Ways to say it
| French |
|---|
| bon retour parmi nous |
| content de vous revoir |
bon retour parmi nous focuses on the person's return, while content de vous revoir focuses on the speaker's happiness at seeing the person again.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bon retour parmi nous literally translates to 'good return among us'.
Which one should you use?
Use bon retour parmi nous to emphasize the actual act of returning. In contrast, use content de vous revoir to emphasize the pleasure of seeing the person again.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
bon retour parmi nous is a formal way to welcome someone back and is more formal than the simple expression revoilà. For polite alternatives, you can also use Ravi de vous revoir (delighted to see you again) or Nous sommes heureux de vous accueillir de nouveau. For informal situations, you might say Content de te revoir (glad to see you again) or Heureux de te retrouver (happy to meet you again).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase content de vous revoir must agree in gender with the speaker. If the speaker is female, you should use contente de vous revoir.
Did you know?
- In certain regional dialects, a speaker might use the word je instead of nous to mean 'we', a practice that has been mocked by French writers like Molière since the 15th century.
- The word parmi in bon retour parmi nous is derived from the combination of the prefix par and the element mi, meaning 'mid'.
Examples in context
- Bon retour parmi nous !Welcome back!This sentence is useful for saying 'Welcome back!' using bon retour parmi nous.Tatoeba #11700439 by Aiji, translation #5367229 by KatKoba
- Content de te revoir!Glad to see you again!
- Bon retour parmi nous, mon ami.Welcome back among us, my friend.
Example conversation
Hugo returns to the office after a long vacation.
- LéaSalut Hugo, bon retour parmi nous !Hi Hugo, welcome back!
- HugoMerci Léa, ça fait plaisir de vous revoir.Thanks Léa, it's a pleasure to see you again.
- LéaComment se sont passées tes vacances ?How were your vacations?
- HugoC'était super, je suis très reposé.It was great, I am very rested.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome back” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, content, de, nous, parmi, retour, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
