saluer
/sa.lɥe/
To greet in French is saluer.
The verb saluer means to meet and give salutations. In many casual social situations, French speakers are more likely to use the phrase dire bonjour (to say hello) instead of the more formal verb saluer. Common ways to greet someone include Bonjour (Hello or Good day) and Bonsoir (Good evening), which is used in the late afternoon or evening. For informal greetings, you can use Salut or the even more informal Coucou, which is used among close friends and family.
Meaning: intransitive: to meet and give salutations (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of saluer is salué and the first person singular future tense is saluerai.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa.lɥe/
When do people say it?
In French culture, it is common to greet someone with a kiss on both cheeks or a handshake.
Did you know?
- The word 'salut' in the phrase Salut ! is actually a shortened form of an older way to wish someone 'health' or 'salvation'.
- The phrase faire la bise specifically refers to the cultural act of greeting someone with a kiss on the cheek.
- In very formal French writing, one might saluer a person by mentioning them in a respectful closing formula rather than a greeting at the start.
Examples in context
- J'irai le saluer demain.I'll go greet him tomorrow.This sentence shows the use of saluer in the future tense.Tatoeba #6566491 by felix63, translation #6579399 by Eccles17
- Tu dois saluer tes supérieurs en inclinant ton chapeau.You should greet your betters by tipping your hat.This sentence shows how to use saluer when addressing superiors.Tatoeba #478730 by sacredceltic, translation #477448 by blay_paul
- Je me suis pris un scud pour avoir oublié de saluer tout le monde.I got an earful for forgetting to greet everyone.This sentence shows the consequence of forgetting to saluer everyone.Tatoeba #14038007 by Myrano_, translation #14038009 by Myrano_
- Bonjour, comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?Hello, how are you today?
- Bonsoir, enchanté de faire votre connaissance.Good evening, nice to meet you.
- Salut, ça va?Hi, how are you?
- Coucou, ça fait longtemps!Hey, long time no see!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé arrive at a party together.
- HugoOn doit saluer l'hôte avant de s'asseoir.We have to greet the host before sitting down.
- ChloéOui, Chloé va le faire maintenant.Yes, Chloé is going to do it now.
- HugoN'oublie pas de saluer tout le monde.Don't forget to greet everyone.
- ChloéNe t'inquiète pas, Hugo, je m'en occupe.Don't worry, Hugo, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry saluer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
