bien
/bjɛ̃/
The French word bien means bien (phrase).
bien is an adverb meaning well. It is often used in the phrase Très bien to express agreement or approval, or to say very well in response to a situation.
Which one should you use?
While bien is an adverb meaning 'well', bon is an adjective meaning 'good'. You use bien to describe an action and bon to describe a noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adverb, bien is invariable, meaning it does not change its form to agree with gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In French legal or financial terms, un bien refers to a piece of property or an asset, such as un bien immobilier for real estate.
- The word bien was inherited from the Latin word bene, which also gave English the prefix 'bene-' found in words like 'benefit' and 'benevolent'.
- In a sarcastic tone, C'est bien ! can actually be a criticism, implying that something is 'just great' in a negative way.
Examples in context
- Je vais bien, merci.I am doing well, thank you.
- C'est bien joué !That was well played!
- Il travaille très bien.He works very well.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are talking at a coffee shop.
- GabrielSalut Léa, comment vas-tu ?Hi Léa, how are you?
- LéaJe vais très bien, et toi ?I am doing very well, and you?
- GabrielMoi aussi, je vais bien.Me too, I am doing well.
- LéaC'est une bonne nouvelle.That is good news.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
