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how do french canadians say hello

by Jayce Hirthe MD Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

So, when saying hello in French, try to get in the habit of saying:

  • Bonjour Madame
  • Bonjour Monsieur
  • Bonjour mademoiselle
  • or Bonjour Camille if you are on a first-name basis with the person
  • Bonjour monsieur Dupont – for more formal occasions.

French people stick to the usual “bonjour”. That said, if you're wondering how to say hello in French Canadian then look no further. In Canada, particularly in Quebec, we can say “bon matin”. As far as afternoons are concerned, there's no other special way to say hello during the day until the evening.Feb 2, 2021

Full Answer

How to say hi in French Canadian?

To say “hello” in French in both formal and casual settings, say “Bonjour,” which literally translates to “good day.” If you’re greeting someone in the evening or at night, switch to “Bonsoir,” or “Good evening.” Alternatively, use “Salut” or “Tiens” in less formal situations where you would use “hi” instead of ...

How do you Say Hello in Canada?

Sam Dyle on LinkedIn: All I want to say today. Hello Canada and Missouri. All I want to say today. Hello Canada and Missouri. Why be the "nation of laws" guys when you can make a buck or get votes?

How do you say have a good evening in French?

“Passez une bonne soirée” (or “passe”) is how you express the wish for someone to spend a good evening. You can use it, or a shortened version, “bonne soirée”, when parting. Have a good evening in French means bonne soirée. Have you been hacked?

Where in Canada do they speak French?

French is the mother tongue of approximately 7.2 million Canadians (20.6 per cent of the Canadian population, second to English at 56 per cent) according to the 2016 Canadian Census. Most Canadian native speakers of French live in Quebec, the only province where French is the majority language and the only province in which it is the sole official language.

Do French Canadians say Bonjour?

The unofficial greeting in the bilingual Canadian city of Montreal has long been a friendly "Bonjour, Hi!" But that standard is no more since a motion mandating store clerks to greet customers only in French was passed in Quebec's provincial legislature.Dec 1, 2017

How do Quebec people say hello?

0:300:51Bonjour-Hi: Greeting Quebec customers (2018) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHello.MoreHello.

How do French people actually say hello?

Saying “bonjour” has to be the most common way of saying hello in French. And it's usually accompanied by a “bisous à la française” – a kiss on the cheeks – or a firm hand shake. Note we do not hug in France when we greet each other.Jun 7, 2021

How do you say hello in Montreal?

SIMPLE STUFFBonjour (bon-zhoor) Hello (literal translation: “Good day”)Bonsoir (bon-swahr) Good evening.Merci (mair-see) Thanks!De rien (duh ree-en) You're welcome (literal translation: “of nothing”)S'il vous plaît (seel voo play) Please.Feb 20, 2020

What is Canadian slang?

Canuck. A slang term for Canadians.

How do you reply to Bonjour in France?

What is the proper response to bonjour? It's more than sufficient to simply say bonjour back in response to those who greet you, but if you want to go a step beyond, you can respond with comment allez-vous, which is the French equivalent of asking how it's going.Jul 31, 2018

Do men say Coucou in French?

Now to be clear, Coucou is a rather recent addition to the French dictionary. It is mostly used by young people, and more often by women rather than men. Two men will more likely greet each other with a Bonjour, or Salut, rather than Coucou.

Is Bonjour Italian or French?

Bonjour is a French word meaning (literally translated) "good day", and is commonly used as a greeting.

Good Day and Good Evening in French

The most common way to say hello in French is of course “bonjour”. This literally means good day and can be used for good morning in French too. This is used all day until around sunset, when you should stop saying bonjour and start saying “bonsoir”, which means good evening in French.

Hello Everybody! in French

There are several different ways to say “hello everyone” in French, but they’re all centered around the word “tout”, meaning all:

Good Morning in French

If we can say good day and good evening, then surely we must be able to say good morning or good afternoon in French too? Actually, we can’t. While we would say “good morning” in English to greet people before midday, this is not the case in France. French people stick to the usual “bonjour”.

Informal French Greetings

Next, we’re going to look at the slightly more informal ways to say hello in French, notably the widely used “salut” and “coucou” which both translate loosely to hi in French.

Formal French Greetings

Now that we’ve covered the informal greetings, let’s look at the opposite: formal greetings in French. This is an easy thing to learn, as you just have to address the person you’re speaking to more politely with sir or madam, or their name if you know it.

Answering the Phone

This comes as a surprise to everyone, because it simply doesn’t sound French! When francophones answer the phone, they say “âllo”. This might sound like the English “hello”, or even the German “hallo”, but it actually comes from Hungarian.

Hello Again in French

Here’s a word that doesn’t have an exact English equivalent, but you’ll recognize the word if you know your prefixes! If a word comes from Latin and it starts with “re-” then it means “back” or “again”. Here, “rebonjour” simply means hello again.

1 – Bonjour: the Most Common Way to say hello in French

Saying “ bonjour ” has to be the most common way of saying hello in French. And it’s usually accompanied by a “bisous à la française” – a kiss on the cheeks – or a firm hand shake. Note we do not hug in France when we greet each other.

2 – A Polite Way to Say Hello in French

Note that it is much more polite to follow this “bonjour” by “Madame” (for a lady), “Monsieur” (for a man) or “Mademoiselle” (tricky… for a younger woman: read my article about this Madame or Mademoiselle, a delicate question)

3 – Saying Hello in French to a Large Group of People

If you were to enter a room full of people, like at the boulangerie (bakery) when there is a line, you may then just greet everybody with a general “bonjour”.

4 – Bonsoir – Hello in French – But in the Evening

When you greet someone with “Hello” in French in the evening, you can say “ bonsoir “. Same as with “bonjour”, it’s more polite to use something after “bonsoir”;

5 – Allô ? Hello in French but Only on the Phone

I understand there was a famous TV show called “Allô, Allô” and therefore many English speakers are convinced that “Allô” is a common way to say hello in French.

6 – Rebonjour

If you’ve already said hello to someone and run into them again, it’s common to say “ rebonjour “: “bonjour again”, if you want…

7 – Skipping Hello in French – A Big Mistake

Some people may skip the “bonjour” part and go directly to another greeting like “ça va” (how are you)… but it’s not that common.

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