bonne semaine
The English phrase "have a great week" can be translated into French as bonne semaine.
bonne semaine is a friendly wish used to say goodbye to someone at the start of a week. It is typically used as a parting wish on a Monday or at the very beginning of the work week.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good week" because the verb "to have" is omitted in the standard French expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase bonne semaine, the adjective bonne is the feminine form of bon used to agree with the feminine noun semaine.
Did you know?
- While bonne semaine is a general wish, French speakers use bon courage to acknowledge the grind of the coming days. In this context, it functions as a sympathetic 'hang in there' rather than a call for bravery.
- In Quebec, the phrase fin de semaine is the standard term for 'weekend'. In France, however, the English loanword week-end is more commonly used in everyday conversation.
- The word semaine is a linguistic descendant of the number seven, stemming from the Latin 'septimānus' meaning 'relating to the seventh'.
Examples in context
- Merci, bonne semaine à vous aussi !Thank you, have a great week too!
- Bonne semaine à toi !Have a great week!
- Merci, bonne semaine également.Thanks, have a great week too.
- Allez, bonne semaine à tous.Alright, have a great week everyone.
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are leaving the office on a Monday morning.
- ChloéSalut Lucas, bonne semaine !Bye Lucas, have a great week!
- LucasMerci Chloé, toi aussi.Thanks Chloé, you too.
- ChloéÀ demain au bureau.See you tomorrow at the office.
- LucasÀ demain !See you tomorrow!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries semaine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
