How to say hello in French
17 words, from beginner to advanced. Tap a word to hear it.
Good to know
Bonjour is a standard daytime greeting for both friends and strangers. Comment vas-tu? and D'où viens-tu? use an informal form of address, so they suit familiar people rather than formal introductions. Excuse-moi addresses one person informally.
Au revoir marks a goodbye, while Bonne journée wishes someone a pleasant day when parting. Merci quand même expresses thanks even when help has not produced the hoped-for result; tone can make it sound warm or disappointed.
No words found
- Au revoir /o ʁəˈvwaʁ/ Goodbye
- Bonjour /bɔ̃ˈʒuʁ/ Hello
- Je m'appelle /ʒə maˈpɛl/ My name is
- Comment vas-tu? /kɔmɑ̃ va ˈty/ How are you?
- Je vais bien /ʒə vɛ ˈbjɛ̃/ I am ok
- Bonne journée /bɔn ʒuʁˈne/ Have a nice day
- Non, merci /ˈnɔ̃ mɛʁˈsi/ No, thank you
- Excuse-moi /ɛkskyz ˈmwa/ Excuse me
- D'accord /daˈkɔʁ/ All right
- D'où viens-tu? /du vjɛ̃ ˈty/ Where are you from?
- Quoi de neuf? /kwa də ˈnœf/ What's new?
- Pas de problème /pa də pʁɔˈblɛm/ No problem
- Voilà /vwaˈla/ Here you are
- Merci quand même /mɛʁsi kɑ̃ ˈmɛm/ Thank you anyway
- Bon voyage /bɔ̃ vwaˈjaʒ/ Have a good trip
- Merci mille fois /mɛʁsi mil ˈfwa/ Thanks a million
- Bonne chance /bɔn ˈʃɑ̃s/ Good luck
Quick test: 10 questions
Test your knowledge before moving on. No sign-up required.
Rules to remember
- The adjective agrees with the noun's gender: Bon voyage has a masculine noun, while Bonne journée and Bonne chance have feminine nouns.
- Apostrophes mark omitted vowels in Je m'appelle and D'où viens-tu?; the hyphens in Comment vas-tu? and D'où viens-tu? link the verb and subject in inverted word order.
- Pas de problème is a shortened negative reply: the noun follows the negation without an article. D'accord is a fixed expression of agreement.
