What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good day", where bonne means "good" and journée refers to the duration of the day.
Which one should you use?
While bonjour is used when arriving to greet someone, bonne journée is used when leaving. Additionally, do not use bon jour to wish someone a pleasant day, as it is not a standard phrase.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, people often say Passe une belle journée to mean "Have a nice day".
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/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say bon jour instead of bonne journée when wishing someone a pleasant day. Instead, use the standard bonne journée.
When do people say it?
When someone says bonne journée to you, a common polite response is merci, vous aussi (thank you, you too) or merci, toi aussi if you are being informal.
Did you know?
- The word journée originates from the Vulgar Latin word *diurnāta, which shares a common ancestor with the English word 'journey'.
- While bonne journée is for the day, French uses bonne soirée for the evening and bonne nuit only when someone is actually going to sleep.
- If you are leaving someone's company in the late afternoon, you might switch from bonne journée to bonne fin de journée to wish them a good end to their day.
Examples in context
- Bonne journée à toi !Enjoy your day.This sentence demonstrates the use of bonne journée to wish someone a pleasant day.Tatoeba #2164061 by sacredceltic, translation #2163054 by Hybrid
- Passez une agréable journée, Monsieur Dupont.Enjoy your day, Mr. Dupont.
- Je vous souhaite une bonne journée.I wish you a good day.
- Merci, bonne journée à vous aussi !Thank you, have a good day too!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is leaving a bakery after buying a croissant.
- NathanMerci beaucoup, au revoir.Thank you very much, goodbye.
- ManonDe rien, bonne journée !You're welcome, have a good day!
- NathanMerci, bonne journée à vous aussi.Thank you, have a good day to you too.
- ManonÀ bientôt !See you soon!
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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
