bonjour monsieur
The English phrase "good morning sir" is translated into French as bonjour monsieur.
bonjour monsieur is a polite greeting used to address a man. In French, bonjour serves as both "good morning" and "good afternoon". It remains appropriate to use until the sun begins to set.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), jour (day) and monsieur (sir/mister).
Which one should you use?
While bonjour monsieur is used during the day, you should use bonsoir monsieur to say "good evening sir" once the afternoon has passed.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
bonjour monsieur is a formal and respectful way to greet someone, as the addition of monsieur after the greeting establishes a polite tone.
Did you know?
- If you were to use the original form of monsieur in modern French, you would be addressing someone as 'my master' or 'my lord'.
- In France, it is considered impolite to say bonjour to a shopkeeper or waiter without adding monsieur or madame.
- If you are greeting a group that includes at least one man, you would say bonjour messieurs to address them all politely.
Examples in context
- Bonjour monsieur ! Joyeux Noël à vous !Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you!This example shows how to use bonjour monsieur in a seasonal greeting.Tatoeba #9554290 by Julien_PDC, translation #3714190 by Hybrid
- Bonjour monsieur, comment allez-vous ?Good morning sir, how are you?
- Bonjour monsieur, vous avez un rendez-vous ?Good morning sir, do you have an appointment?
Example conversation
Léa greets her teacher in the hallway.
- LéaBonjour monsieur, j'ai une question.Good morning sir, I have a question.
- GabrielBonjour Léa, je t'écoute.Good morning Léa, I am listening.
- LéaLe cours commence-t-il à neuf heures ?Does the class start at nine o'clock?
- GabrielOui, c'est exact.Yes, that is correct.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, monsieur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
