What are common French greetings and polite expressions to memorize

Common French greetings and polite expressions are essential for effective communication and social interaction. Based on available references and my knowledge, here are some key phrases to memorize:

Basic Greetings

• Bonjour – “Good morning” / “Hello” (formal and most common daytime greeting). ²
• Salut – “Hi” or “Hello” (informal, used among friends). ²
• Bonswa – “Good evening” (used in the late afternoon or evening). ¹²
• Coucou – “Hi” (very informal, often among close friends or family). ¹⁴

Polite Expressions and Courtesies

• Veuillez – “Please” (formal, used in requests). ²
• S’il vous plaît – “Please” (more common, polite way to ask for something). ²
• Merci – “Thank you”. ¹⁴
• Multes merciz – “Many thanks” (old French, but historically significant in politeness). ¹⁴

Responses and Other Polite Phrases

• De rien – “You’re welcome”. ²
• Excusez-moi – “Excuse me” (used to get attention or apologize). ²
• Pardon – “Sorry” or “Excuse me” (for apologies or to pass through). ²

Additional Politeness and Social Expressions

• Au revoir – “Goodbye”. ¹⁴
• À bientôt – “See you soon”. ¹⁴
• Je vous en prie – “You’re welcome” / “Please” (formal, polite). ²

Cultural and Contextual Insights

French greetings often vary depending on the context or social setting. Formal phrases like “Veuillez” and “Je vous en prie” reflect politeness and respect, especially in service encounters or with strangers. Informal expressions like “Coucou” and “Salut” are reserved for friends and family. ^{14, 2}

Summary

Memorizing these common greetings and polite expressions will significantly improve your ability to interact politely and confidently in French-speaking environments, respecting cultural norms and social expectations.

References

• Lexical and Semantic Field of Forms of Address and Greetings in 17TH -19TH c. French Fiction and the Ways of its Rendering into Ukrainian

• Les pragmatèmes de politesse dans le manuel du français de niveau élémentaire « Edito A1 »

• The Everything? Learning French Book : Speak, Write, and Understand Basic French in No Time

• “Encoded” Communication with Ladies in a Turkish Harem, 17th-Century Style

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• Cadres social, linguistique et climatique d’une enquête alimentaire à Dakar - Adaptation d’une chercheuse à son terrain

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• Linguocultural Analysis of the Most Common Greetings in the Russian, Tatar and Chinese Languages

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• Techniques d’abréviation dans les webchats francophones

• Bonswa, mes amis.

• The sociolinguistics and pragmatics of greetings in Sidama

• Prière, remerciement et politesse en ancien français : vostre merci, multes merciz, merci !

• Hallo! Voulez vous luncher avec moi hüt? Le “code switching” dans la communication par SMS

• VII Index des verbes selon leur fréquence-type