bonjour mon beau soleil
The English phrase "good morning my beautiful sunshine" is translated into French as bonjour mon beau soleil.
This is an affectionate greeting used in the morning for a loved one. It is highly romantic or used for very young children, making it too intimate for casual acquaintances or colleagues.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bonjour (good day), mon (my), beau (beautiful/handsome) and soleil (sun).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which uses "good morning", the French bonjour literally means "good day" and is the standard way to say both "hello" and "good morning".
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the word soleil (sun) is masculine, so the possessive pronoun mon and the adjective beau must both be in the masculine form.
Did you know?
- The word soleil is actually a diminutive, meaning it originally translated to 'little sun' in its early Vulgar Latin form.
- In some French-speaking regions, referring to a person as your 'sun' can be seen as even more poetic and intense than the English equivalent, often appearing in classical romantic poetry.
- While soleil means 'sun', the French word for 'sunshine' as a concept is usually soleil as well, but a specifically warm, sunny day is called un grand soleil.
Examples in context
- Bonjour mon beau soleil, tu as bien dormi ?Good morning my beautiful sunshine, did you sleep well?
Example conversation
A couple waking up in a sunlit bedroom.
- ManonBonjour mon beau soleil.Good morning my beautiful sunshine.
- NathanBonjour ma belle, tu es adorable.Good morning my beautiful, you are adorable.
- ManonTu as passé une bonne nuit ?Did you have a good night?
- NathanOui, grâce à toi.Yes, thanks to you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beau, bonjour, mon, soleil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
