Greetings and Farewells
Salutations et adieux
- Basic greetings and farewells.
- Starting and ending a conversation.
- Useful phrases to use during class (asking for clarification, repetition, etc.).
- Personal pronouns
Learn essential French greetings and farewells with key expressions and pronouns at the A1 level. Practice polite phrases, dialogues, and verb conjugations to confidently start and end conversations in French.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (15) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify the following words into two categories according to whether they are used to greet or to say goodbye.
Salutations (début de la conversation)
Adieux (fin de la conversation)
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
À bientôt
See you soon
2
Enchanté
Nice to meet you
3
À tout à l'heure !
See you later!
4
Bonjour
Hello
5
Bon après-midi
Good afternoon
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Use the correct greeting in each situation and start a small talk. (Use the correct greeting in each situation and start a small talk.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Bonjour ! Good morning! |
|
Bon après-midi ! Good afternoon! |
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Bonsoir ! Good evening! |
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Comment ça va ? How are you? |
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Bien. Et toi? Fine. And you? |
|
À plus tard ! See you later! |
|
Désolé, pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? Sorry, can you repeat, please? |
|
Je ne comprends pas. I don’t understand. |
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Pourriez-vous l'épeler ? Could you spell that? |
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Enchanté de vous rencontrer. Nice to meet you. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Tu ___ mon collègue au bureau.
(You ___ my colleague at the office.)2. Je ___ content de te rencontrer, enchanté !
(I ___ happy to meet you, nice to meet you!)3. Nous ___ une réunion cet après-midi.
(We ___ a meeting this afternoon.)4. Je vous ___ une bonne journée !
(I ___ you a good day!)Exercise 8: Meeting at the town hall
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Être - to be
Présent
- Je suis
- Tu es
- Il/Elle/On est
- Nous sommes
- Vous êtes
- Ils/Elles sont
Aller - to go
Présent
- Je vais
- Tu vas
- Il/Elle/On va
- Nous allons
- Vous allez
- Ils/Elles vont
Rencontrer - to meet
Présent
- Je rencontre
- Tu rencontres
- Il/Elle/On rencontre
- Nous rencontrons
- Vous rencontrez
- Ils/Elles rencontrent
Dire - to say
Présent
- Je dis
- Tu dis
- Il/Elle/On dit
- Nous disons
- Vous dites
- Ils/Elles disent
Répondre - to answer
Présent
- Je réponds
- Tu réponds
- Il/Elle/On répond
- Nous répondons
- Vous répondez
- Ils/Elles répondent
Demander - to ask
Présent
- Je demande
- Tu demandes
- Il/Elle/On demande
- Nous demandons
- Vous demandez
- Ils/Elles demandent
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Avoir to have Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'ai | I have |
| tu as | you have |
| (il/elle/on) il a / elle a / on a | he has / she has / one has |
| nous avons | we have |
| vous avez | You have |
| (ils/elles) ils ont / elles ont | they have |
Être to be Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je suis / j'suis | I am / I'm |
| tu es | you are |
| (il/elle/on) il est / elle est / on est | he is / she is / one is |
| nous sommes | we are |
| vous êtes | you are |
| (ils/elles) ils sont / elles sont | they are |
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Welcome to the Greetings and Farewells Lesson
This introductory lesson is designed for A1 French learners to master the essential phrases used for greeting people and saying goodbye in everyday French conversations. You'll learn key pronouns and polite expressions that help you start and end social interactions smoothly.
Core Content Overview
The lesson covers personal pronouns and common expressions like Bonjour, Bonsoir, Salut for greetings, and Au revoir, À bientôt, Bonne journée for farewells. You will get to practice simple dialogues such as "Bonjour ! Ça va ?" and respond naturally with phrases like "Ça va très bien, merci !" which are essential for daily communication.
Practical Dialogues and Exercises
Engage with interactive dialogue cards that simulate classroom greetings, asking for clarifications, and polite farewells, enabling you to build confidence in speaking. Verb conjugation exercises focus on common verbs like être (to be) and aller (to go), which are frequently used with these greetings.
Important Language Features
- Understanding when to use formal (Bonjour, Excusez-moi) versus informal greetings (Salut).
- Recognizing polite requests such as "Tu peux répéter, s'il te plaît ?" for asking repetition.
- Learning the standard verb forms for effective communication.
Cultural and Linguistic Notes
Unlike in English, French greetings vary according to time of day and formality; for example, "Bonsoir" is used in the evening while "Salut" is informal. The phrase "Enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance" is a polite way to say "Nice to meet you," which conveys respect and friendliness.
Also, notice that questions like "Comment ça va ?" literally mean "How is it going?" and are used similarly to "How are you?" in English. Polite expressions often include "s'il vous plaît" or "s'il te plaît," differentiating between formal and informal address.
This lesson lays a strong foundation to comfortably participate in French conversations and understand social nuances.
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