French Greetings: 30 Essential Phrases & Native Audio

Level A1-A2 (Beginner)

Updated December 28, 2025 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.

Master real French greetings for your next trip!

Most textbooks stop at bonjour and au revoir, but real French is more nuanced. To sound natural on your next trip to France, you need to know which greetings to use with strangers and which to use with friends. This guide covers 30 essential greetings — from polite business introductions to casual street slang — so you can speak with confidence in any situation.

✅ Hello / How are you?
✅ Goodbye
✅ How to Say How You’re Doing
✅ Nice to meet you!
✅ Slang greetings

Common French Greetings

🌞 Hello / How are you?

Bonjour — Hello, good morning! [bon-joor]
Salut — Hi/bye [sah-loo]
Ça va? — How’s it going? [sah-vah]
Comment ça va ? — How’s it going? [como-sah-vah]
Comment vas-tu ? — How are you? (informal) [como-vah-tu]
Comment allez-vous ? — How are you? (formal, plural) [como-allay-voo]
Bon après-midi — Good afternoon! [boh-apray-mee-dee]
Bonsoir — Good evening. [boh-swahr]

David’s Tip: Salut is slang for hi/bye and not a replacement for bonjour (hello, good morning). Saying “salut” to the wrong person could cause mistrust and embarassment. Get its usage right!
👉 See also: Salut — meaning, pronunciation, examples »

👋 Goodbye

Au revoir — Goodbye [ohv-voir]
Salut ! — Bye! (informal) [sah-loo]
Bonne nuit — Good night [bun-nwee]
Bonne journée — Have a nice day [bun-joor-nay]
Bon soir — Hello/have a nice evening [bun-swahr-ay]
Bonne soirée — Have a nice evening [bun-swahr-ay]
À bientôt ! — See you soon! [ah-bi-ehn-toh]

David’s Tip: Both bonjour and bonsoir mean “hello” but subtle difference between the two lies in at what time of the day the French starting using bonsoir.
👉 See also: Bonsoir — meaning, pronunciation, examples »

😊 How to Say How You’re Doing

Ça va — I’m okay. [sah-vah]
Ça va bien, merci. — I’m well, thanks. [sah-vah-bi-ehn, mersee]
Ça va mal — I’m not doing well. [sah-vah-mahl]
Ça va comme ci comme ça — I’m so-so. [com-see-com-sah]
Je vais bien. — I’m fine. [zhuh vay byehn]
Je vais mal. — I’m not doing well / I’m doing poorly. [zhuh vay mahl]
Je vais comme ci, comme ça. — I’m so-so. [zhuh vay som-see-com-sah]
Tout va bien. — Everything is going fine. [too vah byehn]

David’s Insight: “Ça va” is a complete conversation in itself. It’s both the question and the answer.
👉 See: Ça va — meaning, pronunciation, examples »

🤝 Nice to meet you!

Enchanté(e) ! — Nice to meet you! [uhn-shan-tay]
Bienvenue ! — Welcome! [biehn-vuh-noo]
Ravi de faire votre connaissance ! — Nice to meet you! (formal) [ravee-duh-fair-vo-truh-co-nay-sanse]

💬 Slang greetings

Quoi de neuf ? — What’s new? [kwah-duh-nuf]
Tu es en forme ? — Are you feeling well? (informal) [too-ay-ehn-form]
Coucou ! — Hey there! (very informal) [coo-coo]
Ça baigne ? — How’s it going? [sah-bayn]
Ça bouge ? — How’s it going? [sah-boozh]

🇫🇷 Want to sound natural in real conversations?
Camille’s À Moi Paris course uses fun, story-based dialogue to teach greetings, everyday expressions, and real spoken French — with slow, medium, and fast audio. Perfect for beginners building confidence.

👉 Explore the course »
📖 Read my full review »

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David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com

David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

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