les choses vont bien
To say "things are going well" in French, you say les choses vont bien.
This phrase is used to indicate that a situation is developing in a positive or successful way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "the things go well", where les choses means "the things" and vont bien means "go well".
Which one should you use?
While les choses vont bien is a direct translation of the English phrase, the more natural and common way for French speakers to express that a situation is going well is to say ça va bien.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word vont is the third-person plural present tense of the verb aller (to go), used here to describe the progression of a situation.
Did you know?
- French speakers often accompany a positive response like ça va bien with a slight upward nod or a smile, but saying ça va with a falling intonation and a shrug can actually imply that things are just 'okay' rather than 'well'.
- The word bien shares its Latin ancestor, bene, with many English words like 'beneficial' or 'benign', which also describe things that are good or positive.
- While 'les choses vont bien' is grammatically correct, using it in daily conversation can make you sound like a character in a dubbed Hollywood movie rather than a local.
Examples in context
- Je suis ravi de vous informer que tout se passe bien dans notre projet, Monsieur Dupont.I am pleased to inform you that everything is going well with our project, Mr. Dupont.
- Les choses vont bien depuis la dernière fois que nous avons parlé, Madame Martin.Things have been going well since the last time we spoke, Mrs. Martin.
- Ah, tout baigne, il y a tant de choses à découvrir ici !Oh, everything is going well, there are so many things to discover here!
- Notre projet avance bienOur project is progressing well
- Tout se passe bien.Everything is going well.
- Pour l'instant, les choses vont bien.For now, things are going well.
- Je suis content, les choses vont bien au travail.I am happy, things are going well at work.
- On peut dire que les choses vont bien ici.We can say that things are going well here.
Example conversation
Two friends are catching up at a cafe.
- ChloéAlors Lucas, comment se passe ton nouveau projet ?So Lucas, how is your new project going?
- LucasMerci Chloé, les choses vont bien pour l'instant.Thanks Chloé, things are going well for now.
- ChloéC'est super, je suis très contente pour toi.That's great, I am very happy for you.
- LucasC'est gentil, on en reparle plus tard !That's kind, we'll talk more about it later!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, les, vont, CC BY-SA 4.0.
