bonjour
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/
In French, 'good morning' is bonjour. Wiktionary also lists bon matin.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ | |
| bon matin | /bõ ma.tẽ/ (Quebec) | Canada, Louisiana, New England |
Bonjour is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning, but it also serves as the standard way to say 'hello' throughout the day until evening.
What does it mean word for word?
Bonjour is a combination of bon (good) and jour (day), literally meaning 'good day'.
Which one should you use?
While bonjour is used for 'good morning', it is also the standard way to say 'hello' throughout the day until evening.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Bon matin is a regionalism used in North American French contexts, specifically in Canada, Louisiana and New-England.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use bon matin in France because it is a literal translation of 'good morning', but it is not the standard greeting in European French.
Did you know?
- The word matin is linked to Matuta, the Roman goddess of the dawn. This gives the French word for 'morning' a divine connection to the beginning of the day.
- While bonjour is used to arrive, it is almost never used to leave. To say 'good day' as a farewell, French speakers switch to bonne journée.
- In some professional French environments, bonjour is repeated every time you encounter a colleague you have already seen that day, provided it is a new distinct encounter.
Examples in context
- Bonjour tout le monde.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to use bonjour to greet a group.Tatoeba #9495 by sysko, translation #22122 by CK
- Bonjour, je vous dérange ?Good morning, am I disturbing you?This sentence shows how to use bonjour when approaching someone.Tatoeba #5638387 by Blabla, translation #5643832 by narnar
- Bonjour, comment allez-vous ?Good morning, how are you doing?This sentence shows how to use bonjour when asking someone how they are.Tatoeba #5960 by TRANG, translation #3249363 by nava
- Bonjour, monsieurGood morning, sir
- Bonjour, madameGood morning, madam
- Bonjour à vous tousGood morning to all of you
- Coucou, bien dormi ?Hi, slept well?
- Bonjour, monsieur. Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?Good morning, sir. How are you today?
- Bonjour à vous. J'espère que vous avez passé une bonne nuit.Good morning to you. I hope you had a good night.
- 39 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo meet in the office kitchen.
- ManonBonjour, Hugo !Good morning, Hugo!
- HugoBonjour, Manon. Tu as dormi ?Good morning, Manon. Did you sleep?
- ManonOui, très bien, merci.Yes, very well, thank you.
- HugoC'est super. On commence ?That's great. Shall we start?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries bonjour, bon matin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, bon matin, bonjour, matin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
