bienvenue à tous
The English phrase "welcome everyone" is translated into French as bienvenue à tous.
The phrase is a greeting used to welcome a group of people to a place or an event. In many casual settings, you can simply say Bienvenue ! without adding à tous if the audience is already obvious.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally welcome to all.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group consists entirely of women, you should use bienvenue à toutes instead of bienvenue à tous. To be more formal and inclusive of all genders, you can use the phrase bienvenue à tous et à toutes.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When using this as a greeting, the word is a noun and must always end in an 'e'. Avoid writing bienvenu without the final 'e'.
Did you know?
- In Quebec, Canada, you might hear bienvenue used as a response to 'thank you'. This is a modern linguistic loan from the English phrase 'you're welcome'.
- French has no single-word equivalent for the English 'welcome' when it is used as a verb, such as in 'I welcome you to the stage'. Instead, they use the verb accueillir.
- While bienvenue is used for greetings, the word bienvenu without the final 'e' is an adjective meaning 'timely' or 'appreciated'. For example, a drink on a hot day is bienvenu.
Examples in context
- Bienvenue à tous les participants de cette conférence. Nous sommes ravis de vous accueillir.Welcome to all the participants of this conference. We are delighted to have you here.
- Salut les amis, bienvenue à tous et à toutes ! Faites comme chez vous !Hello friends, welcome, everyone! Make yourselves at home!
- Je souhaite la bienvenue à tous.I welcome everyone.
Example conversation
Nathan is starting a presentation in a room full of people.
- NathanBonjour, bienvenue à tous !Hello, welcome everyone!
- LéaMerci, Nathan.Thank you, Nathan.
- NathanOn peut commencer maintenant ?Can we start now?
- LéaOui, nous sommes prêts.Yes, we are ready.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bienvenue, tous, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
