français · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Greetings and politeness
Open conversations, ask courteously, apologize, and say goodbye.
Understand the choice
Choose greetings by relationship and time. Bonjour is the safe daytime default, bonsoir begins an evening interaction, salut is informal, and au revoir closes a conversation without implying a permanent farewell.
Core rule: Polite expressions are fixed chunks; enchanté agrees with the speaker in careful writing: enchanté or enchantée.
Notice it in context
Bonjour, enchanté, et merci pour votre aide.
Hello, nice to meet you, and thank you for your help.
Enchanté is a compact introduction formula; merci pour introduces what the speaker appreciates.
Bonjour, un café, s’il vous plaît.
Hello, a coffee, please.
Bonjour and s’il vous plaît make the short order courteous.
Pardon, où est la gare ?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Pardon gets attention before an information question.
What to remember
- S’il te plaît is familiar singular; s’il vous plaît is formal singular or plural.
- De rien is a common response to merci; je vous en prie is more formal.
Common trap: Do not use bonjour as a goodbye merely because English hello and goodbye can be flexible. Close with au revoir or salut informally.