Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. French greetings carry social weight that English ones don't. Getting them wrong doesn't just sound odd — it signals something about how you see the other person, and the French are very attuned to it.
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| Greeting | Register | Use with |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Neutral to formal | Anyone you don't know well — shopkeepers, colleagues, strangers |
| Salut | Informal | Friends, family, people your age you're already close to |
| Bonsoir | Neutral to formal | Same as bonjour, but used from early evening onward |
| Coucou | Very informal / playful | Close friends or family only — avoid in any professional context |
Why bonjour matters so much
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. In France, entering a shop without saying bonjour is considered genuinely rude — not a minor slip. The greeting acknowledges the other person's existence before any transaction begins.
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The tu/vous link
Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores. Your choice of greeting and your choice of pronoun — tu or vous — are connected. Using salut with someone you also vouvoie sounds jarring. The registers should match.
- Bonjour + vous — standard respectful combination
- Salut + tu — standard informal combination
- Salut + vous — awkward, avoid unless the person invited it
- Bonjour + tu — perfectly acceptable once you've established tu together
When in doubt, default to bonjour
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti. Bonjour is never wrong. Salut at the wrong moment can feel presumptuous. Play it safe until the other person signals informality.