In French, the word for “welcome” is “bienvenue” (pronunciation bjɛ̃vəny). The word has three syllables: Bien-vuh-nu and translates literally to “come well”.
bienvenue
welcome
Welcome in French
The pronunciation of bienvenue is: [bjɛ̃-və-ny]. The -N is silent and is pronounced with the nasal sound [ɛ̃].
Different ways to say “welcome” in French
In French, there isn’t just one single way to say “welcome”. In the following section we’ll look at several common expressions.
Bienvenue !
When greeting an individual person or a group of people you can simply say, “Bienvenue !”, which equates to “Welcome!”. Here’s an example sentence:
Bienvenue ! Prenez une chaise et asseyez-vous !
Welcome! Take a chair and have a seat!
Bienvenue à, au, à la, aux, chez, en
The word “bienvenue” can be followed by several prepositions including: à, au, à la, aux and en (all meaning to or at), with chez (meaning “to the home of”) or en (meaning to or in). Here are some example sentences:
Bienvenue en France !
Welcome to France!
Bienvenue au Canada !
Welcome to Canada!
Bienvenue chez nous !
Welcome to our home!
Bienvenue à tous !
The expression, “Bienvenue à tous !” is used for welcoming a group of people and translates literally to “Welcome to all!”. This expression can be used to welcome people to a party, conference, class, etc. Here’s an example sentence:
Bienvenue à tous ! La classe va commencer dans cinq minutes.
Welcome to all! The class will start in five minutes!
Être le bienvenu or la bienvenue
Another slightly more formal way to welcome somebody is “être le bienvenu” and “être la bienvenue”, which translate loosely to “to be the welcomed person”. The difference between “le bienvenu” and “la bienvenue” depends on the gender of the person being welcomed.
The expression, “Soyez les bienvenues !” is a way of saying, “Welcome!” and translates literally to “Be welcome!”. This is the imperative (command) from of the verb être (to be).
Soyez les bienvenus ! On commence le dîner dans dix minutes.
Welcome! We’ll start dinner in ten minutes!
Souhaiter la bienvenue
The expression “souhaiter la bienvenue” means “to welcome” and translates literally to “to wish the welcome”. Here’s an example of how to use this expression.
- Je suis la pour vous souhaiter la bienvenue. I’m here to welcome you.
Faire se sentir quelqu’un le (la) bienvenu(e)
The expression, “faire sentir quelqu’un le/la bienvenu(e)” can translate to both “to make somebody feel welcome” or simply “to make somebody feel at home”.
- Ma femme est une très bonne hôtesse. Elle fait sentir l’invite le bienvenu. My wife is a great host. She makes the guest feel welcomed.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You now know how to say “welcome” in French. Now check out our lesson covering de rien (you’re welcome).
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