How to Say Hello in French: 17 Greetings for Every Situation

The Short Answer

The most common way to say hello in French is Bonjour (bohn-ZHOOR). It works across all 29 French-speaking countries, at any time during the day, and in both formal and casual settings. But native speakers draw from a much richer set of greetings depending on context, time of day, and relationship.

French is spoken by approximately 321 million people worldwide, according to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). It holds official status in 29 countries across five continents, making it one of the most geographically distributed languages on the planet. With that reach comes significant regional variation in how people greet each other, from Bonjour, madame in a Parisian boulangerie to Coucou ! in a text to a friend.

"Bonjour is not simply a greeting in French. It is a social contract. To omit it is to signal that you do not recognize the other person's presence, which is a serious breach of courtesy."

(Académie française, Dire, ne pas dire, 2019)

This guide covers 17 essential French greetings organized by category: universal, casual, formal, regional (France, Québec, and Francophone Africa), and slang. Each one includes pronunciation, an example sentence, and cultural context so you know exactly when and where to use it.

Quick Reference: French Greetings at a Glance

Universal Greetings

These greetings work across every French-speaking country. According to the Académie française, the institution that has regulated the French language since 1635, Bonjour has been the standard greeting for centuries and remains the single most important word for any French learner.

Bonjour

Bonjour is more than a greeting in French culture; it is a social obligation. In France, you say Bonjour when entering a bakery, a doctor's waiting room, an elevator with someone in it, or any small business. Not saying it is considered one of the most common faux pas visitors make.

The word combines bon (good) and jour (day). Pronunciation tip: the "j" sounds like the "zh" in "pleasure," and the nasal "on" has no direct English equivalent (try saying "ohn" without fully closing the "n"). The stress falls on the second syllable: bohn-ZHOOR.

Bonsoir

The switch from Bonjour to Bonsoir happens around 6 PM, though the exact timing varies. In winter, when darkness falls early, the transition can happen as early as 5 PM. In summer, particularly in the south of France, Bonjour may stretch past 7 PM.

Like Bonjour, Bonsoir doubles as both a greeting and a farewell. When arriving at a dinner party, you say Bonsoir. When leaving, you can also say Bonsoir (or Bonne soirée for "have a good evening").

Casual Greetings

These are the greetings you will hear among friends, family, and peers. They signal familiarity and warmth, but using them with strangers or in formal settings would be inappropriate.

Salut

Salut is the French equivalent of "hey" or "hi." It comes from the Latin salus (health, safety), the same root as "salute." The final "t" is silent, so say "sah-LEW," not "sah-LOOT."

An important feature: Salut doubles as both hello and goodbye among friends. You might hear Salut ! when someone arrives and again when they leave. Context makes the meaning clear.

Coucou

Coucou is the playful, affectionate greeting that textbooks often overlook but French speakers use constantly, especially in text messages and social media. It originated from the game of peekaboo (faire coucou) and carries a sense of pleasant surprise.

You will encounter Coucou heavily in casual written communication. A French person texting a friend is far more likely to write Coucou ! than Bonjour.

Ça va ?

Ça va ? is remarkable for its efficiency. It can be a question ("How's it going?"), an answer ("I'm fine"), or both at once. The classic exchange (Ça va ? / Ça va.) is arguably the most common two-line conversation in the French language.

Variations include Ça va bien ? (going well?), Ça va pas (not going well), and the emphatic Ça va pas du tout ! (not going well at all!). The ç (c-cedilla) signals that the "c" is pronounced as "s," not "k."

Quoi de neuf ?

The French version of "what's new?" or "what's up?" The standard response is Pas grand-chose (not much) or Rien de spécial (nothing special), even if you have plenty to share.

Comment tu vas ?

While Ça va ? is a quick check-in, Comment tu vas ? carries slightly more weight. It uses the informal tu and implies you actually want to know how the person is doing. The standard reply is Je vais bien, merci (I'm doing well, thanks).

Formal Greetings

Essential for professional settings, first meetings, and any situation where you use vous (the formal "you"). For more practice with formal French registers, our French learning hub offers interactive exercises.

Comment allez-vous ?

The vous form signals respect and professional distance. Use it with bosses, clients, elderly people, and anyone you have just met. The standard response is Très bien, merci. Et vous ? (Very well, thank you. And you?).

In France, the tu/vous distinction is taken seriously. Using tu prematurely can be seen as presumptuous. When in doubt, default to vous. The other person will suggest switching to tu if appropriate (On peut se tutoyer ?).

Enchanté(e)

The standard first-meeting greeting. Like Spanish Encantado/a, it matches the gender of the speaker: a man says Enchanté, a woman says Enchantée (the pronunciation is identical). It is often preceded by Bonjour and a handshake.

Ravi(e) de vous connaître

A step above Enchanté(e) on the formality scale. Reserve this for professional introductions, diplomatic contexts, or when you want to convey particular admiration. Again, the speaker's gender determines Ravi (masculine) or Ravie (feminine).

Regional Greetings

With 321 million speakers across 29 countries, French has developed distinct regional greeting customs. As the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie reports, each francophone region brings unique vocabulary and social norms to everyday interactions.

Bienvenue

Bienvenue means "welcome" in all French-speaking regions, but in Québec it has an additional meaning that surprises European French speakers. Québécois say Bienvenue ! where Metropolitan French speakers would say De rien (you're welcome). This calque from English "you're welcome" is one of the most distinctive features of Québécois French.

Hé, allô !

In France, Allô is reserved for answering the phone. But in Québec, it has crossed over into everyday in-person use as a casual greeting. Hé, allô ! is warm, informal, and distinctly Québécois.

On dit quoi ?

Francophone Africa, home to the majority of the world's French speakers, has contributed vibrant expressions to the language. On dit quoi ? is widely used in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Sénégal as a casual "what's up?" According to Ethnologue, Africa now accounts for more French speakers than any other continent, a demographic reality that is reshaping the language.

Slang Greetings

These greetings are mainly heard among young people in urban France. They are not appropriate in formal settings but are essential for understanding everyday street-level French.

Wesh

Wesh entered French from Arabic and became a staple of youth slang, particularly in the banlieues (suburbs) of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. French rap artists and films like La Haine and Les Misérables popularized it widely.

Using Wesh in a formal setting would be jarring, but among young friends it is completely natural. It can function as "hey," "yo," or even "what?" depending on intonation.

Allô

The universal French phone greeting. Unlike Bonjour, which opens face-to-face interactions, Allô is reserved exclusively for phone calls in Metropolitan France. It derived from the English "hello" in the late 19th century when the telephone was introduced.

Farewell Greetings Used as Hellos

Some French expressions sit at the boundary between greeting and farewell. Understanding these prevents confusion.

Bonne journée

Bonne journée is strictly a farewell: you say it when parting, not when arriving. But it appears so frequently in French daily life that understanding it is essential. Related forms include Bonne soirée (have a good evening), Bonne après-midi (have a good afternoon), and Bonne nuit (good night, for bedtime).

Bonne après-midi

A polite farewell for afternoon hours. The Académie française notes that après-midi is one of those rare French nouns that can be either masculine or feminine, meaning both un bon après-midi and une bonne après-midi are correct.

How to Respond to French Greetings

Knowing how to greet someone is half the equation. Here is how to respond to the most common greetings.

Responses to Universal Greetings

Responses to Casual Greetings

Responses to Formal Greetings

Practice With Real French Content

Reading about greetings is a great start, but hearing them spoken naturally by native speakers is what makes them stick. French-language films and shows are an excellent resource: Intouchables for casual Parisian French, Lupin for a mix of formal and informal registers, and Les Misérables (2019) for urban slang.

Wordy takes this a step further. You can watch French movies and shows with interactive subtitles, tapping on any greeting to see its meaning, pronunciation, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing phrases in isolation, you absorb them from real conversations with authentic intonation and body language.

For more French content, explore our blog for guides including the best movies to learn French. You can also visit our French learning page to start practicing today.