salut
/sa.ly/
Hello there in French is salut, a friendly informal greeting.
salut is used with friends and family. It can also mean bye.
Meaning: hello (intj)
Which one should you use?
bonjour is the standard polite greeting for most situations. Coucou is even more casual, used with close friends, family or children.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salut is informal. With strangers or in formal settings use bonjour.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec Allô often takes the place of Salut as a casual greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
salut is pronounced /sa.ly/, in two syllables, with a silent t.
Did you know?
- While salut is a casual greeting, in a religious or legal context it refers to 'salvation' or the saving of a soul.
- If you are in France, you should never use Allô to greet a friend in person, as it is strictly reserved for answering the telephone.
- The word salut is actually a linguistic relative of the English word 'whole', as both stem from a root meaning 'healthy' or 'complete'.
Examples in context
- Salut là-bas !Hello there!là-bas means over there, a word for word match of the English.Tatoeba #1623695 by sacredceltic, translation #1619718 by Spamster
- Salut !Hello!
- Salut, tout le monde.Hello, everyone.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo pass each other in the street.
- ManonSalut, Hugo !Hello, Hugo!
- HugoSalut, Manon. Ça va ?Hello, Manon. How are you?
- ManonÇa va bien, merci.I am doing well, thanks.
- HugoBonne journée !Have a good day!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry salut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
