Don’t Make This Mistake When Saying ‘Good Night’ in French
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One of many first phrases you probably discovered in French was bonjour for “good day” in French. However are you aware when to cease saying bonjour and change to bonsoir as an alternative? All native French audio system observe this cultural expectation, and you’ll really feel extra assured saying “good night” in French when when to modify to bonsoir.
Even fundamental French phrases like greetings, goodbyes, and which type of “you” to make use of is stuffed with this type of background data. It’s not nearly what folks say, it’s additionally how and once they say it. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion technique goes past vocabulary lists and leads you to deeper understanding with the intention to talk successfully with native French audio system.
How do you say ‘good night’ in French?
In case you’ve studied find out how to say “good day” in different languages, you’ll be aware of greetings which can be restricted to sure instances of day. French is not any exception. Whereas bonjour is your go-to greeting from morning till night, you’ll want to make sure to open your social interactions with the latter phrase, beginning round 6-7 p.m.
| French | English | When To Use |
| Bonjour | Good morning | Morning till night (6-7 p.m.) |
| Bonjour | Good afternoon | Morning till night (6-7 p.m.) |
| Bonsoir | Good night | Night (6-7 p.m.) till finish of day |
Native French audio system don’t synchronize their watches or set alarms for the change from bonjour to bonsoir, so don’t fear about exactly telling time in French. In French, “good night” might start as early as 17:00 (5 p.m.), whereas others wait till nearer to 19:00 (7 p.m.). However actually after that you’re unlikely to listen to bonjour.
Dinner in France is usually served through the bonsoir hours, so in the event you’re out to dinner, make sure to use the night greeting. Be able to greet your server and order meals in French with confidence.
- Bonsoir, une desk pour combien de personnes ? = Good night, a desk for what number of?
- Bonsoir, nous voudrions une desk pour quatre personnes, s’il vous plaît. = Good night, we wish a desk for 4, please.
>>Say “Good to fulfill you!” if you’ve greeted somebody new in French
How do you say ‘have a great night’ in French?
If you’re concluding your social interplay, you possibly can say bonne soirée (have a great night). That is thought of a farewell, not a greeting, so solely say this as a type of au revoir (“goodbye” in French).
In case you’ve discovered the distinction between le jour (the day) and la nuit (the evening), you may marvel if you too can say bonne nuit for “have a great evening.” The reply is sure, however provided that the individual is about to fall asleep. The phrase bonne nuit for “good evening” is extra alongside the traces of “sleep effectively.”
| French | English | When To Use |
| Bonne journée ! | Have a terrific day! | Morning till midday |
| Bon après-midi !/Bonne après-midi ! | Have a great afternoon! | Midday till night (6-7 p.m.) |
| Bonne soirée ! | Have a great night! | Night (after 6-7 p.m.) |
| Bonne nuit ! | Sleep effectively! | Solely when the individual goes to sleep for the evening. |
Different methods to greet somebody within the night in French
As with different methods to say “good day”, you could hear a number of alternate options to bonjour/bonsoir (good day) if you need to say “good night” in French. As your consolation stage will increase with French-speaking pals, you may attempt to experiment with slang and casual methods to say hello. These examples aren’t essentially restricted to the night, although. There’s plenty of overlap with methods to say good morning and good afternoon in French.
- Salut ! = Hey!
- Coucou ! = Oh, hello there!
- Quoi de neuf ? = What’s new?
- Qu’est-ce qui se passe? = What’s occurring?
- Wesh? = Yo/’Sup?
- Tout va bien ? = All good?
With any slang or informal expressions in French, you need to ensure you’ve reached a sure stage of familiarity earlier than attempting any of those alternate options, to keep away from unhealthy manners or making a poor impression. Is French arduous to study with so many cultural expectations? Not if you’re a cautious observer and use assets like Rosetta Stone’s dwell classes and professional tutors who can information you thru any confusion.

