Bonjour, madame
The English phrase "good morning to a lady" is translated into French as Bonjour, madame.
Bonjour, madame means "good morning, madam" or "good day, madam". It is a polite and standard way to greet a woman, especially one you do not know personally. In French, bonjour is used for both "good morning" and "good afternoon" until the evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), jour (day) and madame (madam/lady).
Which one should you use?
Use Bonjour, madame when addressing an adult woman or a married woman. In contrast, you would use Bonjour, mademoiselle to say "good morning, miss" when addressing a young girl or an unmarried woman.
Did you know?
- In French culture, omitting bonjour when entering a shop is not just a lapse in manners but is often perceived as a sign of hostility toward the shopkeeper.
- In modern French administration and professional settings, the term mademoiselle has been officially discouraged to avoid distinguishing women by their marital status, making madame the standard greeting for all adult women.
- The word madame contains a hidden possessive, as it is a contraction of the Old French ma dame, which literally means 'my lady'.
Examples in context
- Bonjour madame. Comment allez-vous ce matin?Good morning, madam. How are you this morning?
- Je vous souhaite une bonne journée, madame. Passez une agréable matinée.I wish you a good day, madam. Have a pleasant morning.
- Bonjour, madame, comment allez-vous ?Good morning, madam, how are you?
- Bonjour, madame, quel beau soleil !Good morning, ma'am, what beautiful sunshine!
Example conversation
Gabriel greets his teacher in the school hallway.
- GabrielBonjour, madame.Good morning, ma'am.
- EmmaBonjour, Gabriel.Good morning, Gabriel.
- GabrielVous avez un moment ?Do you have a moment?
- EmmaOui, entrez dans la classe.Yes, come into the classroom.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bonjour, bonjour, madame, CC BY-SA 4.0.
