French Greetings for Beginners: Bonjour, Merci and 25+ Everyday Phrases

The best way to start French is with greetings. This guide gives you French greetings for beginners: Bonjour, Merci, Au revoir and more than 25 everyday phrases with a rough pronunciation and meaning. (The respellings are only approximate; French sounds cannot be written out perfectly, so always listen to audio too. Capitals show the stressed end of the phrase, and endings like on, an and in are nasal vowels, so do not pronounce a full “n”.)

Prefer Hindi? यह पोस्ट हिंदी में पढ़ें.

Hello and goodbye

French	Rough pronunciation	Meaning	When to use it
Bonjour	bon-ZHOOR	Hello / good morning	During the day until the evening, including when you enter a shop or office
Bonsoir	bon-SWAR	Good evening	In the evening or at night
Salut	sa-LOO	Hi / bye	With friends and people your age
Bonne nuit	bun NWEE	Good night	Before going to sleep
Au revoir	oh ruh-VWAR	Goodbye	Any goodbye
À bientôt	ah byan-TOH	See you soon	When you will meet again soon
À demain	ah duh-MAN	See you tomorrow	When you will meet the next day
Bonne journée	bun zhoor-NAY	Have a good day	Leaving during the day
Bonne soirée	bun swa-RAY	Have a good evening	Leaving in the evening

Bonjour works from morning until evening, and Bonsoir takes over after that. In France it is normal courtesy to say Bonjour first when you enter a shop, café or office. Friends may greet each other with la bise (a kiss on the cheek), but this depends on the region and the relationship. As a beginner, Bonjour and a smile are always safe.

Asking how someone is

French	Rough pronunciation	Meaning
Comment allez-vous ?	koh-mon tah-lay-VOO	How are you? (polite)
Comment vas-tu ? / Ça va ?	koh-mon va-TOO / sa VA	How are you? (friends)
Ça va bien, merci.	sa va byan, mehr-SEE	I’m fine, thank you.
Et vous ? / Et toi ?	ay VOO / ay TWAH	And you? (polite / friends)
Pas mal.	pa MAL	Not bad.

Thank you, please and sorry

French	Rough pronunciation	Meaning
Merci	mehr-SEE	Thank you
Merci beaucoup	mehr-SEE boh-KOO	Thank you very much
De rien	duh RYAN	You’re welcome
S’il vous plaît / S’il te plaît	seel voo PLAY / seel tuh PLAY	Please (polite / friends)
Excusez-moi	ex-kew-zay-MWA	Excuse me (to get attention or pass)
Pardon	par-DON	Sorry / pardon
Désolé(e)	day-zoh-LAY	I’m sorry

Introducing yourself

French	Rough pronunciation	Meaning
Je m’appelle Anita.	zhuh ma-PEL a-nee-TA	My name is Anita.
Enchanté(e).	on-shon-TAY	Nice to meet you.
Je suis indien / indienne.	zhuh swee an-DYAN / an-DYEN	I am Indian (male / female).
Je viens de Delhi.	zhuh vyan duh deh-LEE	I come from Delhi.
Vous êtes d’où ?	voo-zet DOO	Where are you from?

A short conversation:

— Bonjour ! Je m’appelle Anita. Et vous ?
— Bonjour Anita. Je m’appelle Karan. Enchanté !
— Enchantée. Vous êtes indien ?
— Oui, je suis indien. Je viens de Delhi.

In English: “Hello! My name is Anita. And you?” / “Hello Anita. My name is Karan. Nice to meet you!” / “Nice to meet you too. Are you Indian?” / “Yes, I am Indian. I come from Delhi.” Notice that Anita says Enchantée (with an extra e) because she is female, while Karan says Enchanté. Many French words change spelling with the speaker’s gender, much like “gaya / gayi” in Hindi.

Tu and vous: like “tum” and “aap”

French has two ways of saying “you”. Vous is the polite form (like आप) and also the plural. Tu is the informal form (like तुम). Use vous with strangers, elders, in offices and in shops, and use tu with friends, family and children. Until the other person invites you to use tu, stay with vous.

When you do not understand

French	Rough pronunciation	Meaning
Je ne comprends pas.	zhuh nuh kom-PRON pa	I don’t understand.
Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ?	poo-vay-voo ray-pay-TAY, seel voo PLAY	Can you repeat, please?
Plus lentement, s’il vous plaît.	plew lont-MON, seel voo PLAY	More slowly, please.
Parlez-vous anglais ?	par-lay-voo on-GLAY	Do you speak English?
Je parle un peu français.	zhuh parl uh puh fron-SAY	I speak a little French.

Special occasions

French	Meaning
Bon appétit !	Enjoy your meal!
Santé !	Cheers!
Bonne chance !	Good luck!
Félicitations !	Congratulations!
Joyeux anniversaire !	Happy birthday!
Bonne année !	Happy New Year!
Bienvenue !	Welcome!

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in French?

Bonjour during the day. Salut is fine with friends and can mean both “hi” and “bye”.

How do you say thank you in French?

Merci, or Merci beaucoup for “thank you very much”. The reply is De rien.

What does Bonjour literally mean?

It means “good day” (bon = good, jour = day), so it works like “hello” and “good morning”.

Where do learners go wrong most?

With the French r in Bonjour and the nasal on. See the French pronunciation guide for Hindi speakers.

Related reading

• How to Learn French as a Hindi Speaker
• French Numbers 0 to 100
• French Pronunciation Guide for Hindi Speakers