If you are planning to travel to France, Canada, Quebec, or any of the numerous French speaking countries, the first thing you need to do is to learn how to present yourself. Don't worry, it is extremely easy, and here I will show you the different kinds of greetings, and explain why you should use this one instead of that...
If you are planning to travel to France,
Canada, Quebec, or any of the numerous French speaking countries, the first thing you need to do is to learn how to present yourself.
Don't worry, it is extremely easy, and here I will show you the different kinds of greetings, and explain why you should use this one instead of that...
We assume that you are the English Native (John), and that you are talking with a French native (Marc).
Note: Marc is a common French name. Be careful, Mark doesn't take a K at the end (like the name Mark).
Ok, ready? Let's start.
1) Formal French Greetings (Adults)
John: Bonjour! = Hello!
Marc: Bonjour!
John: Comment allez–vous? = How are you doing? Or How are you.
Marc: Je vais bien, Merci. I'm fine thanks.
Explanation: you can use this form of French Greetings in a business context without any problem. You can also use it at an interview.
However, this is not modern French, and as we will see, it is not for the youngers. This kind of Greetings is used by adults only. As a teen, I've never said bonjour to one of my friends...
2) French Greetings (Teenagers)
John: Salut, ca va? = Hi, How are you doing?
Marc: Ca va, et toi? = Fine, what about you?
John: Tu fais quoi là? = What are you doing right now?
Marc: Je vais a l' école = I'm going to school
In this case, two teenagers are talking. Note that they are not using the famous bonjour!
3) French Greetings (slang)
John: Ca se passe Marc? = Everything is OK Marc?
Marc: Tranquille = Smooth, no problems.
John: Quoi de neuf? = What's new?
Marc: Rien que du vieux! = Only old news!
This form of Greetings is Slang. You do not want to use it with adults or at work... Teenagers use to speak like this. They use the modern French language which tend to vary from one department to another.
You know have three different ways to say Hi. According to the situation, use the appropriate one. Be aware that the French language is really rich, and that what you are learning right now can be an old French which is not used any more!
Advice for everybody who want to learn modern French: do your homeworks! You need to be sure that your teachers are real French speakers who actually lived in France! Not one year or two, but decades...
