bonne nuit
/bɔn nɥi/
The English phrase "night night" is translated into French as bonne nuit.
bonne nuit is a casual way to say good night to someone before they go to sleep.
Which one should you use?
Use bonne nuit only when someone is actually going to sleep. Use bonne soirée when wishing someone a pleasant evening as you part ways.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn nɥi/
Did you know?
- The word nuit can be used in the expression une nuit blanche, which literally means 'a white night' but actually describes a sleepless night.
- While bonne nuit is the standard for sleep, parents often tell children fais dodo, which uses a reduplicative word that mimics the sound of a lullaby.
- A common playful variation of bonne nuit used with children or partners is bonne nuit, mon petit chat, meaning 'good night, my little cat'.
Examples in context
- Bonne nuit, Monsieur Dupont.Goodnight, Mr. Dupont.
- Passez une bonne nuit, Madame.Have a good night, Madam.
- Bonne nuit, ma chérie / mon cher.Goodnight, my dear (female) / (male).
- Dors bien, mon pote.Sleep well, buddy.
- Bonne nuit, tout le monde !Good night, everyone!
Example conversation
A couple is getting ready for bed in their apartment.
- ManonJe vais me coucher, bonne nuit Hugo.I'm going to bed, good night Hugo.
- HugoBonne nuit Manon, dors bien.Good night Manon, sleep well.
- ManonMerci, à demain matin.Thanks, see you tomorrow morning.
- HugoÀ demain !See you tomorrow!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bonne nuit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
