Level A1 (Beginner)
The French Word of the Day is salut, a casual greeting that means both hi and bye. Every French learner and traveler to France needs to master its usage—because saying it in the wrong situation can feel awkward or even a little embarrassing. Today you’ll learn its:
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
📘 Salut meaning
Salut is an informal French greeting that means both “hi” and “bye.” It’s used with friends, family, and people you know well, but not in formal situations. (See examples below.)
🎧 Salut pronunciation
Salut is pronounced /sa.ly/ in IPA. The sa sounds like “sa” in salsa, and lu is like “lu” in lunar, with the French u pronounced with rounded lips (similar to the German ü).
📝 French and English examples
How to use salut in French
Using salut to say “hi!”
In informal situations, the French use salut as a greeting to say “hi!”.
Salut, mon ami ! Ça va?
Hello my friend! How’s it going?
Salut les gars ! Je m’appelle Sylvie.
Hi guys. My name is Sylvie.
Using salut to say “bye!”
Similarly, the French use salut as an informal way of saying “bye!”.
Salut tout le monde ! Je m’en vais maintenant !
Bye everybody! I’m leaving now.
Salut ! À la prochaine !
Bye! See you next time!
More usages of salut
Salut has other uses too. As a verb, saluer means “to greet.”
Je salue les invités quand ils arrivent.
I greet the guests when they arrive.
As a noun, un salut means a wave or a nod.
Je lui fais un salut de main.
I give him a wave of the hand.
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💬 Related words & expressions
- Bonjour – hello, good morning (more polite/formal than salut)
- Bonsoir – good evening
- Allô – hello (used on the phone)
- Coucou – very casual “hi,” often used with kids or close friends
- À bientôt – see you soon
- À plus (tard) – see you later
- Au revoir – goodbye (standard, polite)
- Adieu – farewell (final, dramatic, rarely used in everyday life)
📚 Related French lessons
Now that you’ve learned how to use salut, take a look at my lesson on coucou, another super casual French greeting commonly used in France.
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