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French · Phrases · A1 to B2

Everyday French phrases: bonjour or bonsoir, bonne journée, and du coup

Une journée en phrases · tap a moment of the day
Arriving
Bonjourgood-daymadame !madam
bon-ZHOOR ma-DAM · “Hello, madam!”
Leaving
Merci,thanksbonne journée !good day
mair-SEE, bon zhoor-NAY · “Thanks, have a good day!”
Why: Bonjour + madame or monsieur is the polite norm. Leaving, wish them a good rest of the day.

Short answer: greet with Bonjour during the day and Bonsoir from about 6 pm; Salut is for friends. When leaving, wish the rest of the day: Bonne journée, Bonne soirée, Bonne nuit (only at bedtime). Add Madame or Monsieur to be polite with strangers. Reply to merci with de rien or, more formally, je vous en prie. Conversation is full of small linking words: alors, bon, en fait, du coup.

Politeness formulas

S’il vous plaît, je vous en prie, pardon

French politeness is precise: each situation has its formula. The left column is neutral or formal, the right is between friends.

Please
Thank you
You’re welcome
Sorry (bumping)
Excuse me (attention)
I’m sorry
Reacting in conversation

D’accord, ah bon ?, tant pis, bof

Short reactions keep a French conversation moving. Tap one to hear it.

Agreeing
Surprise
Letting it go
Unimpressed
A quick chat between friends

Ça va ? Quoi de neuf ?

A glossed exchange between two friends meeting in the street, using tu.

Inès
Salut !hiÇa va ?it goes
sa-LÜ ! sa VA · “Hi! How’s it going?”Ça va? is both question and answer.
Tom
Ça va,it goeset toi ?and you
sa VA, ay TWA · “Fine, and you?”
Inès
Ça roule.it rollsQuoi de neuf ?what of new
sa ROOL. kwa duh NUHF · “All good. What’s new?”Ça roule: casual “all good”.
Tom
Pas grand-chose.not big thingJe chercheI look-forun appart.a flat
pa gron SHOHZ. zhuh SHAIRSH un na-PAR · “Not much. I’m looking for a flat.”Appart: short for appartement.
Inès
Ah,ahbon courage !good courage
a, bon koo-RAZH · “Ah, good luck with that!”Bon courage: “hang in there”, for a hard task.
Tom
Merci !thanksOn se faitwe ourselves makeun caféa coffeebientôt ?soon
mair-SEE ! on suh FAY un ka-FAY byan-TOH · “Thanks! Coffee soon?”Se faire un café: to meet up for a coffee.
The small words of spoken French

Bon, ben, alors, en fait, du coup, quoi

These words carry rhythm and attitude more than meaning. A few in the right place make you sound natural.

alorsso, well
Alors,soon y va ?we there go
a-LOR, on nee VA
“So, shall we go?”
bonright, OK
Bon,rightjeIdoismustpartir.leave
BON, zhuh DWA par-TEER
“Right, I have to go.”
benwell (casual)
Benwelloui !yes
BAN WEE
“Well, yes!”
en faitactually
En fait,actuallyjeIne peux pas.can’t
on FET, zhuh nuh PUH PA
“Actually, I can’t.”
du coupso, as a result
Du coup,soonwerestestayici.here
dü KOO, on REST ee-SEE
“So we’re staying here.”
quoiyou know (at the end)
C’étaitit-wasbizarre,strangequoi.what
say-TAY bee-ZAR, KWA
“It was weird, you know.”
On the phone

Allô ? C’est de la part de qui ?

Phone French has its own fixed formulas. Allô is only used on the phone, never face to face.

Vous
Allô,hellobonjour.good-day
a-LOH, bon-ZHOOR · “Hello?”
Vous
JeIvoudraiswould-likeparler àto-speak toMme Martin.Mrs Martin
zhuh voo-DRAY par-LAY a ma-DAM mar-TAN · “I’d like to speak to Mrs Martin.”
Standard
C’estit’sde la parton the behalfde qui ?of whom
say duh la PAR duh KEE · “Who’s calling, please?”
Standard
Ne quittez pas,don’t leavejeIvous la passe.you her pass
nuh kee-TAY PA, zhuh voo la PASS · “Hold on, I’ll put you through.”
Standard
Ellesheestisen ligne.on line
el ay on LEEN-yuh · “She’s on another call.”
Vous
JeIrappelleraiwill-call-backplus tard.later
zhuh ra-pel-RAY plü TAR · “I’ll call back later.”
Signing off

Bonne journée, cordialement, bises

How you end a message depends on who reads it. Read from the most formal on the left to the most familiar on the right.

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Related guides

8hSpoken French →How French is really pronounced and shortened.10hRegister →Tu or vous, and when.13hIdioms →Colourful set expressions.19hQuestions →Asking things naturally.