bientôt
/bjɛ̃.to/
The French word for "soon" is bientôt.
bientôt is the most common and versatile way to say "soon" in French. You can also use the phrase à bientôt to say "see you soon" when parting from someone.
Meaning: within a short time (adv)
Which one should you use?
While bientôt is the standard term, you might use prochainement to add a sense of formality or importance to the idea of something happening soon. For an informal way to say "in a little while" or "in a moment," use the expression tout à l'heure.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjɛ̃.to/. The word has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word bientôt is formed from bien and tôt, where bien functions as an intensifier meaning 'very' rather than 'well'.
- While à bientôt means 'see you soon', it is only used when you actually expect to see the person again. Using it with someone you may never see again can sound unintentionally strange.
- If a French speaker says à tout à l'heure, they typically mean they will see you again on the same day, whereas à bientôt can span days or weeks.
Examples in context
- On part bientôt ?Are we leaving soon?This example shows how to ask if a departure is happening bientôt.Tatoeba #3273900 by Aiji, translation #1851497 by CK
- On y est bientôt ?Will we be there soon?This example uses bientôt to ask if arrival is happening soon.Tatoeba #969372 by Micsmithel, translation #2546886 by CK
- On y ira bientôt !We're leaving soon!This example uses bientôt to announce a departure happening soon.Tatoeba #1710492 by Micsmithel, translation #5228961 by jaxhere
- J'espère vous voir bientôt.I hope to see you soon.
- La nouvelle version du logiciel sera disponible prochainement.The new version of the software will be available soon.
- Nous vous invitons à la conférence qui aura lieu prochainement.We invite you to the conference taking place soon.
- Je vais sortir faire mes courses, je reviens tout à l'heure.I'm going to the store, I'll be back in a moment.
- Tu peux m'aider avec ce projet ? Bien sûr, je finis tout à l'heure.Can you help me with this project? Of course, I'll finish in a little while.
- On va visiter nos amis d'ici peu.We're going to visit our friends shortly.
- Il va arriver d'ici peu, il est en route.He'll be here shortly, he's on his way.
- 650 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking on the phone.
- HugoTu arrives bientôt ?Are you arriving soon?
- ChloéOui, j'arrive bientôt.Yes, I'll be there soon.
- HugoD'accord, je t'attends.Okay, I'm waiting for you.
- ChloéÀ tout de suite !See you in a bit!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soon” translations and entries bientôt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bientôt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
