SALUTATIONS - GREETINGS
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“Ça va?” [sa va] “How’s it going?” Ça va is easily the most commonly uttered phrase in the French language; and just what is its secret appeal? Why, it’s both a question and its reciprocal answer. If you want to know how someone’s doing: Ça va? If you want to tell them right back that you’re fine, too: Ça va. There are many ways of saying, “Hello, how are you?” in French (just think of all the ways we say it in English), but this is by far the simplest. |
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Ça va is a phrase you’ll soon learn to pick out of conversations all around you, but it’s important to know how to greet a French person in all kinds of settings. Owners of small shops, tellers at checkouts, bus drivers—nearly any professional you run into throughout your stay—will say “Hello” when you arrive and “Good bye” when you leave. Rather than appearing a mute, familiarize yourself with these phrases,and be the first to say, “Good morning.” |
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Salutations |
Greetings |
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Bonjour Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Hello/Good morning |
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Bonsoir Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Good afternoon/evening* |
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Bonne nuit Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Good night |
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Salut Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Hi/Bye |
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Au revoir Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Good-bye |
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Bonne journée Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Have a good day. |
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Bonne soirée Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Have a good evening. |
| *Bonsoir is used anytime after 4pm, but some people begin saying it at noon. Just follow the lead of the native speaker. |
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Questions |
Questions |
| (Comment) ça va?
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How’s it going? |
| Comment allez-vous?
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How are you? (formal) |
| Comment vas-tu?
(Comment tu vas?) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
How are you? (informal) |
| Et vous?
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And you? (formal) |
| Et toi?
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And you? (informal) |
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Réponses à ‘Ça va?’ |
Responses to ‘How’s it going?’ |
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(Oui) ça va. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Fine. |
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(Ça va) bien. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Well. |
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(Ça va) très bien. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Very well. |
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Ça va un peu. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Okay. |
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Pas mal. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Not bad. |
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(Non) ça ne va pas. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Not well. |
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Pas du tout. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
Not well at all. |
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Réponses à |
Responses to ‘How are you?’* |
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(Je vais) bien, merci. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
(I’m) well/fine, thank you. |
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(Je vais) très bien, merci. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. |
(I’m) very well, thank you. |
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(Je suis) un peu fatigué(e).
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(I’m) a little tired. |
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*Comment allez-vous is generally used in a more formal context, such as when meeting someone for the very first time, or in a business exchange, so you wouldn’t want to go on and on about how unhappy you are. Save that for your friends, and for your responses to Ça va?
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“Comment allez-vous?” is a phrase heard less and less outside of very formal situations. In the business world, it may be spoken between two people who have never met, but it is the most formal of formal questions. If ça va is too casual for a given situation, “Comment vas-tu?,” is always another friendly possibility. As usual, follow the lead of the native speaker. Now, go forth, and be verbal! |
Anne has studied and spoken French for over a decade and has lived in both France and Francophone Cameroon. She strives to write lessons that reflect her real experiences and represent the way people really speak.
