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
This lesson covers essential French greetings and farewells, including salutations like « Bonjour », « Salut », and polite goodbyes such as « Au revoir », « À bientôt ». It also introduces key phrases for starting conversations and asking for clarifications like « Comment ça va ? » and « Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous répéter ? ».
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! |
|
Comment ça va ? How are you? |
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Bien. Et toi? Fine. And you? |
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À plus tard ! See you later! |
|
Désolé, pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? Sorry, can you repeat, please? |
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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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Lesson Overview: Greetings and Farewells in French
This lesson introduces the basics of polite conversation in French, focusing on common greetings and farewells essential for everyday interactions. It is designed for A1 level learners, offering practical vocabulary, useful expressions, and simple dialogues that you can use in various social settings such as meeting someone new, greeting a classmate, or politely ending a conversation.
Key Expressions for Greetings
Greetings typically start a conversation and include words and phrases like Bonjour (Hello/Good morning), Bonsoir (Good evening), Salut (Hi), and the polite introductory phrase Enchanté (Nice to meet you). For example:
- Bonjour, comment ça va ? (Hello, how are you?)
- Je suis enchanté de faire votre connaissance. (I am pleased to meet you.)
Common Farewells
To end conversations politely, French speakers use farewells such as Au revoir (Goodbye), À bientôt (See you soon), À demain (See you tomorrow), and Bonne journée ! (Have a good day!). These phrases help you conclude interactions respectfully and naturally. Examples include:
- À demain, bonne journée ! (See you tomorrow, have a good day!)
- Au revoir, prends soin de toi ! (Goodbye, take care!)
Personal Pronouns and Verb Conjugations
The lesson also covers personal pronouns such as je (I), tu (you), and vous (formal you/plural) with simple present tense verbs. For instance, the verb être (to be) conjugated as je suis (I am), tu es (you are), vous êtes (you are) appears frequently in greetings and introductions. Other useful verbs include:
- aller (to go) – je vais, tu vas
- rencontrer (to meet) – je rencontre, tu rencontres
- dire (to say) – je dis, tu dis
Practical Dialogue Examples
The lesson offers sample dialogues for different situations such as:
- Starting a conversation in class: Bonjour ! Ça va ? – Ça va bien, merci.
- Asking for clarification: Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?
- Saying goodbye after class: Le cours est fini, on y va ? – Oui, à demain !
Key Vocabulary Categorization
You will classify useful words into two groups:
- Salutations (start of conversation): Bonjour, Bonsoir, Salut, Enchanté
- Adieux (end of conversation): Au revoir, À bientôt, À demain, Bonne journée !
Language Differences and Notes
Unlike English, French uses formal and informal forms of 'you' (tu and vous), important in greetings and polite exchanges. For example, Comment ça va ? is informal, while Comment allez-vous ? is formal. Also, some French expressions don't translate word-for-word into English; for example, Enchanté means 'Nice to meet you' but literally means 'enchanted.'
Useful English-French pairs include:
- Hello – Bonjour
- Goodbye – Au revoir
- Please repeat – Répétez, s'il vous plaît
- Thank you – Merci
Familiarity with such phrases is key to building confidence and natural communication in French.
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