How to Say Bonjour in French

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Unlike Ciao in Italian, Salute is a very informal way to greet someone – it literally means “Hi”. It can be used by anyone of any age, although if you’re meeting people for the first time it’s often better to follow it with their names – Madame/Mrs or Monsieur/Ms. It’s also possible to say Salut, tous (literally “Hello, all”) if you’re greeting a group of people.

Another common greeting is The french connection tina Comment vas-tu?, which is basically saying hello and asking how you are. It’s more polite to reply with Je vais bien, merci – although some people just answer with Je suis content, je vous remercie.

When you meet someone for the first time in France, it’s quite common to kiss them on both cheeks – or even three times! The cheek-kissing is a sign of respect, and is especially appreciated when you’re introduced to older family members.

If you’re greeting a friend who you haven’t seen for a while, it’s nice to say “Ca fait longtemps” (literally: long time no see) – and add an exclamation mark at the start or end of the phrase if you’re feeling really hip. This is a great greeting to use in situations like parties, weddings or when you’re meeting your boss.

A quick note about pronunciation – it’s very important to pronounce the word bonjour correctly. Many people mistakenly think that it should be pronounced as bon-JOON, but the correct pronunciation is BON-jo-UHR. So if you want to sound authentic, be sure to practice your pronunciation before visiting a French-speaking country! If you don’t have the opportunity to visit a native speaker, then try a free online pronunciation tool such as Say It Right. You can use it to hear how to pronounce words and phrases and also to practice your listening skills. It’s also worth reading the wikipedia article about French pronunciation if you want to learn more.