Greetings and goodbyes
Choose a greeting, ask how someone is, and end a conversation.
What you’ll work on
- Use bonjour and bonsoir in context.
- Ask and answer a simple well-being question.
- Choose a friendly farewell.
A short conversation
Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Read along, then try each line aloud.
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
Hello! How are you?
Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ?
I am well, thank you. And you?
Très bien, merci.
Very well, thank you.
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.
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.
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.
Lesson vocabulary
Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the French before looking.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | hello / good morning | |
| bonsoir | good evening | |
| salut | hi / bye (informal) | |
| merci | thank you | |
| ça va | I am fine / things are going okay | |
| au revoir | goodbye | |
| à bientôt | see you soon | |
| à demain | see you tomorrow |
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.
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.
Speaking practice
Greet an imaginary neighbor, ask how they are, answer the same question, and say goodbye.
Writing practice
Write a four-line exchange with a greeting, a question, a reply, and a farewell.
Review the lesson objectives
Select the tasks you can complete independently. This self-assessment does not change your quiz score.
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