bonne journée
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
In French, bonne journée is the way to say "have a nice day".
The phrase bonne journée is used as a farewell during the daytime. It is distinct from bonjour, which is used to say hello. While bonjour is a greeting, bonne journée is used specifically when leaving someone to wish them a good day. Additionally, while bonne journée is for the daytime, you would use bonne soirée to wish someone a good evening.
Meaning: goodbye (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bonne journée literally translates to "good day" (feminine), where bonne is the feminine form of "good".
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly write "bon jour" as two separate words. Remember that the greeting is bonjour and the farewell is bonne journée.
Did you know?
- The word journée shares an ancient root with the English word 'journey', both originating from the idea of a day's work or travel.
- If you are leaving a shop or cafe, saying bonne journée to the staff is considered a vital part of French politeness and is more than just a casual suggestion.
- The word journée is a 'durative' form of jour. While jour refers to a unit of time or a calendar date, journée focuses on the experience and activity that happens throughout that day.
Examples in context
- Passe une bonne journée.Have a nice day.This sentence shows how to use bonne journée in a command or wish.Tatoeba #336902 by sysko, translation #30085 by CK
- Bonne journée et à demain !Have a nice day and see you tomorrow!This sentence demonstrates wishing someone a bonne journée alongside a reference to tomorrow.Tatoeba #6637785 by felix63, translation #13715703 by zogwarg
- As-tu passé une bonne journée ?Did you have a nice day?This sentence shows how to ask a question regarding whether someone had a bonne journée.Tatoeba #12175904 by lbdx, translation #9345774 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are leaving a coffee shop.
- LucasC'était super, merci pour le café.That was great, thanks for the coffee.
- ChloéJe t'en prie, Lucas.You're welcome, Lucas.
- LucasAllez, bonne journée, Chloé !Alright, have a nice day, Chloé!
- ChloéMerci, toi aussi !Thanks, you too!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “have a nice day” translations and entries bonne journée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries journée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
