Salut
casual, friends
The everyday casual greeting in French is Salut. Friends also say Coucou, and younger speakers may use Wesh or Yo.
Meaning: greeting, informal (phrase)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| Salut | casual, friends |
| Coucou | casual, affectionate |
| Wesh | slang, youth |
| Yo | slang, youth |
Salut works for both "hello" and "goodbye" among friends. Coucou is warm and often used in messages and with family.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
With people you do not know, use Bonjour instead of any of these.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Wesh is youth slang that came into French from the Arabic of North Africa. It belongs to informal talk among young people and sounds out of place elsewhere.
Did you know?
- In French salut is used to say both hello and goodbye to friends.
Examples in context
- Salut, ça va ?Hi, how are you?
- Coucou, tu es là ?Hey, are you there?
- Wesh, quoi de neuf ?Hey, what is new?
Example conversation
Karim runs into his friend Nina outside the metro.
- KarimSalut Nina !Hi Nina!
- NinaSalut Karim, ça va ?Hi Karim, how are you?
- KarimÇa va. Tu vas où ?Fine. Where are you going?
