bon à savoir
The English phrase "good to know" can be expressed in French as bon à savoir.
bon à savoir is used to acknowledge that a piece of information is useful or interesting. You can use it as a standalone elliptical expression to react to what someone has said, much like you would in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), à (to) and savoir (know).
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to use the phrase as a complete thought within a full sentence, it is typically preceded by C'est (It is) to form C'est bon à savoir.
Did you know?
- The obsolete spelling sçavoir once existed in French because scholars mistakenly believed the word came from the Latin 'scīre' rather than 'sapĕre'.
- The word savoir shares a root with the English word 'sapient', which comes from the Latin 'sapere' meaning 'to taste'.
- While bon à savoir uses the verb savoir, French has a separate verb for 'to know' called connaître. Savoir is reserved for facts and skills, whereas connaître is used for people and places.
Examples in context
- C'est bon à savoir.This is good to know.This sentence shows how to use bon à savoir within a full sentence.Tatoeba #5754085 by Yemana, translation #5752353 by CM
- Bon à savoir.Good to know.This sentence shows the use of bon à savoir as a standalone expression.Tatoeba #7810832 by Rockaround, translation #5722379 by halfdan
- C'est bon à savoir pour mon voyage.That is good to know for my trip.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are discussing a new restaurant.
- LucasCe restaurant est fermé le lundi.This restaurant is closed on Mondays.
- EmmaAh, c'est bon à savoir, merci.Ah, that's good to know, thanks.
- LucasOn peut y aller mardi alors.We can go there on Tuesday then.
- EmmaD'accord, ça me convient parfaitement.Okay, that works perfectly for me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, savoir, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
