Mastering French Greetings: A1 Guide for Hindi Speakers on “Les Salutations (Bonjour, Au Revoir…)”

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Learning French can be a rewarding journey, especially when you start with simple but essential phrases like greetings. At the A1 beginner level, mastering les salutations (greetings) is your first step toward confident communication. This blog post will help Hindi-speaking learners understand when and why to use common French greetings such as bonjour, au revoir, and others — with explanations tied to Hindi grammar to make learning easier.

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Understanding French Greetings: When and Why?

1. Bonjour (Hello / Good Morning)

• Usage:
  Bonjour is used to say “hello” or “good morning” from early morning until late afternoon. It is polite and formal enough to use in most situations—whether meeting friends, teachers, or shopkeepers.
• Why?
  It literally means “good day,” so you use it during the daytime.
  In Hindi, it’s like saying “Namaste” or “Suprabhat”, depending on the time.
• French sentence:
  Bonjour, comment ça va ?
• Word-by-word translation:
  Hello, how it goes?
• Pronunciation in Hinglish:
  Bon-zhoor, komo sa va?

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2. Salut (Hi / Bye)

• Usage:
  Salut is informal and used among friends or people of the same age. It means both “hi” and “bye,” so it’s versatile but casual.
• Why?
  It’s like the Hindi “Hi” or “Bye” you say to close friends or younger people.
• French sentence:
  Salut, à demain !
• Word-by-word translation:
  Hi, until tomorrow!
• Pronunciation in Hinglish:
  Sa-lyu, a de-mã!

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3. Au revoir (Goodbye)

• Usage:
  Au revoir means “goodbye” in a polite and standard way. It’s used in both formal and informal situations when you are parting ways.
• Why?
  Similar to Hindi’s “Alvida” or “Phir milenge”, but with a polite, neutral tone.
• French sentence:
  Au revoir, à bientôt !
• Word-by-word translation:
  Goodbye, see you soon!
• Pronunciation in Hinglish:
  O ruh-vwar, a byã-to!

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4. Bonsoir (Good evening)

• Usage:
  Bonsoir is used as a greeting after late afternoon or early evening, similar to bonjour but for the evening time.
• Why?
  In Hindi, it’s like saying “Shubh sandhya”.
• French sentence:
  Bonsoir, comment allez-vous ?
• Word-by-word translation:
  Good evening, how are you going?
• Pronunciation in Hinglish:
  Bon-swar, komo ta-le vu?

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5. À bientôt (See you soon)

• Usage:
  Used when you expect to see the person again soon.
• Why?
  Similar to Hindi “Jald milte hain”.
• French sentence:
  Merci, à bientôt !
• Word-by-word translation:
  Thank you, see you soon!
• Pronunciation in Hinglish:
  Mer-see, a byã-to!

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Comparison with Hindi Grammar: Habitual and Completed Actions

French greetings often depend on the context and time of day, which is somewhat similar to Hindi verb tenses and expressions related to habitual and completed actions.

French Greeting	When Used	Hindi Equivalent (Contextual)	Example in Hindi
Bonjour	Habitual, daytime	रोज़ सुबह नमस्ते (habitual greeting)	“Subah Namaste”
Bonsoir	Habitual, evening	शाम को शुभ संध्या (habitual greeting)	“Sham ko Shubh Sandhya”
Salut	Informal, casual	दोस्ताना अभिवादन (casual greeting)	“Hi” or “Bye” (informal)
Au revoir	Completed action, parting	अलविदा (parting word)	“Alvida”
À bientôt	Future action	जल्द मिलते हैं (expectation to meet again)	“Jald milte hain”

Why does this matter?

• Habitual Greetings: Like bonjour and bonsoir, these are routine greetings linked to the time of day, much like habitual verbs in Hindi (e.g., करता हूँ = I do regularly).
• Completed Actions: Saying au revoir marks the action of parting, similar to how Hindi uses perfective verbs to mark completed actions (e.g., गया = went).
• Future Expectation: À bientôt implies a future meeting, similar to Hindi’s future tense usage (e.g., मिलेंगे = will meet).

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Quick Pronunciation Guide for Hindi Speakers

French Word	Hinglish Pronunciation
Bonjour	Bon-zhoor
Salut	Sa-lyu
Au revoir	O ruh-vwar
Bonsoir	Bon-swar
À bientôt	A byã-to

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Summary Chart: French Greetings and Their Hindi Counterparts

French Greeting	Time/Context	Hindi Equivalent	Usage Example in French	Hindi Example Equivalent
Bonjour	Morning to afternoon	नमस्ते, सुप्रभात	Bonjour, comment ça va?	नमस्ते, कैसे हो?
Bonsoir	Evening	शुभ संध्या	Bonsoir, comment allez-vous?	शुभ संध्या, आप कैसे हैं?
Salut	Informal, anytime	दोस्ताना “हाय” या “बाय”	Salut, à demain !	हाय, कल मिलते हैं!
Au revoir	Parting	अलविदा	Au revoir, à bientôt !	अलविदा, जल्द मिलते हैं!
À bientôt	Future meeting	जल्द मिलते हैं	Merci, à bientôt !	धन्यवाद, जल्द मिलते हैं!

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