Which one should you use?
The form ton français est bon uses the informal possessive adjective ton, which is used with friends, family or children. To make the compliment sound more sophisticated or formal, you can replace bon with excellent to say votre français est excellent.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While ton français est bon is informal, you should use votre français est bon when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people. For a more formal setting, you can also say Vous parlez bien français (You speak French well). In an informal setting, Tu parles bien français (You speak French well) or Tu te débrouilles bien en français (You're doing well in French) are also common.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québécois French, you might hear T'es fort en français to mean "You're strong in French" or T'as un bon français to mean "You have good French". In Belgian French, the phrase Ton français est chouette is used to mean "Your French is great".
How does it change in a sentence?
Use votre français est bon instead of ton français est bon when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying ton français est bien. English speakers often mistakenly use bien (well) instead of bon (good) in this sentence, but bon is the correct adjective to describe the noun français.
Did you know?
- The word français derives from the name of the 'Franks', the Germanic people who settled in Gaul. The term has evolved from the Late Latin Francus over many centuries.
- While English speakers use the word 'good' for both people and things, French speakers may avoid bon when praising a person's skill, preferring to say they are fort or 'strong' in the language.
Examples in context
- Ton français est bon.Your French is good.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone's French is good.Tatoeba #4992916 by sacredceltic, translation #2451665 by CK
- Monsieur Dupont, votre français est excellent.Mr. Dupont, your French is excellent.
- Madame Lefèvre, vous parlez très bien français.Mrs. Lefèvre, you speak French very well.
- Hugo, tu parles super bien français !Hugo, you speak French really well!
- Sophie, tu te débrouilles vraiment bien en français, bravo !Sophie, you're doing really well in French, bravo!
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are talking at a café.
- LéaMerci pour ton aide, Gabriel.Thanks for your help, Gabriel.
- GabrielDe rien, ton français est bon !You're welcome, your French is good!
- LéaC'est gentil, mais je dois encore apprendre.That's kind, but I still need to learn.
- GabrielTu progresses très vite, Léa.You are progressing very quickly, Léa.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, est, français, ton, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
