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Learn French Vocabulary: Greetings, Salutations, and Social Etiquette | FrenchGeni

Vocabulary

Greetings, Salutations, and Social Etiquette (Les salutations et les règles de politesse)

Level A1

Objective: Open and close short exchanges with appropriate formal or informal politeness.

What you’ll learn

Distinguish between formal and informal greetings in everyday situations.
Choose between tu and vous based on the relationship with the person.
Respond naturally to thanks, apologies, and farewells.
Recognise the cultural weight of bonjour in French daily life.

Vocabulary

The Weight of Bonjour

In French culture, bonjour is not optional. It is spoken before any question, any request, or any transaction, and its absence is read as a serious social lapse.

Entering a shop: greet the shopkeeper before browsing.
Joining a meeting: greet the room before starting.
Calling customer service: greet the agent before stating the problem.

The gesture is small, but the social expectation is universal across every region of France and every level of formality.

Greetings and Politeness Markers

French	English	Context
Bonjour	Hello, Good morning	Standard daytime greeting
Bonsoir	Good evening	From about 6 p.m.
Salut	Hi, Bye	Friends and close peers only
Au revoir	Goodbye	Universal farewell
Bonne journée	Have a nice day	On leaving during the day
Bonne soirée	Have a nice evening	On leaving in the evening
S'il vous plaît	Please (formal)	With strangers or superiors
S'il te plaît	Please (informal)	With friends and family
Merci	Thank you	Universal

Common mistakes

Watch out for these

Bonjour, monsieur. (said at 9 p.m.)
Bonsoir, monsieur. (said at 9 p.m.)
Bonsoir replaces bonjour after approximately 6 p.m., and using bonjour in the evening sounds off to native speakers.
Salut, comment allez-vous ?
Salut, comment vas-tu ?
Salut is informal, so the rest of the exchange must match with tu rather than the formal vous form.
Merci. — De rien. (to your boss)

Examples

Bonjour, comment allez-vous ?
Formal greeting. The vous form maintains polite distance with a stranger or superior.
Salut, ça va ?
Informal exchange between friends. The tu register is understood without appearing.
Bonsoir, madame. Excusez-moi de vous déranger.
Evening greeting with a polite apology for interrupting. Both phrases use the formal register.
Merci beaucoup ! — Je vous en prie.
Formal thank-you exchange. Je vous en prie is the polite response to merci.
Au revoir, à bientôt !
Standard farewell with a warm future reference. À bientôt suggests a near reunion.
Bonne journée, monsieur.