bonjour à tous
The English phrase "good morning all" is translated into French as bonjour à tous.
bonjour à tous is a greeting used in the morning to address a group of people. It is important to note that unlike English, which distinguishes between "good morning" and "good afternoon", French uses bonjour to cover both periods of the day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), jour (day), à (to) and tous (all).
Which one should you use?
While bonjour à tous is a standard greeting, you may also use bonjour tout le monde to say "hello everyone".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the regional variation Bon matin à tous is used to say "good morning all".
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group you are addressing consists exclusively of women, you should use the feminine form bonjour à toutes.
Did you know?
- The word jour in bonjour shares the same root as the English word 'journey', both stemming from the Latin 'diurnus' relating to a day's work.
- While bonjour is the standard greeting, it is traditionally considered a social faux pas in France to say it to a stranger without first adding a title, such as bonjour monsieur or bonjour madame.
- The phrase bonjour tout le monde uses the expression tout le monde, which literally translates to 'all the world' rather than 'everyone'.
Examples in context
- Bonjour à tous, comment allez-vous ce matin ?Good morning all, how are you all this morning?
- Bonjour à tous, comment allez-vous ?Good morning all, how are you?
- Bonjour à tous, la réunion commence.Good morning all, the meeting is starting.
Example conversation
Chloé enters a bright office where Lucas and others are working.
- ChloéBonjour à tous !Good morning all!
- LucasBonjour Chloé, tu es en forme ?Good morning Chloé, are you doing well?
- ChloéOui, je suis très en forme !Yes, I am very energetic!
- LucasC'est super, commençons le travail.That's great, let's start working.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, tous, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
