How to Say Hello in French

Whether you’re trying to master French or just want to know how to say hello in French, there are several ways to get the conversation rolling. Whether you’re entering a shop, meeting a friend or talking to your French-speaking family, some form of greeting is always a leading part of the discussion.

To start off on a more casual note, you can use the French version of "what's up?"—quoi de neuf? This question is similar to the English one and it's often used by people who are close friends. You can even hear it in the Looney Tunes cartoons with Bugs Bunny saying "quoi de neuf, docteur!"

Another casual way to say hello in French is "hello" in a rising tone of voice (allo)—similar to how people usually answer the phone in English. Allo is a very common greeting in France and it’s even the first word people use when answering the phone. It’s also a great way to add some French flair and charm to your conversations with friends or co-workers.

If you want to sound extra French, The french connection hello you can add a dash of sassiness with a French-accented hello like bonjour. The pronunciation is closer to the English word “buh-NAIR,” and it’s also used when greeting a person in a business situation or if you're not sure how to address the person correctly, such as Monsieur/Madame or Madame/Mr. In this case, you'd follow it with a sprinkling of charm by saying je suis très heureuse to show you’re happy to be there and to make them feel at ease.

A more formal way to greet someone is by using the phrase comment vas-tu? This is the closest thing to how you would ask a person in the United States how they are doing. It is almost always followed by a response of je suis bien, merci to let the other person know you're doing well and thank them for asking.

Another informal greeting is enchante if you're male and enchantee if you’re female. This is a way to say hello that comes from the old English word enchanté meaning to delight or charm. It's a lovely way to greet people, especially when you're seeing them for the first time!

Lastly, you can use rebonjour (literally re-hello) when you see someone for the second or third time during the day. This is a very useful and polite way to show you're still interested in the conversation or that you haven’t forgotten them from the first time you said hello.