au revoir, bonne journée
In French, "goodbye have a good day" is said as au revoir, bonne journée.
The phrase au revoir, bonne journée is a standard, polite way to end an interaction. It is commonly used in professional settings, shops or restaurants to conclude a conversation by saying goodbye and wishing the other person a pleasant day.
What does it mean word for word?
The part bonne journée literally means "good day". The word bonne is the feminine form of "good" used to match the feminine noun journée.
Which one should you use?
While the word bonjour is used as a greeting to say "hello", bonne journée is specifically used as a parting wish to say "have a good day".
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, journée is used instead of jour because journée emphasizes the duration and the quality of the time spent throughout the day.
Did you know?
- The word journée shares a common ancestor with the English word 'journal', as both stem from the concept of a single day's work or passage of time.
- The word revoir in au revoir literally means 'to see again', implying a promise that the speaker expects to encounter you once more.
- In some regions of France, you might hear bon après-midi instead of bonne journée if the interaction ends after noon. While bonne journée is always acceptable, using the afternoon-specific version is a common cultural nuance.
Examples in context
- Au revoir, Monsieur Dupont. Passez une bonne journée!Goodbye, Mr. Dupont. Have a good day!
- Bonne journée à vous tous!Have a good day, everyone!
- Bonne journée, à tout à l'heure à la réunion!Have a good day, see you later at the meeting!
- Merci, au revoir, bonne journée à vous aussi.Thank you, goodbye, have a good day to you too.
Example conversation
Léa is leaving a small bakery after buying a croissant.
- LéaUn croissant, s'il vous plaît.A croissant, please.
- LucasVoilà, ça fera un euro.Here you go, that will be one euro.
- LéaMerci, au revoir, bonne journée !Thank you, goodbye, have a good day!
- LucasMerci, bonne journée à vous aussi.Thank you, have a good day to you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries journée, revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
