At school, I have learnt that “salut” means “hello” or “bye”. I have always found it strange to have one word to both greet and leave someone. During my first trip to France, I said “salut” happily to all the people I saw: the hotel’s receptionist, the coffee shop’s waiter, the bakery’s seller… Until I met a French girl, Claire, who explained to me, a bit confused, that you can’t use “salut” with everyone! Eventually, I understood that saying “salut” is only possible in some situations – with friends, in an informal atmosphere… but not during a working dinner! In case of doubts, “bonjour” and “au revoir” are there to help: they always work!
To go further
- Knowing how to greet or leave someone is essential to be able to take part to a conversation in French. You want to train? Listen to the recording and fill in the gaps!
- « Réceptionniste », « serveur », « vendeur »… Do you want to know the French words for most professions? A vocabulary list and an exercise here.
Discovering more about the subject
- Saying hi is not only about words, but also about body language… And this is very different from one country to another! If you want to know more, read this article by TV5 Monde or our article about “la bise”.
How do people greet each other at work in France? Here is a short video to know more about it