bonjour monsieur
bonjour monsieur is the French way to say hello mr.
bonjour monsieur is a general and respectful way to say hello mr. In French. If you are addressing someone with a specific title, such as a president, you would expand the phrase to Bonjour monsieur le Président.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a woman instead of a man, replace monsieur with madame.
Did you know?
- While bonjour literally means 'good day', using it as a greeting is mandatory in French shops and bakeries. Entering a store without saying bonjour to the staff is often considered a serious social offense.
- The word monsieur is a linguistic contraction that evolved from the Old French 'mon sieur', which literally meant 'my lord'.
- In very formal settings, a person might be addressed as Monsieur without any other name or title. This is a high mark of respect that differs from English, where using 'Mr.' without a surname sounds incomplete.
Example conversation
Hugo enters a small bakery.
- HugoBonjour monsieur !Hello sir!
- ManonBonjour Hugo, qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?Hello Hugo, what would you like?
- HugoUn croissant, s'il vous plaît.A croissant, please.
- ManonTrès bien, voilà.Very well, here it is.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, monsieur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
