bienvenue en France
The English phrase "welcome to France" is translated into French as bienvenue en France.
bienvenue en France is a greeting used to welcome someone who has just arrived in France.
Which one should you use?
The preposition used depends on the gender of the country. While you say bienvenue en France for France, you would say bienvenue au Canada when welcoming someone to a masculine country like Canada.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this specific greeting, bienvenue functions as a noun meaning "welcome" rather than an adjective.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes mistakenly use the adjective form bienvenu (for example, in the phrase vous êtes bienvenu), but for the standard greeting, you must use the noun bienvenue.
When do people say it?
When greeting friends in France, a common custom is la bise, which refers to the practice of cheek-kissing.
Did you know?
- In Canada, bienvenue is sometimes used to mean 'you're welcome' after someone says 'thank you', but this is a recent loan from English and is not used in France.
- In some regions of France, the custom of la bise can involve up to four kisses, and performing the wrong number can be a social mistake.
- While bienvenue is used to greet a visitor, French uses a different word accueil to describe the physical act or the quality of the hospitality received.
Examples in context
- Bienvenue en France!I can't wait to show you around and introduce you to our delicious pastries.
- Bienvenue en France !Welcome to France!
Example conversation
Lucas is picking up Chloé at the airport.
- LucasBienvenue en France, Chloé !Welcome to France, Chloé!
- ChloéMerci beaucoup, Lucas !Thank you very much, Lucas!
- LucasTon voyage s'est bien passé ?Did your trip go well?
- ChloéOui, c'était très agréable.Yes, it was very pleasant.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries France, bienvenue, en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
