dire bonjour à quelqu'un
The English phrase 'hello to someone' is translated into French as dire bonjour à quelqu'un.
The phrase describes the act of greeting a person. The most common and widely used phrase for saying hello in French is Bonjour. Bonsoir is used specifically in the evening or when greeting someone after dark.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Canadian province of Québec, it is common to answer the phone with Allô.
When do people say it?
In France and some other French-speaking countries, it is customary to greet friends and family members with kisses on both cheeks, known as la bise.
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking cultures, it is considered quite rude to start a conversation or ask a question without first saying bonjour to the person involved.
- While bonjour means 'good day', the word jour is actually a distant relative of the English word 'journal', which originally meant a daily record or a day's work.
- The French language distinguishes between bonjour and salut, where the latter is only used with people you already know well and can mean both 'hello' and 'bye'.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, comment ça va?Hello, how are you?
- Bonsoir, enchanté de faire votre connaissance.Good evening, nice to meet you.
- Salut, ça va ?Hi, how are you?
- Coucou, tu viens ce soir ?Hey, are you coming tonight?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonjour, dire, quelqu'un, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
