bonsoir
/bɔ̃.swaʁ/
bonsoir is the French way to say good evening.
bonsoir is a greeting used during the evening. It functions both as a way to say hello when arriving or meeting someone and as a way to say goodbye. While it can be used to say goodbye, it is more common to use a different phrase to wish someone a good rest of their evening.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word bonsoir is a compound of bon, meaning good and soir, meaning evening.
Which one should you use?
Use bonsoir as a greeting when arriving or meeting someone in the evening. In contrast, use bonne soirée when leaving to wish someone a good rest of their evening.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔ̃.swaʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The English word 'soirée' is a direct loan from the French word soirée, but in French, the term simply means any evening spent doing something, not necessarily a fancy party.
- Using bonsoir with a very close friend or family member can sometimes be interpreted as being cold or creating emotional distance, as if you are treating them like a stranger.
- The term bonsoir can actually function as a noun in a phrase like un petit bonsoir, which translates to a small, quick greeting or a brief 'hello'.
Examples in context
- Bonsoir, tout le monde !Good evening, everyone.This sentence shows how to use bonsoir when addressing a group.Tatoeba #2099364 by sacredceltic, translation #2094776 by CK
- Bonsoir ! Comment ça va ?Good evening. How are you?This example demonstrates using bonsoir followed by a casual inquiry into how someone is doing.Tatoeba #1114536 by sacredceltic, translation #6985178 by Eccles17
- Bonsoir, comment allez-vous ?Good evening, how are you?This sentence shows using bonsoir with a more formal way to ask how someone is doing.Tatoeba #5958 by TRANG, translation #413820 by Dorenda
- Bonsoir, monsieur. Comment ça va ce soir?Good evening, sir. How are you tonight?
- Bonne soirée à vous.Have a pleasant evening.
- Bonne soirée et à demain.Good evening and see you tomorrow.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas meet at a cafe in the evening.
- LéaBonsoir, Lucas.Good evening, Lucas.
- LucasBonsoir, Léa. Tu vas bien ?Good evening, Léa. Are you doing well?
- LéaOui, ça va très bien, merci.Yes, I am doing very well, thank you.
- LucasMoi aussi, je suis content de te voir.Me too, I am happy to see you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries bonsoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
