How to Say Bonjour in French

The French Connection is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by William Friedkin and written by Ernest Tidyman, based on Robin Moore's 1969 book. It is the story of NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider), who uncover a huge heroin shipment coming into New York City and start a trail that leads to notorious drug kingpin Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). It is an Academy Award–winning film and has also won several other awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe and Writers Guild of America Award.

Bonjour is the most common way to say hello in France. It is used in almost any situation and is very informal. You can use it to greet friends, teachers, strangers, or even police officers! It can be a bit difficult to pronounce for English speakers, because the n in The french connection hello  sounds like an oo. But, with practice, you can get it down!

You can use a more formal greeting with friends and family, such as salut (pronounced soo-LAH) or coucou. Coucou literally means cuckoo, and it is often used to grab someone's attention, much like saying hey! It is more likely to be heard by children. Adults may use it in more casual situations, such as when they are texting or talking to friends online.

Sometimes you may need to say hello again, or you might see the person later and want to get back in touch with them. To do this, you can say rebonjour (literally "Re-hello") or passe/passez le bonjour de ma part (literally: pass the hello of my part).

If you are in a group and everyone is meeting for the first time, it's polite to say bonjour à tous! This is very similar to the American phrase, everybody. It's also a good idea to include a nickname for anyone you're not sure about, such as Madame/Mrs. or Monsieur/Messieurs, if appropriate. This is a great way to show that you respect them and treat them with kindness! It's also a great opportunity to make sure that they don't feel awkward when you call them by name. This is something that is very important in a professional environment!