French greetings and introductions are the first tools students need for everyday conversation. They help you start politely, show respect, and make a good first impression in a classroom, café, or travel setting. Learning phrases like bonjour, salut, and je m'appelle builds confidence because they appear in almost every beginner conversation.
Good pronunciation and the right level of formality matter because French speakers often choose words based on the situation and the relationship.
Key Facts
- Bonjour = hello or good morning, used in most polite daytime situations.
- Bonsoir = good evening, used when greeting someone later in the day.
- Salut = hi or bye, used with friends, classmates, or people you know well.
- Comment allez-vous ? = How are you?, formal or polite.
- Comment ça va ? = How is it going?, casual or friendly.
- Je m'appelle + name = My name is + name.
Vocabulary
- Bonjour
- Bonjour means hello or good morning and is a polite greeting used during the day.
- Salut
- Salut means hi or bye and is used in informal situations with friends or peers.
- Comment allez-vous ?
- Comment allez-vous ? means How are you? and is used in formal or respectful situations.
- Je m'appelle
- Je m'appelle means My name is and is followed by the speaker's name.
- Enchanté
- Enchanté means nice to meet you and is said after meeting someone for the first time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using salut with a teacher or stranger is too informal. Use bonjour or bonsoir in polite situations unless the person has invited casual speech.
- Saying je m'appelle without your name leaves the introduction incomplete. Add your name right after the phrase, such as je m'appelle Maya.
- Pronouncing the final consonants too strongly can make phrases sound unnatural. In many French words, final letters are silent, such as the t in salut.
- Mixing formal and informal questions can confuse the tone. Use comment allez-vous ? for formal speech and comment ça va ? or ça va ? with friends.
Practice Questions
- 1 Write a 4-line dialogue between two students meeting for the first time. Include exactly 2 greetings and exactly 1 use of je m'appelle.
- 2 Sort these 6 phrases into formal or informal: bonjour, salut, comment allez-vous ?, ça va ?, bonsoir, enchanté.
- 3 A student meets a principal in the morning, then meets a close friend at lunch. Explain which French greeting should be used in each situation and why.