bonne journée
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
To say "enjoy the day" in French, you use bonne journée.
bonne journée is a friendly wish used specifically as a parting wish to imply that the person should enjoy the remainder of their day. It is used when saying goodbye to someone during the day. To avoid confusion, use bonjour to greet someone when arriving, but use bonne journée to wish them well when leaving. Once the afternoon has passed and the evening begins, you should switch to bonne soirée.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the feminine form bonne because the noun journée is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Did you know?
- Because journée comes from the Latin *diurnata, it shares an evolutionary root with the English word 'journal'. Both are linked to the concept of marking or recording the passing of a day.
- While you might use bonne journée when leaving a stranger, using it with a close friend can sometimes sound slightly formal or 'customer-service' oriented.
- The word journée focuses on the duration and the content of the day, whereas jour refers to the 24-hour unit of time. This is why you wish someone a 'good duration' of time rather than a 'good unit' of time.
Examples in context
- Merci, bonne journée !Thank you, have a good day!
- Allez, au revoir et bonne journée !Alright, goodbye and enjoy the day!
- Bonne journée, mon ami.Enjoy the day, my friend.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are leaving a bakery after their purchase.
- ChloéMerci pour le pain, Hugo.Thank you for the bread, Hugo.
- HugoDe rien, Chloé. Au revoir !You're welcome, Chloé. Goodbye!
- ChloéBonne journée !Enjoy the day!
- HugoMerci, toi aussi !Thanks, you too!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bonne journée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries journée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
