bonjour madame
In French, the phrase for hello to a lady is bonjour madame.
bonjour madame is used to say hello to a woman. It is an appropriate greeting when speaking to strangers, service staff or women in professional settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), jour (day) and madame (madam/lady).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
bonjour madame is a formal and respectful way to address a woman. In a formal setting, if the lady is young and unmarried, you can also use Bonjour, Mademoiselle. For a casual greeting, you might use Salut.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include the title madame when greeting a woman, which can sound abrupt or impolite in French.
Did you know?
- While 'mademoiselle' is used for young girls, the French government officially removed it from all administrative forms in 2012 to promote gender equality.
- The title madame traces back to the medieval expression ma dame, which literally meant 'my lady'.
- The phrase bonjour is used from sunrise until dusk, but once it gets dark, you must switch to bonsoir madame.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, Madame. Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?Good day, Madam. How are you today?
- Salut! Ça va?Hey! How are you?
- Bonjour madame, comment allez-vous ?Hello madam, how are you?
- Bonjour madame, je voudrais un café.Hello madam, I would like a coffee.
Example conversation
Lucas enters a bakery and greets the shopkeeper.
- ManonBonjour madame, je voudrais un croissant.Hello ma'am, I would like a croissant.
- LucasBonjour ! Bien sûr, en voici un.Hello! Of course, here is one.
- ManonMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
- LucasJe vous en prie, bonne journée !You're welcome, have a nice day!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, madame, CC BY-SA 4.0.
