How to Say Hello in French: Every Greeting You Need

Learning how to say hello in French is the single best place to start your French journey. It's the first word out of your mouth in any conversation — and getting it right sets the tone for everything that follows.

The good news? French greetings are simple once you know which one to use and when. This guide breaks down every major French hello — from the classic Bonjour to the playful Coucou — so you can walk into any situation with confidence.

The Most Common Way to Say Hello in French

Bonjour — that's your go-to. It literally means "good day," and it works in almost every situation. Whether you're walking into a café, greeting a coworker, or meeting someone for the first time, Bonjour is always the right call.

Pronunciation tip: say "bohn-ZHOOR." The "n" in "bon" is nasal — your mouth stays slightly open and the sound comes from your nose, not the back of your throat. Don't stress about perfecting it right away. Even an approximate version will get you understood.

Bonjour works morning, afternoon, and even early evening. After around 6 PM, you'll start hearing Bonsoir (bohn-SWAHR) instead — it means "good evening." It follows the same rules as Bonjour: polite, neutral, and safe in any setting.

Here's a quick breakdown of every major French greeting:

Informal French Greetings: How to Say Hello to a Friend

When you're with friends, Bonjour can sound a little stiff. That's where Salut comes in. Think of it like "hey" or "hi" in English — quick, friendly, and zero formality.

Salut (sah-LOO) is the go-to informal greeting. You'll hear it constantly in French TV shows, podcasts, and everyday conversations between young people. It also doubles as "bye" in casual settings, which is a handy two-for-one deal.

Want to go even more casual? Try Coucou (koo-KOO). It's the French equivalent of "hey there" or "yoo-hoo." It's warm, playful, and typically used between close friends or family — especially in text messages and on social media.

A quick warning: don't use Coucou with someone you've just met or in a professional setting. It can come across as too familiar and catch people off guard.

What About "Hey" in French?

Some learners wonder if there's a direct French equivalent of "hey." There isn't a perfect match, but Salut and Coucou cover that casual territory well. Some French speakers — especially younger generations — do borrow the English "hey" directly. But don't rely on it in formal or professional contexts.

Formal vs. Informal: Knowing the Difference

One thing French culture takes seriously is the line between formal and informal speech. Using the wrong register can come across as rude — even if that's the last thing you mean.

Here's the simple rule: with strangers, professionals, or anyone older than you → Bonjour. With friends, peers, or people you know well → Salut or Coucou.

French culture also uses tu (informal "you") vs. vous (formal "you"), and the greeting you choose often signals which form you'll use next. When in doubt, stick with Bonjour and vous until the other person switches to tu — that's their signal that informal is fine.

How to Greet Someone When You First Meet Them in French

Meeting someone for the first time in France? There's a specific social ritual. After saying Bonjour, you'll almost always follow up with a handshake — or, in casual social settings, a kiss on each cheek called la bise (lah BEEZ).

La bise varies by region. In Paris, it's typically two cheeks. In parts of southern France, it can be three or even four. If you're unsure, just follow the other person's lead and you'll be fine.

After the initial Bonjour, add one of these phrases to complete the introduction:

• Comment vous appelez-vous? (koh-MAHN voo zah-play-VOO) — "What's your name?" (formal)
• Comment tu t'appelles? (koh-MAHN too tah-PELL) — "What's your name?" (informal)
• Enchanté(e) (ahn-shahn-TAY) — "Nice to meet you" — one of the most useful phrases for first introductions

These three phrases plus Bonjour are your basic first-meeting toolkit. Practice them together until they flow naturally. If you're also studying German, the same building-block approach works — check out How to Say Hello in German: Every Greeting You Need to Know for a side-by-side look at how both languages handle first impressions.

Regional Variations: French Canadian and Beyond

French isn't just spoken in France. Over 300 million people around the world speak French as an official or widely used language — and greetings can vary depending on where you are.

In Canada (especially Québec), you'll still hear Bonjour, but delivered with a distinctive accent and sometimes blended with English. A Québécois might say "Bonjour, hi!" as a way to signal that English speakers are welcome too. It's a uniquely Canadian touch.

In Belgium and Switzerland, Bonjour is the standard, but you might hear regional flair. Belgian French speakers sometimes deliver "Bonjour, ça va?" as one flowing phrase — collapsing the greeting and the check-in into a single beat.

In African French-speaking countries like Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Morocco, French greetings are similar at the core but may be layered with local language phrases or longer traditional exchange rituals that go well beyond a quick Bonjour.

The good news: mastering Bonjour and Salut covers you across all French-speaking regions. Those two are your universal passport.

Saying "How Are You?" After Hello

In France, after you say Bonjour, it's very common to add "Ça va?" (sah VAH) — which means "How are you?" or literally "Is it going?"

The reply is usually "Ça va" or "Ça va bien" (sah VAH byehn — "I'm doing well"). It's a mini-script that French people run almost on autopilot. Here's how a typical casual exchange sounds:

A: Salut! Ça va? B: Ça va bien, merci! Et toi? A: Ça va!

In formal contexts, you'd say "Comment allez-vous?" (koh-MAHN tah-lay-VOO) instead — the polite version of "How are you?"

Practice these short exchanges with a podcast or language app. Hearing the rhythm of real French conversation makes it much easier to internalize than reading alone. Shadowing — pausing the audio and repeating exactly what you heard — is one of the fastest ways to get these phrases into muscle memory.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Even simple greetings come with pitfalls. Here are the most common ones — and how to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Using "Bonjour" at night. After around 6–7 PM, Bonjour can sound odd. Switch to Bonsoir once the sun goes down. Most beginner apps don't emphasize this enough — but native speakers will notice.

Mistake 2: Using "Allô" in person. Allô is exclusively for phone calls in French. Using it face-to-face will confuse people. It's the equivalent of saying "hello?" when someone is standing right in front of you.

Mistake 3: Skipping the greeting entirely. In France especially, walking into a shop or starting a conversation without saying Bonjour first is considered rude. It signals disinterest — unintentional but real. Always lead with the greeting, no exceptions.

Mistake 4: Pronouncing the "r" wrong. The French "r" is guttural — made at the back of the throat, not the tip of the tongue. In Bonjour, the final "r" should sound like a gentle scraping sound. Don't pressure yourself to perfect it immediately, but know that a flat English "r" will sound off to native speakers.

Mistake 5: Defaulting to "Salut" with strangers. It might feel friendly, but using Salut with someone you don't know — especially an older person or a professional — can come across as too casual or disrespectful. Lead with Bonjour until you know the relationship well.

How to Practice French Greetings with Podcasts

The fastest way to make these greetings feel natural isn't just memorizing them — it's hearing them over and over in real context. That's why podcasts are such a powerful tool for language learners at every level.

Look for beginner French podcasts that use real conversational French rather than slow, over-enunciated speech. The best ones let you hear how Bonjour flows into Ça va flows into the rest of the sentence — the natural rhythm that makes you sound less like a textbook and more like a person.

A few strategies that actually work:

1. Shadow the audio. Play a short French clip, pause it, and repeat exactly what you heard — including the rhythm and intonation. Don't just repeat the words; copy the music of the phrase.
2. Replay greetings in different contexts. A good podcast will use Bonjour in a shop scene and Salut in a friend conversation. Notice the difference in speed and tone between the two.
3. Use spaced repetition. Apps like Anki flashcard decks let you add audio clips and review them at increasing intervals. Add Bonjour, Salut, Coucou, and their contexts as separate cards.
4. Set a tiny daily goal. Ten minutes of French podcast practice every day will outperform a two-hour study session once a week. Consistency is everything.

If you're building a broader greeting vocabulary across multiple languages, the same podcast-first techniques apply to German too — the Hello in German: Every Greeting You Need to Know guide uses the same approach and is worth pairing with your French study sessions.

Quick Reference: All the Ways to Say Hello in French

Here's a full cheat sheet of every greeting covered in this guide. Save it, screenshot it, or print it and stick it somewhere you'll see it every day.

Repetition is everything in language learning — and greetings are the repetition you'll get most naturally, every single day. Start with Bonjour, add Salut once you're comfortable, and let the rest build from there. You've got this.