bienvenue
/bjɛ̃.v(ə).ny/
The English phrase 'welcome' is translated into French as bienvenue.
Bienvenue is an interjection used to greet someone upon their arrival. When welcoming someone to a specific location, you use bienvenue à for cities and bienvenue en for feminine countries. For example, you might say bienvenue en France. You can also use the phrase Bienvenue chez nous as an informal way to say 'Welcome to our place', or tell guests to Faites comme chez vous to mean 'Make yourself at home'. If you want to express the act of greeting someone's arrival as a noun, or the action of affirming that arrival as a verb, you can use the related forms bienvenue or souhaiter la bienvenue and accueillir.
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word bienvenue literally means 'good coming', combining bien (well/good) and venue (coming/arrival).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an interjection to greet someone, bienvenue is always used in its feminine singular form, regardless of the gender of the person being greeted.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjɛ̃.v(ə).ny/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the French words for 'welcome' to mean 'you are welcome' after someone says thank you. In French, you should use de rien or je vous en prie instead.
Did you know?
- In Canada, you may hear people use bienvenue to mean 'you are welcome' after someone says 'thank you', a direct influence from English.
- If you want to say 'a welcome guest' as a noun, you would use the masculine form bienvenu without the final 'e'.
- To officially welcome someone, French uses the phrase souhaiter la bienvenue, which literally means 'to wish the welcome'.
Examples in context
- Bienvenue à Kyïv !Welcome to Kyiv!This sentence is useful for welcoming someone to a specific city using bienvenue.Tatoeba #13028328 by Rovo, translation #13026386 by rul
- Bienvenue à bord !Welcome aboard!This sentence is useful for welcoming someone aboard using bienvenue.Tatoeba #181448 by Aiji, translation #54349 by Dejo
- Bienvenue en enfer !Welcome to Hell!This sentence is useful for a dramatic welcome using bienvenue.Tatoeba #3423898 by GB3, translation #3423897 by rul
- Bienvenue chez nous. Installez-vous et faites comme chez vous!Welcome to our place. Make yourself comfortable and feel at home!
- 149 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas arrives at Léa's house for a visit.
- LéaEntrez, Lucas !Come in, Lucas!
- LucasMerci de m'accueillir.Thank you for having me.
- LéaBienvenue dans notre maison.Welcome to our house.
- LucasC'est très gentil à toi.That is very kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations and entries bienvenue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bienvenue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
