bonjour monsieur
The English phrase 'good morning to a man' is translated into French as bonjour monsieur.
bonjour monsieur is a polite and neutral way to say 'good morning, sir.' While bonjour literally means 'good day', it is the standard way to say 'good morning' in French.
What does it mean word for word?
The word jour within the phrase means 'day'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding monsieur makes the greeting polite and formal when addressing a man. For a more formal way to greet someone in the morning, you might say Je vous souhaite une bonne journée, monsieur, which means 'I wish you a good day, sir.'
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say bon matin as a literal translation of 'good morning', but bonjour is the correct greeting.
Did you know?
- In France, failing to say bonjour before asking a shopkeeper or stranger for help is often considered an act of aggression or extreme rudeness.
- The word monsieur is actually a contraction of 'my lord', originally combining mon (my) and sieur (a shortened version of 'lord').
- In Quebec, you may occasionally hear bon matin, but in France, this is viewed as an anglicism and is not used as a greeting.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, monsieur. Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?Good morning, sir. How are you today?
- Salut! Bien dormi?Hey! Did you sleep well?
- Bonjour mec! Tu as passé une bonne nuit?Good morning, dude! Did you have a good night?
- Coucou! Bien réveillé?Hey there! Wide awake?
- Bonjour monsieur.Good morning, sir.
- Bonjour monsieur, comment allez-vous ?Good morning, sir, how are you?
- Bonjour monsieur, vous allez bien ?Good morning, sir, are you doing well?
Example conversation
Manon greets her boss at the office.
- ManonBonjour monsieur, voici vos dossiers.Good morning sir, here are your files.
- LucasMerci Manon, posez-les sur le bureau.Thank you Manon, put them on the desk.
- ManonVoulez-vous un café ?Would you like a coffee?
- LucasOui, je veux bien, merci.Yes, I would like one, thank you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, monsieur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
