Saying hello
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello |
| Allô | Hello (Telephone) |
| Bonsoir | Good Evening |
| Coucou | Hey! / Hi There! |
| Salut | Hi |
La bise
Rules of la bise:
- Make Eye Contact
- Stand close to the person, but not too close!
- Put your hand on their arm or upper shoulder
- Move in and apply your cheek to their cheek, making a kissing noise.
The number of kisses can depend on where you are. If you are in Paris, you start on the left and do two kisses. There are also some areas where you do between 1 and 4 kisses.
Image Source: Unknown
Allô
The telephone exchange was made by the Hungarian Inventor Tivadar Puskás and the first thing said was “hallod?”, meaning “Can you hear me?” The French have kept but simplified this saying.
Image Source: Likely Wikimedia Commons, currently in Public Domain.
Asking how someone is
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ça va? | How are you? |
| Ça va bien, merci. | I am good, thank you. |
| Ça va très bien, merci. | I am very good, thank you. |
| Bof! Ça va. | Meh. |
| Pas mal, merci. | Not bad, thank you. |
| Non, ça ne va pas! | No, I’m not okay! |
| Non, j’en ai marre! | No, I’m fed up! |
Saying goodbye
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| Salut | Bye |
| Bonne Soirée | Have a good evening |
| À Bientôt | See you soon |
| À Plus | See you later |
| Bonne Nuit | Goodnight |
Asking what someone’s name is
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Comment tu t’appelles? | What is your name? |
| Quel est ton nom de famille? | What is your surname? |
| Je m’appelle… | My name is… |
| Mon nom de famille c’est… | My surname is… |