Bonjour, mademoiselle
Bonjour, mademoiselle is the French way to say "good morning, miss".
Bonjour, mademoiselle is a standard and polite greeting used during the morning hours to address an unmarried woman or a young woman.
When do people say it?
In France, while mademoiselle was traditionally the term for an unmarried woman, its use in official administrative contexts has been largely phased out in favor of madame to avoid making assumptions about a woman's marital status.
Did you know?
- Because bonjour literally means 'good day', it is technically used for both 'good morning' and 'good afternoon' until sunset.
- The word mademoiselle is built from ma and demoiselle, the latter of which historically referred to a young girl of noble birth.
- Using mademoiselle to address a woman who is clearly older can be interpreted as either a flirtatious compliment or a sarcastic jab.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, mademoiselle, comment allez-vous ?Good morning, miss, how are you?
- Bonjour, mademoiselle, vous avez un beau chapeau.Good morning, miss, you have a beautiful hat.
Example conversation
Lucas enters a small bakery where Emma is working.
- LucasBonjour, mademoiselle.Good morning, miss.
- EmmaBonjour ! Que désirez-vous ?Good morning! What would you like?
- LucasUn croissant, s'il vous plaît.A croissant, please.
- EmmaTrès bien, voici votre croissant.Very well, here is your croissant.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bonjour, bonjour, mademoiselle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
