Bonne soirée
The English phrase "have a nice evening" is translated into French as Bonne soirée.
Bonne soirée is a polite greeting used when saying goodbye to someone in the evening. It is appropriate to use this phrase from the late afternoon until nighttime.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "Good evening" in the sense of wishing someone a good period of time or duration of the evening.
Which one should you use?
While Bonsoir is used as a greeting when arriving, you should use Bonne soirée to say goodbye when leaving.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Bonne soirée, the adjective bonne is feminine to agree with the feminine noun soirée.
Did you know?
- The word soirée can refer to a formal evening party or a social gathering, rather than just a period of time. You might invite a friend to a soirée to mean a party.
- If you say Bonne soirée too early in the afternoon, like at 3:00 PM, you might inadvertently signal that you think the day is already over.
- In French, the suffix -ée in soirée often transforms a simple noun into one that emphasizes the length or the quality of the duration.
Examples in context
- Bonne soirée.Have a nice evening.This example shows the phrase used as a standalone farewell.Tatoeba #10968777 by lbdx, translation #2835869 by Hybrid
- Tu as passé une bonne soirée ?Did you have a nice evening?This example uses the phrase to ask if someone had a nice evening.Tatoeba #2046351 by jcgillet, translation #1886149 by CK
- Madame, profitez bien de votre soirée.Madam, enjoy your evening.
- Salut, bonne soirée à toi.Hi, have a nice evening.
- Coucou, passe une bonne soirée !Hey, have a great evening!
- Bonne soirée !Have a nice evening!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are leaving a cafe after dinner.
- ManonMerci pour le dîner, Gabriel.Thanks for the dinner, Gabriel.
- GabrielDe rien, Manon. Bonne soirée !You're welcome, Manon. Have a nice evening!
- ManonMerci, toi aussi !Thanks, you too!
- GabrielÀ bientôt.See you soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soirée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
