Bonjour madame
The French phrase for hello to a woman is Bonjour madame.
Bonjour madame is a polite greeting used when speaking to a woman.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bon (good), jour (day) and madame (madam/lady), literally meaning "Good day, madam".
Which one should you use?
Use Bonjour madame to greet a woman, whereas Bonjour monsieur is used for a man.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is a formal and polite way to greet a woman, suitable for strangers, elders or professional settings.
When do people say it?
In French culture, it is standard and polite to include the title madame when greeting a woman you do not know personally.
Did you know?
- While madame is used for married women in English, in modern French it is the standard polite greeting for any adult woman regardless of marital status.
- The title madame actually contains the word 'my' in its original form, as it stems from the Old French ma dame, which meant 'my lady'.
- If you are greeting a very young woman, using madame might actually be seen as an accidental joke or an insult, as it implies she is much older than she is.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, madame.Good day, madam.
- Bonjour, mademoiselle.Good day, miss.
- Bonjour, madame + last name.Good day, Mrs. + last name.
- Salut!Hi!
- Salut + first name.Hi + first name.
- Bonjour + first name.Hello + first name.
- Salut, ma belle.Hi, beautiful.
- Bonjour madame.Hello, madam.
- Bonjour madame, comment allez-vous ?Hello madam, how are you?
- Bonjour madame, je m'appelle Lucas.Hello madam, my name is Lucas.
Example conversation
Gabriel enters a bakery and greets the woman working there.
- EmmaBonjour madame, un croissant s'il vous plaît.Hello ma'am, one croissant please.
- GabrielBonjour ! Voici votre croissant.Hello! Here is your croissant.
- EmmaMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
- GabrielJe vous en prie, bonne journée !You're welcome, have a nice day!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bonjour, bonjour, madame, CC BY-SA 4.0.
