Which one should you use?
Unlike Bonjour, which is a standard daily greeting, salutations often carries a more ceremonial or literary tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salutations is a formal and stiff way to say hello. It is much more formal than common greetings like Bonjour, which is a common formal greeting suitable from morning until early evening. For even more casual situations, you might use Salut among friends or the affectionate Coucou among close friends or family.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the informal greeting Bonjour-hi is commonly used in shops or restaurants.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa.ly.ta.sjɔ̃/
When do people say it?
When greeting someone, you can inquire about their well-being by asking Comment ça va? To bid farewell during the daytime, you can say Bonne journée and when leaving someone during the evening, Bonne soirée is an appropriate alternative to Bonsoir. For casual goodbyes when you expect to see someone again soon, you can use À plus tard.
Did you know?
- The casual greeting coucou is an onomatopoeia mimicking the sound of a cuckoo clock or the act of calling out to someone who is hiding.
- In French, the word salutations is almost exclusively reserved for the end of a letter rather than the beginning. While an English speaker might start a letter with 'Greetings!', a French person would find this highly unusual and would likely use 'Madame, Monsieur' instead.
- In a digital context, using salutations at the end of a quick email to a colleague can actually come across as cold or dismissive. It is so formal that it can create an unintended psychological distance between the sender and the recipient.
Examples in context
- Salutations de France !Greetings from France!This example shows how to use salutations to send greetings from a specific place.Tatoeba #10896651 by felix63, translation #1151808 by Quazel
- Nous échangeâmes des salutations.We exchanged greetings.This sentence demonstrates the act of exchanging salutations.Tatoeba #965823 by sacredceltic, translation #247848 by CK
- Salutations !Greetings!This shows salutations used as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #1736291 by Sibelius, translation #1130106 by cntrational
- Salut Marie, comment ça va?Hi Marie, how are you?
- Bonjour, je m'appelle Pierre. Enchanté.Hello, my name is Pierre. Nice to meet you.
- Bonjour, Sophie. Comment s'est passé ton weekend?Hello, Sophie. How was your weekend?
- À plus tard, Luc! Passe une bonne journée.See you later, Luc! Have a great day.
- Bonsoir, bienvenue chez nous!Good evening, welcome to our home!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are starting a professional video conference.
- NathanSalutations à tous, commençons la réunion.Greetings everyone, let us start the meeting.
- ManonBonjour Nathan, je suis prête.Hello Nathan, I am ready.
- NathanParfait, merci Manon.Perfect, thank you Manon.
- ManonJe vous en prie.You are welcome.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry salutations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
