bonne journée
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
In French, "happy day" is translated as bonne journée.
Bonne journée is a common way to say "have a nice day" in French, used to wish someone a pleasant day as they are leaving.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, bonne journée translates to "good day". The use of the feminine noun journée instead of the masculine jour emphasizes the duration and quality of the day ahead.
Which one should you use?
Excellente journée expresses a higher level of positivity, wishing someone an excellent day. Joyeuse journée emphasizes a sense of joy and happiness, while passe une super journée conveys a strong sense of positivity by wishing someone a fantastic day. For a more intimate wish, you can say que ta journée soit remplie de bonheur, which wishes happiness for the recipient's day in an intimate way.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bonne must be in the feminine form to agree with the feminine noun journée.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Did you know?
- The word journée originally meant a period of travel or a stage of a journey. In Middle Ages, a journée referred specifically to the distance or time a person could travel in one day.
- While you might expect to use bonjour to wish someone a good day, that phrase is actually a greeting used when arriving. To wish someone a good day as they depart, you must switch to bonne journée.
- If you are leaving a place in the late afternoon, bonne journée is replaced by bonne soirée to wish someone a pleasant evening.
Examples in context
- Je vous souhaite une bonne journée.I wish you a good day.
- Passez une excellente journée !Have an excellent day!
- Je vous souhaite une joyeuse journée !I wish you a happy day!
- Bonne journée à toi, mon ami !Have a nice day, my friend!
- Passe une super journée ensoleillée !Have a fantastic sunny day!
- Que ta journée soit remplie de bonheur et de rires !May your day be filled with happiness and laughter!
- Allez, bonne journée à tous !Come on, have a good day, everyone!
- Merci, bonne journée à vous aussi.Thank you, have a happy day too.
Example conversation
Hugo is leaving the office and sees Emma.
- HugoAu revoir Emma, bonne journée !Goodbye Emma, have a happy day!
- EmmaMerci Hugo, toi aussi.Thank you Hugo, you too.
- HugoÀ demain !See you tomorrow!
- EmmaÀ demain.See you tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bonne journée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries journée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
