BONJOUR or BONNE JOURNÉE: What’s the difference?

This is one of the first words you learn in French. Still, many students doubt when using “bonjour” or “bonne journée”, “bonsoir” and “bonne soirée” and even “bonne nuit”.

Therefore my aim for you today is to bring clarity in your head so you will know exactly which word to use in the right context.

So, “bonjour” or “bonsoir” if you are reading this when it’s dark and past 7 pm. Let’s learn or review how to greet someone and say good bye with the intention to wish the person(s) to have a nice day, afternoon or evening.

The informal way to say “hello” in French.

Before diving into the proper “good morning”, let’s start with how to say “hello” or “hi”. You want to know what “coucou” means. It may be related to the “cuckoo” clock with the bird popping out… Just picture someone popping to say hello or passing by.

This is a very very used word you may hear from native French speakers. In addition, it’s a common word to write for emails, letters and, postcards.

Here’s a concrete example for you:

• Coucou - y’a quelqu’un ? >>> Hey - anybody there?  

Learn how to say good morning at any time.

Now, that you know the usual informal way to say hello, you are ready to see the variations of “good morning”, the formal way.

Indeed, for meetings, in shops, in the streets etc, you’ll say “bonjour” meaning litterally “good day”.

• Bonjour. Comment allez-vous?  >>> Good morning. How are you?  

Something fun: if you happen to see the same person(s) later on, you can say “rebonjour” meaning “bonjour again”. 

Is it “bonjour” or “bonsoir”?

Let’s talk about real life here. Contrary to English, there’s no line between the morning and the afternoon. In other words, from dawn to sunset, you will apply the same “bonjour”.

In theory, when it’s 6 PM, you can switch to “bonsoir” meaning “good evening”. However, between winter and summer in France, there’s a big gap of sunlight. That’s why, to make things easier, let’s say that when it’s getting dark, you have the green light to say “bonsoir”.

• Bonsoir. Comment était ta journée ? >>> Good evening. How was your day?

How to wish a good day or evening in French.

At this stage, you know all the French ways to greet someone: informal, formal in the morning and afternoon, and finally in the evening.

In this section, you’ll observe how to say good bye and wishing a good day, afternoon or evening.

For mornings, up to noon, you can easily say “bonne journée” like in the following example.

• Bonne journée les enfants ! Je vous vois ce soir ! >>> Have a nice day kids! I’ll see you tonight! 

If you happen to leave someone in the afternoon, simply say “bon après-midi” to say good bye. Note that we don’t have a way to say “Good afternoon”.

• Bon après-mdi ! À demain ! >>> Have a nice afternoon! See you tomorrow! 

Have you noticed the gender of the words?

• un jour >>> a day
• une journée >>> a day / daytime
• un après-midi >>> an afternoon
• un soir >>> an evening
• une soirée >>> an evening (duration)

Since in French, adjectives vary according to the gender, “bon” (good) will be either masculine or feminine:

• bonjour >>> good morning
• bonne journée >>> Have a nice day
• bon après-midi >>> Have a nice afternoon
• bonsoir >>> good evening
• bonne soirée >>> Have a nice evening

 Basically, there are 2 ways for you to distinguish “bonsoir” and “bonne soirée”, “bonjour” and “bonne journée”:

The version to say good bye is:

• feminine (except for “bon après-midi)
• longer with 2 words (the adjective and the noun)

 Finally, we can add “bonne nuit” to our list. This one is only when the person is going to sleep shortly.

• Bonne nuit ! Fais de beaux rêves ! >>> Good night! Sweet dreams! 

The French versions for greetings and good bye.

Even if you are not a beginner in French, I felt it necessary to explain the nuances between how we greet people and how to say good bye in French. Moreover, it’s essential that you grasp the context and know when to be formal or informal.

Also, don’t forget to pay attention to the moment of the day and switch when it’s getting dark!

To greet someone, you can say:

• coucou >>> hello / hi
• bonjour >>> good morning
• bonsoir >>> good evening

To say good bye, these are the options:

• bonne journée >>> Have a nice day
• bon après-midi >>> Have a nice afternoon
• bonne soirée >>> Have a nice evening
• bonne nuit >>> Good night! 

So, tell me the truth: did you learn something in this mini lesson? If there are other nuances you would like me to explain, feel free to contact me. Clarity is key!