bonne soirée
The French phrase bonne soirée means "good evening" and is used to wish someone a pleasant evening when parting ways.
This phrase is used specifically when you are leaving someone and want to wish them well for the remainder of their evening.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "good evening", where soirée implies the duration of the evening rather than just a point in time.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish this from bonsoir. You should use bonsoir as a greeting when arriving, but use bonne soirée as a farewell when leaving.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bonne is the feminine form of bon because soirée is a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- In French, une soirée can refer to a party or a formal social gathering, regardless of whether it is a 'good' one. You might hear someone ask Tu viens à ma soirée ? to invite you to their party.
- While bonne soirée is a polite farewell, saying bonne nuit is strictly reserved for the moment someone is actually going to sleep. Using bonne nuit too early can imply you are telling the other person to go to bed.
- In French, adding the suffix -ée to a time of day, as in soirée, transforms a point in time into a span of time or a specific event.
Examples in context
- Merci, bonne soirée !Thank you, have a good evening!
- Allez, bonne soirée tout le monde !Alright, have a good evening everyone!
- Je vous souhaite une très bonne soirée.I wish you a very pleasant evening.
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are leaving a coffee shop at the end of the day.
- NathanAu revoir Emma, bonne soirée !Goodbye Emma, have a good evening!
- EmmaMerci Nathan, bonne soirée à toi aussi.Thanks Nathan, have a good evening to you too.
- NathanÀ demain au travail.See you tomorrow at work.
- EmmaOui, à demain !Yes, see you tomorrow!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soirée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
