Salutations & Politesse — greetings in French | Vocabulary
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Every way of how to say hello in French — bonjour, salut, coucou — plus goodbyes and polite phrases, with audio. Greetings and being polite in French. This French greetings being polite vocabulary list gives you 18 essential words — from Bonjour ! (Hello / Good morning!) to pardon (sorry / pardon) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about greetings being polite, then test yourself with the games below.
Salutations & Politesse
Greetings and being polite in French
Dire bonjour
Dire au revoir
La politesse
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Salutations & Politesse » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 The unwritten rules
- Always say bonjour first — entering a shop, addressing a stranger: bonjour before anything else. Skipping it reads as rude.
- Bonjour → bonsoir switches around 6 pm; bonne nuit is only for bedtime.
- tu vs vous: vous for strangers, shops and work; tu for friends and family — wait to be invited (« on peut se tutoyer ? »).
- La bise: cheek kisses between friends — the number varies by region (2 in Paris, up to 4 elsewhere!).
- Bonne journée is for leaving, not arriving — it means “have a good day”.
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
After 6 pm you greet with… (greeting)
Show answer
Bonsoir
formal “you’re welcome” = je vous en ___ (politeness)
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prie
informal “please” = s’il ___ plaît (tu form)
Show answer
te
🎬 Video lesson
French Greetings (French Essentials Lesson 1)🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions
How do you say « Hello / Good morning! »? (recall)
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Bonjour !
What does « Salut ! » mean? (recall)
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Hi!
How do you say « Nice to meet you. »? (recall)
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Enchanté.
What does « Au revoir ! » mean? (recall)
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Goodbye!
How do you say « See you tomorrow! »? (recall)
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À demain !
What does « Bonne journée ! » mean? (recall)
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Have a good day!
How do you say « thank you very much »? (recall)
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merci beaucoup
What does « je vous en prie » mean? (recall)
Show answer
you’re welcome
Go further: this chart is one small piece — get the full picture in our guide French greetings — from bonjour to au revoir.
All the ways to say hello in French
There’s more than one way to say hello in French — the right greeting depends on the time of day and how well you know the person:
| French greeting | When to use it | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | All day, with anyone — THE default hello | Neutral / polite |
| Bonsoir | From late afternoon onwards | Neutral / polite |
| Salut | Friends, family, people your age | Informal |
| Coucou | Close friends, kids, texts | Very informal / cute |
| Allô ? | Answering the phone only | Neutral |
| Enchanté(e) | Meeting someone for the first time | Polite |
Golden rule: when in doubt, bonjour — it’s never wrong. Say it once per person per day (repeating it to the same person is odd — use « re-bonjour » jokingly). And in shops, greeting first isn’t optional politeness, it’s expected.
How to say hello in French — FAQ
How do you say common greetings being polite words in French?
For example: Hello / Good morning! is « Bonjour ! », Good evening! is « Bonsoir ! », Hi! (informal) is « Salut ! ». The full list above has 18 French greetings being polite words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
What are the most useful French greetings being polite words to learn first?
Start with the basics: Bonjour ! (Hello / Good morning!), Bonsoir ! (Good evening!), Salut ! (Hi! (informal)), Coucou ! (Hey! (very informal)), Enchanté(e). (Nice to meet you.), Comment allez-vous ? (How are you? (formal)). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
How can I memorise French greetings being polite vocabulary?
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
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