Bonjour, bonsoir, and the tu/vous split
What you'll be able to do
Bonjour first, then your request. Au revoir to leave. Vous for strangers, tu for friends.
- Always say bonjour before anything else when entering a shop or addressing a stranger.
- Bonjour by day, bonsoir from ~6 p.m. onward. Au revoir to leave; salut only with friends.
- Default to vous with anyone you don't know. Wait to be invited into tu.
The most important French word you'll learn is bonjour ("bohn-zhoor"). It means hello — and culturally, it's also the price of admission. Walking into a shop or boulangerie without saying bonjour first is read as rude, even in tourist areas. Say it before you say anything else.
After dark — roughly after 6 p.m. — switch to bonsoir ("bohn-swahr", good evening). For goodbye, use au revoir ("oh ruh-vwahr"). For an informal hi/bye between friends, salut ("sah-loo") works both ways, but only with people your age you already know — don't say it to a shopkeeper.
French has two words for "you": tu (informal, singular) and vous (formal, or plural). As a beginner, default to vous with strangers, shopkeepers, officials, and anyone older than you. Wait for them to suggest tu ("on peut se tutoyer") before switching. In Quebec the threshold for tu is a little lower among adults — still default to vous and let context pull you down.
Key points
- Always say bonjour before anything else when entering a shop or addressing a stranger.
- Bonjour by day, bonsoir from ~6 p.m. onward. Au revoir to leave; salut only with friends.
- Default to vous with anyone you don't know. Wait to be invited into tu.
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