Bonsoir <\/i>is a combination of the words bon<\/i> or \u201cgood,\u201d and soir<\/i>, which can either mean \u201cevening\u201d or \u201cnight.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n This means that you can hear this phrase at 3pm, 6pm or 11pm, and it\u2019s perfectly appropriate!<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bonsoir<\/strong> C\u00e9line, comment \u00e7a va ?<\/em> \u2014 Good evening C\u00e9line, how are you?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n While bonsoir<\/em> and bonne soir\u00e9e <\/i><\/strong>both translate to \u201cgood evening,\u201d they aren\u2019t interchangeable.<\/p>\n Bonsoir <\/i>is a conversation opener, and bonne soir\u00e9e <\/i>is a conversation closer.<\/p>\n So if you\u2019re having a conversation in the evening, you should remember which phrase you need to use to start and to end it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Au revoir, passe une bonne soir\u00e9e.<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 Bye, have a good evening.<\/b><\/p>\n Admittedly, it can be difficult to know when it\u2019s time to switch from bonjour <\/i>and bonne journ\u00e9e <\/i>to bonsoir <\/i>and bonne soir\u00e9e<\/i>. That\u2019s where this phrase comes in handy!<\/p>\n Telling someone that you\u2019ll see them tomorrow isn\u2019t exclusive to the evening, which makes it the perfect phrase to remember for use at any time of day.<\/strong><\/p>\n So long as you won\u2019t see the other person until tomorrow, it\u2019s just as good in the morning, afternoon or night.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00c0 demain<\/strong> Julien !<\/i> \u2014 See you tomorrow Julien!<\/p>\n We\u2019ve established that bon(ne) <\/i>means \u201cgood,\u201d but apr\u00e8s-midi <\/i>literally translates to \u201cafternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n Combined, they make for a polite greeting in the middle of the day. Whereas bonsoir <\/i>has a wide timeframe, it\u2019s best to use bon(ne) <\/i>apr\u00e8s-midi<\/i> in the early evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n Je vous souhaite un bon apr\u00e8s-midi.<\/strong> <\/i>\u2014 I wish you a good afternoon.<\/p>\n Je vais manger le d\u00e9jeuner, bonne apr\u00e8s-midi !<\/strong><\/i>\u2014 I\u2019m going to eat lunch, have a good afternoon!<\/p>\n Studying French, you\u2019ll quickly become aware of the infamous la bise<\/i> or \u201ckiss.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ll skip over the contentious discussion around how many\u00a0 kisses or what cheek to start on\u2014what\u2019s important is that similar to how English people say \u201ckisses\u201d or write \u201cxoxo,\u201d the French equivalent is bisou. <\/i><\/p>\n Of course, this phrase can be used at any time of day, including the evening. Similar to English, you would never tell someone \u201cxoxo\u201d or bisou <\/i>unless you have a close relationship with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Je te parlerai plus tard. Bisou !<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 I\u2019ll talk to you later. Kisses!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As with all words and phrases you learn in French, it’s important to learn the context of these different “good evening” phrases. So while we’ve given you a good explanation on how to use them, it’s worth consuming French media so that you can actually see them used in action!<\/p>\n FluentU is something you could use for 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 <\/p> \r\n 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\n2. Bonne soir\u00e9e<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Have a good evening\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
3. \u00c0\u00a0demain<\/em> \u2014 See you tomorrow<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
4. Bon apr\u00e8s-midi<\/em> <\/b>\/Bonne apr\u00e8s-midi <\/em>\u2014 Good afternoon<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
5. Bisou !<\/em> \u2014 Kisses!<\/b><\/h2>\n
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