bon premier mai
To say happy May Day in French, use bon premier mai.
bon premier mai is a greeting for the May 1st holiday, which is a public holiday in France.
What does it mean word for word?
bon means good and premier mai means the first of May, the standard way to name May 1st. Literally the phrase says good first May.
How does it change in a sentence?
bon is masculine singular because it agrees with the masculine noun mai.
When do people say it?
In France, May 1st is also Labour Day and it is a tradition to give sprigs of lily of the valley to friends and family for good luck.
Did you know?
- In France, the greeting bon premier mai is often used while selling muguet on the street, which was legally permitted for free sellers only on this specific day until 2017.
- Despite being a holiday for workers, the practice of giving flowers on premier mai predates the official creation of Labour Day and stems from ancient pagan celebrations of spring.
- The word mai is derived from the Latin Maius, which was named after the goddess Maia, the deity of growth and spring.
Examples in context
- Bon premier mai à tous !Happy May Day to everyone!
- Je vous souhaite un bon premier mai.I wish you a happy May Day.
- Bon premier mai, tout le monde !Happy May Day, everybody!
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo meet in a park on May 1st.
- EmmaSalut Hugo, bon premier mai !Hi Hugo, happy May Day!
- HugoMerci Emma, bon premier mai à toi aussi.Thanks Emma, happy May Day to you too.
- EmmaTu as prévu quelque chose de spécial ?Do you have anything special planned?
- HugoPas vraiment, je vais juste me reposer.Not really, I'm just going to rest.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, mai, premier, CC BY-SA 4.0.
