How do you say "good evening" in French?

Bonsoir

Phrase Noun

In French, "good evening" is Bonsoir.

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Pronunciation

Say bon-SWAHR, with a nasal first sound and a soft w glide before the final syllable.

Grammar notes

Bonsoir is a phrase used the same way as its English equivalent.

Example sentence

good evening

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How to remember Bonsoir

Soir means evening, so bonsoir simply swaps jour for soir to greet someone at night.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about Bonsoir

How do you pronounce Bonsoir?

Say bon-SWAHR, with a nasal first sound and a soft w glide before the final syllable.

Is Bonsoir formal or casual?

Bonsoir is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is Bonsoir used in French?

Bonsoir is used the same way as the equivalent English phrase. For example: (good evening).

Where can I practice French words for free?

You can play free French minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the French glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Good evening" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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