bonjour maître
Good morning teacher in French, as young pupils say it, is bonjour maître or bonjour maîtresse for a female teacher.
maître and maîtresse are what primary school children call their teacher in France. Older students say bonjour monsieur or bonjour madame instead. Informally, they may say Bonjour, prof.
What does it mean word for word?
bonjour covers both good morning and good afternoon. French has no separate everyday greeting for the morning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Outside primary school maître is formal and can sound old fashioned, though it is also used for some masters such as in martial arts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec Bon matin is sometimes used in the morning.
How does it change in a sentence?
For a female teacher, maître becomes maîtresse.
Did you know?
- The term maîtresse is used for a female teacher in primary school, but in many other contexts, it can imply a mistress or a lover.
- While maître refers to a school teacher in primary school, it is also the standard title for a lawyer or a notary in France.
- The word maître is a linguistic relative of the English word 'master' and the Italian word 'maestro', all descending from the Latin magistrum.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, prof. On a un contrôle aujourd'hui?Good morning, teacher. Do we have a test today?
Example conversation
A student enters the classroom at the start of the day.
- ChloéBonjour maître, je suis là.Good morning teacher, I am here.
- GabrielBonjour Chloé, assieds-toi.Good morning Chloé, take a seat.
- ChloéMerci, bonjour maître Gabriel.Thank you, good morning teacher Gabriel.
- GabrielDe rien, ouvrons vos livres.You're welcome, let's open your books.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, maître, CC BY-SA 4.0.
