“Good Morning” in French (+ The Full Daily Greeting Ladder)

---

How do you say “good morning” in French? In most situations, the answer is Bonjour, which literally means “good day” and serves as the standard daytime greeting. French does not routinely replace it with a direct equivalent of English “good afternoon” at noon. Speakers move to Bonsoir later in the day, but there is no universal changeover time.

That is not a gap in the language. It is a different way of organising greetings through the day. This guide explains where Bonjour fits, how some speakers in Québec use Bon matin, the difference between greetings and parting wishes, and a set of related phrases.

Table of contents

• How to Say “Good Morning” in French
• Bon Matin in Québec
• Salut, and When to Use Tu vs Vous
• French Greetings Through the Day
• 15 Morning and Daily French Phrases
• Say Bonjour When You Walk Into a Shop
• La Bise: Greeting With a Kiss
• How to Pronounce “Bonjour”
• Bonne Journée! Put the Greetings Into Practice

How to Say “Good Morning” in French

The phrase that does the job is:

• Bonjour – “good day” / “hello” (the standard greeting through much of the day)

Worth breaking down, because the two pieces are useful on their own:

• bon – “good”
• jour – “day”

Put them together and you get “good day”. You can say Bonjour to the person serving your coffee at 7am, to a colleague at 11am and to a stranger you ask for directions in the afternoon. It does not switch at noon in the way English “good morning” gives way to “good afternoon”.

For a learner, Bonjour is the safest neutral daytime choice. Later in the day, listen for when the people around you begin using Bonsoir.

Bon Matin in Québec

You may have come across Bon matin, which translates word for word as “good morning”. The Office québécois de la langue française notes that some speakers in Québec use it in spontaneous, informal conversation. It is established in that setting, but it is not a fully neutral equivalent of Bonjour, and the Office recommends Bonjour in formal speech and writing.

If you hear Bon matin in Montréal or Québec City, you now know why. You do not need to use it yourself: Bonjour remains the broadly accepted choice in Québec and elsewhere in the French-speaking world.

Salut, and When to Use Tu vs Vous

Another common word is Salut, which can mean both “hi” and “bye” in informal conversation. It is used between friends and in other familiar relationships, at any time of day.

The main issue is relationship and register, not the time. Bonjour is neutral with a shopkeeper, a colleague or someone you have just met. Salut often accompanies relationships where singular tu is natural, while Bonjour is safer when you would use formal singular vous. The match is not automatic, because vous is also the plural “you” and customs vary by group. When in doubt, begin with Bonjour.

French Greetings Through the Day

French distinguishes greetings used to open an interaction from wishes often used when taking leave:

• Bonjour – “good day” / “hello” (a daytime greeting)
• Bonsoir – “good evening” (used later in the day; timing depends on context)
• Bonne nuit – “good night” (a wish before bed or sleep, not the usual opening greeting)
• Bonne journée – “have a good day” (a parting wish)
• Bonne matinée – “have a good morning” (a parting wish used during the morning)
• Bonne soirée – “have a good evening” (a parting wish)

The pattern to remember is that Bonjour and Bonsoir commonly open an interaction, while Bonne journée, Bonne matinée and Bonne soirée commonly wish someone well as the interaction ends.

15 Morning and Daily French Phrases

Once Bonjour is sorted, here's a bank of the phrases that actually fill out a French morning conversation.

Checking in:

• Bien dormi ? – “Sleep well?”
• Tu as bien dormi ? – “Did you sleep well?” (fuller, still informal)
• Comment ça va ce matin ? – “How's it going this morning?”
• Comment vas-tu ? – “How are you?” (informal)
• Comment allez-vous ? – “How are you?” (formal)
• Quoi de neuf ? – “What's new?”

Getting the day moving:

• Debout ! – “Up you get!” / “Rise and shine!”
• Il fait beau ce matin – “It's lovely out this morning”
• Un café, ça te dit ? – “Fancy a coffee?”
• Tu es prêt(e) ? – “Are you ready?” (prêt to a man or boy; prête to a woman or girl)
• On y va ? – “Shall we go?”

Parting for the day:

• Passe une bonne journée – “Have a good day” (informal)
• Passez une bonne journée – “Have a good day” (formal)
• À tout à l'heure – “See you in a bit” (later the same day)
• À plus tard – “See you later”

Several examples use tu because they suit family, housemates or friends. Use the vous forms when the relationship or situation calls for them. To review both registers, you can build paired examples with our Anki cards.

Say Bonjour When You Walk Into a Shop

In France, it is customary to say Bonjour when entering a small shop, bakery or other business before making a request. Beginning with the greeting acknowledges the person serving you and sets a polite tone for the exchange.

You may also hear neighbours greet each other in a lift or customers greet staff in a small café. Follow the scale and tone of the interaction rather than treating every room as if it has one fixed rule.

La Bise: Greeting With a Kiss

Alongside the words, there is la bise, a cheek-kiss greeting used in some social relationships. Who exchanges it, which cheek comes first and how many kisses are customary vary by region, age, relationship and personal preference. As a visitor, let the other person lead rather than assuming a number. If you want to understand the numbers people mention, our French numbers guide can help.

In a professional or unfamiliar setting, begin with Bonjour and follow the other person's cue for any physical greeting.

How to Pronounce “Bonjour”

The standard pronunciation is commonly transcribed /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/. It has two syllables:

• bon – /bɔ̃/, with a nasal vowel. In the usual pronunciation, do not add a separate English n sound at the end.
• jour – /ʒuʁ/. The first consonant is like the sound in the middle of English “measure”. The final French r is pronounced; many speakers produce it towards the back of the mouth, although accents vary.

As a rough prompt for English speakers, try “bo(n)-ZHOOR”, keeping the first vowel nasal and avoiding an English r. Use native audio to refine the result rather than treating an English respelling as exact.

If you'd like to hear all of this said by native speakers at natural speed, rather than sounded out on a page, we're big fans of FrenchPod101 for building an ear for exactly this kind of everyday French.

Bonne Journée! Put the Greetings Into Practice

For most morning situations, use Bonjour. Move to Bonsoir when the people around you do, and use Bonne journée or Bonne matinée as parting wishes. Add Salut in familiar relationships and greet staff when you enter a small shop.

Reading the list is a start; using the greeting in an interaction makes the distinction easier to remember. That is the kind of speaking practice we build inside the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp, where you speak with real people from day one.

Bonne journée, et à bientôt!