{"id":119996,"date":"2023-07-19T19:25:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T23:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/cest-bon\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T04:39:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T09:39:58","slug":"cest-bon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/cest-bon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Many Meanings of C’est Bon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, things that seem bland and mundane at first glance are actually fun, interesting and exciting.\u00a0This is especially true when learning French:\u00a0the French can take the most boring-sounding phrase and turn it around to express some pure joie de vivre<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that’s just what they’ve done with the often-used phrase c’est bon<\/a>. <\/em>C\u2019est bon<\/em> literally means \u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d but it can also mean so much more. If you master it, your conversations will flow better and you’ll sound more like a native speaker.<\/p>\n

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Meanings of C’est Bon<\/em><\/h2>\n

1. “It’s Good”<\/h3>\n

Yes, this is the most literal translation of this common phrase. And it can be used to describe a vast array of good things in our lives.<\/p>\n

So, when do we use c’est bon <\/em>to mean “It’s good”?<\/p>\n

Talking About Food<\/h4>\n

It’s no secret that the French love food<\/a>. They love to eat it and they love to talk about it.<\/p>\n

Though generic, c’est bon<\/em> is an excellent catch-all phrase when a restaurant server inquires how your meal is, or your hostess wants to know if you’re enjoying your dessert.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

“Tu aimes le dessert ?” … “Oui! C’est bon !” <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 “Do you like the dessert?” … “Yes! It’s good!”<\/p>\n

Or:<\/p>\n

Ce poulet, c’est bon !<\/strong> \u2014 <\/em>This chicken is good!<\/p>\n

J’aime le g\u00e2teau. C’est bon. <\/strong><\/em>\u2014 I like the cake. It’s good.<\/p>\n

One caveat: you might want to enrich your vocabulary<\/a> with other ways to talk about food, such as with the FluentU program<\/a>. Just saying “it’s good” is sometimes too vague and generic. <\/p>\n

Talking About Sensory Experiences<\/h4>\n

Some things just look good, sound good, feel good.<\/p>\n

C’est bon<\/em> is the perfect phrase to convey that.<\/p>\n

Cet odeur, c’est bon ! <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 That smell is good!<\/p>\n

C’est bon, cette chanson ? <\/strong><\/em>\u2014 Is this song good?<\/p>\n

J’adore le soleil; c’est bon. <\/strong><\/em>\u2014 I love the sunshine; it’s good.<\/p>\n

In this context, the phrase c’est bon<\/em> is also used to describe the good feeling of physical contact between lovers, aptly described in this famous song by Dean Martin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It’s important to hear this phrase used in different contexts so that you really get a grasp on it. Watching authentic French videos, like the ones on FluentU<\/a>, can help you with this.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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