How to Say Good Morning in French

1

Say "bonjour."^[1] This is a standard French greeting use to say "good morning," "good afternoon," "good day," and "hello."

• This is the standard way to say "good morning" in French, and you can use this greeting in any French-speaking country or region.
• This term is a combination of the French words "bon" and "jour." Bon means "good" and jour means day. Translated literally, the phrase means "good day."
• Pronounce bonjour as bon-zhoor.
  Add "madame," "mademoiselle," or "monsieur" to the end. A polite way to address someone after saying “bonjour” is to address that person by his or her appropriate title.^[2]

  • State “bonjour” first before stating the listener's title.
  • Madame is the French equivalent of the English “ma'am.” Use this term for married women and pronounce it as mah-dahm.
  • Mademoiselle is the French equivalent of the English “miss.”^[3] Use this term for unmarried women and pronounce it as mah-dahm-wuh-zell.
  • Monsieur is the French equivalent of the English “sir” or “mister.” Use this term for any man, married or unmarried, and pronounce it as mer-syer.
    Tell a group "bonjour à tous." Greet a crowd or audience with this phrase.

    • Translated, à tous means “to all” or “everyone.” This phrase translates roughly into “good morning, everyone” or “good morning to everyone.”
    • You would usually use this greeting when addressing an audience rather than when addressing a group of friends or family. It would generally be considered more polite and more commonplace to greet each person in a friendly group individually instead of all at once. If you are in a position that prevents you from doing so, however, "bonjour à tous." becomes appropriate.
    • Pronounce bonjour à tous as bon-zhoor ah toos, with the “s” sounding close to a soft “z.”
      Say "bon matin" or "bonne matinée" in certain settings. Both bon matin and bonne matinée are considered incorrect, but can be used informally. This translates directly to "good morning".

      • This greeting is rarely used in France, but it can be used in French-speaking Québec as an informal greeting between people who are close, such as family members, friends, classmates, or close co-workers.
      • Matin and matinée both mean "morning."
      • Pronounce bon matin as bohn mah-tahn.
      • Pronounce bonne matinée as bohn mah-teen-ay.
      • "Bon matin" is the masculine form, while "Bonne matinée" is the feminine form.
        Rouse someone awake with "Réveille-toi!"^[4] This is an informal way to command someone to wake up when he or she is still asleep in bed.

        • Use this imperative command with children or loved ones you live with. The phrase should be used to tell someone "wake up!"
        • The term comes from the reflexive verb "se réveiller," meaning, "to wake oneself." Translated more literally, it means, "wake yourself."
        • Pronounce réveille-toi as rheh-vay-twa.
          Tell someone "Lève-toi!"^[5] Like “réveille-toi,” “lève-toi” is an imperative command used to rouse someone awake.

          • Use this command with loved ones you live with, especially sons and daughters or grandsons and granddaughters. It is a casual command and should not be used with anyone you are not on familiar terms with.
          • This phrase comes from the French reflexive verb "se lever," meaning "to get oneself up" or "to rise."
          • Pronounce lève-toi as layv-twa.