ly mwa sɛ tɔ.ma/
Hi, I’m Thomas.

Bonjour, je m’appelle Laura. Enchantée.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə ma.pɛl lo.ʁa ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
Hello, my name is Laura. Nice to meet you.

Enchanté. Ça va ?
/ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te sa va/
Nice to meet you. How’s it going?

Ça va bien, merci, et toi ?
/sa va bjɛ̃ mɛʁ.si e twa/
I’m good, thanks, and you?

Dialogue 3: Evening Exit

Bonsoir, vous avez une table pour deux ?
/bɔ̃.swaʁ vu za.ve yn tabl puʁ dø/
Good evening, do you have a table for two?

Oui, bien sûr, suivez-moi.
/wi bjɛ̃ syʁ sɥi.ve mwa/
Yes, of course, follow me.

[Later, leaving]

Merci beaucoup, c’était très bon. Bonne soirée.
/mɛʁ.si bo.ku se.tɛ tʁɛ bɔ̃ bɔn swa.ʁe/
Thank you very much, it was very good. Have a nice evening.

Bonne soirée, au revoir.
/bɔn swa.ʁe o ʁə.vwaʁ/
Have a nice evening, goodbye.

Quick Reference: Everyday French Greetings

Five-Minute Practice Plan: Greeting Drill You’ll Actually Do

Mirror Bakery Training
Stand in front of a mirror and run the bakery script three times:
Bonjour madame / monsieur… Une baguette, s’il vous plaît… Merci, bonne journée, au revoir.
Focus on making bonjour come out automatically.
Day vs Evening Switch
Say aloud in order:
Bonjour → Bonne journée → Bonsoir → Bonne soirée → Bonne nuit.
Picture real times of day while you say them so your brain links phrase to moment.
Tu vs Vous Mini-Test
Make two greeting pairs out loud:
- Formal: Bonjour monsieur, ça va ? / then / Très bien, merci, et vous ?
- Informal: Salut, ça va ? / then / Ça va bien, et toi ?
Message Templates
On your phone or in your notes app, write two greetings you’d actually send:
- One friendly text: Coucou, ça va ?
- One polite email opening: Bonjour, j’espère que vous allez bien.
  Read them aloud once.
Three Real People Drill
Think of: one friend, one co-worker, one shop employee. For each, say which greeting you’d use and actually say it out loud (e.g. Salut, ça va ? vs Bonjour madame).

Saying Hi Without Panic

Once bonjour, bonsoir, salut, and a couple of goodbyes like bonne journée and au revoir live in your mouth, France suddenly gets easier. Doors open, bakers smile, neighbours say hi back, and you stop feeling like the awkward foreigner who forgets to greet people. You don’t need perfect grammar to make a good first impression—just the right hello at the right moment, delivered with enough confidence to get your croissant.