UNIT 01 · First conversationsMy review
LESSON 01 OF 30

Greetings and goodbyes

Choose a greeting, ask how someone is, and end a conversation.

Beginner · A1 foundationAbout 10 minutesNot started

What you’ll work on

  • Use bonjour and bonsoir in context.
  • Ask and answer a simple well-being question.
  • Choose a friendly farewell.
READ & LISTEN

A short conversation

Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Read along, then try each line aloud.

Camille

Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?

Hello! How are you?

Alex

Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ?

I am well, thank you. And you?

Camille

Très bien, merci.

Very well, thank you.

Alex

À bientôt !

See you soon!

Start with bonjour

Bonjour is a useful daytime greeting, including when you enter a shop or approach someone for help. Bonsoir is an evening greeting. Salut is informal: use it with friends or people you already address casually.

Bonne journée wishes someone a good day as you leave. Bonne nuit wishes someone a good night, usually before sleep; it is not the usual greeting on arrival in the evening.

Bonjour, madame.Hello, madam.
Bonsoir !Good evening!

Exchange a short question and answer

Comment ça va ? asks how things are going. Ça va bien, merci is a natural reply. A simple Ça va is also common. Return the question with Et toi ? when addressing one person informally.

French uses accents and the letter ç. In ça, the cedilla keeps the c sound soft. Learn the written phrase with the sound instead of treating its marks as decoration.

Ça va bien.I am well.
Et vous ?And you? (polite or plural)

Close the exchange

Au revoir is a general goodbye. À bientôt means see you soon, while à demain means see you tomorrow. Salut can also be an informal goodbye.

Listen to the whole exchange and then speak both parts. Change the answer to Ça va, merci and choose a different farewell. A short phrase you can retrieve is more useful than a long list you only recognize.

Au revoir. Bonne journée !Goodbye. Have a good day!
À demain !See you tomorrow!
VOCABULARY

Lesson vocabulary

Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the French before looking.

French vocabulary and English meanings
FrenchEnglishListen
bonjourhello / good morning
bonsoirgood evening
saluthi / bye (informal)
mercithank you
ça vaI am fine / things are going okay
au revoirgoodbye
à bientôtsee you soon
à demainsee you tomorrow
EXERCISES

Practice questions

Try every question, then check your answers. Capital letters and punctuation do not affect your score. Accents and ç do matter.

Showing an answer makes that question a practice item worth zero for this attempt. Retry with the answers hidden when you’re ready. If audio cannot play, use Show answer / text to practice by reading.

01You enter a bakery in the morning. Choose a suitable greeting.
02Write the French word for thank you.
03Which reply answers Comment ça va ?
04Listen, then type the short phrase you hear.
Generated voice · You can listen again.
05Choose the greeting on arrival in the evening.
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SPEAKING AND WRITING

Independent practice

These are independent practice tasks. The site does not record your voice, save your writing, or grade open-ended answers. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback when you can.

01 / SPEAKING

Speaking practice

Greet an imaginary neighbor, ask how they are, answer the same question, and say goodbye.

02 / WRITING

Writing practice

Write a four-line exchange with a greeting, a question, a reply, and a farewell.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Review the lesson objectives

Select the tasks you can complete independently. This self-assessment does not change your quiz score.

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