bon
/bɔ̃/
The English word "good" is translated to French as bon.
In informal contexts, the word super is also a common way to convey the meaning of "good."
Which one should you use?
Use bon or bonne when you want to express that something is "good" (referring to quality), whereas meilleur or meilleure is used when you mean "better."
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form bon changes to the feminine form bonne when describing a feminine noun. For plural nouns, use the masculine plural form bons or the feminine plural form bonnes.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔ̃/
Did you know?
- The Latin root of bon is thought to be connected to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'two'.
- The word bonne is used in the title bonne aventure to mean 'good fortune', but it is also the root for the word for a 'maid' or 'housekeeper'.
- While bon means 'good', the word bon marché literally translates to 'good market' but is used to mean 'cheap'.
Examples in context
- Ça sent bon !It smells good!The first sentence is useful for describing how something smells using bon.Tatoeba #10655 by sacredceltic, translation #66685 by CK
- Ça a bon goût.This tastes good.The second sentence is useful for describing how something tastes using bon.Tatoeba #1067016 by sacredceltic, translation #1066826 by CK
- Tom a bon dos.Tom has a good excuse.The third sentence is useful for saying someone has a good excuse using bon.Tatoeba #3178733 by nimfeo, translation #6780526 by Eccles17
- Ça va bien.I am well.
- Très bien, merci.Very well, thank you.
- C'est bien fait.It is well done.
- C'est un bon livre.It is a good book.
- Vous avez fait du bon travail.You did a good job.
- Tu vas bien aujourd'hui ?Are you feeling good today?
- C'est bien cool !That's really cool!
- Vous avez été super sympas.You were really nice.
- J'ai passé une super journée.I had a great day.
- C'est super bon, merci.It's really good, thank you.
- 3972 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are eating lunch together.
- ChloéLe gâteau est vraiment bon !The cake is really good!
- LucasOui, c'est un bon choix.Yes, it is a good choice.
- ChloéTu veux un morceau, Lucas ?Do you want a piece, Lucas?
- LucasOui, merci Chloé.Yes, thank you Chloé.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
