Picture this. You walk into a small boulangerie in Lyon, the baker looks up, and before you’ve even spotted the croissants she says something short and friendly. Do you answer, or do you freeze and point at the counter?

Most learners freeze. Not because the words are hard (they aren’t), but because nobody explained that French greetings and introductions work like a small ritual. Skip the ritual and you come across as cold, even when you’re being perfectly polite. Get it right and people relax, slow their speech down, and start helping you instead of testing you.

This guide covers the first thirty seconds of any conversation: what to say, how it sounds, and when to be formal. You’ll also find the mistakes Indian learners make in almost every first-week class, and two dialogues to practise tonight. Think of it as basic French phrases for beginners, with the reasons behind each one.

Why the First Few Seconds Matter More in French Than in English

In India we’re used to a quick “hi” before getting to the point. In France the opening greeting isn’t small talk. It’s basic courtesy. Walking into a shop, a pharmacy, a lift or an office without saying hello is considered rude, even if you plan to stay for a minute.

If you’re heading to France to study, or speaking to a French client, this matters. Examiners, recruiters and professors notice how you open a conversation long before they judge your grammar.

Everyday Greetings You’ll Actually Use

The shortest answer to how to say hello in French is a single word, but the right choice depends on the time of day and the person in front of you. Start with these:

Bonjour (bohn-ZHOOR): hello or good day. Safe with everyone, from a shopkeeper to a professor. Use it from morning until late afternoon.
Bonsoir (bohn-SWAHR): the evening hello, used from around six o’clock. It’s for arriving, not for leaving.
Bonne nuit (bun NWEE): good night, only when someone is going to bed.
Salut (sa-LOO): hi among friends, classmates and colleagues your own age. It also works as bye. Never use it with an interviewer or a teacher.

What about how to say good morning in French? There isn’t a separate everyday word for it. People simply say bonjour, and if they want to add warmth when parting, they wish you “bonne journée”. In Quebec you’ll also hear “bon matin”, but in France it sounds unusual.

Tu or Vous? Formal vs Informal French

This is the part that trips up almost every beginner. French has two words for “you”: tu and vous. Getting the tu vs vous choice right is the heart of formal vs informal French, and it changes the verb ending, the greeting and even how you ask someone’s name.

Use vous with strangers, anyone older than you, teachers, interviewers, officials and clients. Use tu with friends, family, classmates, children and anyone who has invited you to. The table below puts both registers side by side.

Situation	Formal (vous)	Informal (tu)	Quick tip
Saying hello	Bonjour, madame / monsieur	Salut ! / Coucou !	Add madame or monsieur with strangers
Asking how someone is	Comment allez-vous ?	Comment vas-tu ? / Ça va ?	“Ça va ?” is fine with peers only
Replying	Très bien, merci. Et vous ?	Ça va bien. Et toi ?	Always return the question
Asking a name	Comment vous appelez-vous ?	Tu t’appelles comment ?	Both are correct, tone differs
Meeting someone	Enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance	Enchanté(e) ! / Ravi(e) de te rencontrer	Add an e if you’re a woman
Asking to repeat	Pourriez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ?	Tu peux répéter ?	Never be shy to ask
Saying goodbye	Au revoir, bonne journée	Salut ! / À plus ! / À demain !	“À plus” means see you later

When in doubt, go formal. Nobody has ever been offended by extra politeness, while an early tu can sound presumptuous. If the other person wants to relax, they’ll say “On peut se tutoyer ?” (shall we use tu?). Younger people switch fast. Managers and professors usually don’t.

How to Ask and Answer “How Are You?”

Right after hello comes the question every learner meets in week one: how are you in French. The formal version is comment allez-vous ? The friendly one is “Comment vas-tu ?” And the everyday shortcut, used by almost everyone, is just “Ça va ?” Yes, it really is that short. Here’s a lovely quirk: ça va works as the answer too, so a friend can greet you with “Ça va ?” and you reply “Ça va, et toi ?”

Keep a few replies ready:

Très bien, merci. Et vous ? (Very well, thank you. And you?)
Ça va bien, merci. (I’m fine, thanks.)
Pas mal. (Not bad.)

In shops and offices, “Ça va ?” is mostly politeness, so keep the answer short. With friends it opens the door to French small talk: the weather, the weekend, work or studies.

How to Introduce Yourself in French, Step by Step

Searching for how to introduce yourself in French usually turns up long lists of phrases. You only need six or seven short sentences, in the right order. Follow this sequence and it sounds natural every time.

Greet first. Start with Bonjour, or Salut with peers. Never open with your name alone.
Give your name. Say “Je m’appelle” It literally means “I call myself”. Among friends you can say “Moi, c’est Ananya.”
Add the meeting phrase. Say Enchanté if you’re a man and Enchantée if you’re a woman. The spelling changes, the sound doesn’t. That’s also the simplest answer to how to say nice to meet you in French. A warmer version is “Ravi(e) de faire votre connaissance.”
Say where you’re from and where you live. Je viens de Pune. J’habite à Mumbai. Je suis indien(ne).
Mention what you do. Je suis étudiant(e). Je travaille dans une banque. J’apprends le français.
Share your age only if asked. J’ai vingt-quatre ans. French uses “have” for age, not “am”.
Return the question. Et vous ? or Et toi ? To learn how to ask someone’s name in French, use Comment vous appelez-vous ? in formal settings and Tu t’appelles comment ? with friends.

Put together, it sounds like this: “Bonjour, je m’appelle Ananya. Je suis indienne et j’habite à Mumbai. Je suis étudiante en commerce et j’apprends le français pour étudier en France. Enchantée !” That’s about ten seconds of speech, and it’s close to what beginner-level speaking tests ask you to do.

Two Short Dialogues to Practise Out Loud

Reading phrases is one thing. Saying them in a back-and-forth is where the nerves show up. Practise both dialogues with a friend and swap roles.

Formal: at a company reception

Réceptionniste: Bonjour, madame. Je peux vous aider ? (Hello. May I help you?)

Vous: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Neha Sharma. J’ai rendez-vous avec monsieur Dupont à dix heures. (Hello. I’m Neha Sharma. I have an appointment with Mr Dupont at ten.)

Vous: Merci beaucoup, c’est très aimable. (Thank you very much, that’s kind.)

Informal: two students on campus

Karan: Salut ! Moi, c’est Karan. Tu t’appelles comment ? (Hi! I’m Karan. What’s your name?)

Léa: Salut Karan ! Moi, c’est Léa. Ça va ? (Hi Karan! I’m Léa. How’s it going?)

Léa: Moi aussi, je suis en première année. Enchantée ! (Me too, I’m in first year. Nice to meet you!)

Saying Goodbye the Right Way

Leaving a conversation well is half the impression. If you’re wondering how to say goodbye in French, the textbook answer is au revoir, but French speakers have a few more natural options:

À bientôt: see you soon.
À tout à l’heure: see you in a little while, the same day.
Bonne journée / Bonne soirée: have a good day or evening. Shopkeepers say this constantly, and you should say it back.
Adieu: a final farewell, almost never used today. Learners often pick it by mistake, and it sounds as if you’re never returning.

Pair your goodbye with polite expressions in French such as merci, s’il vous plaît and excusez-moi. A shop exit that sounds like “Merci, au revoir, bonne journée !” takes three seconds and leaves a good impression every time.

Pronunciation Fixes That Make a Big Difference

Good vocabulary with poor sound still gets misunderstood. These are the points where our students gain the most in the first month of French pronunciation for beginners:

Silent endings. Final consonants are often not pronounced. The t in salut, the s in vous and the z in allez stay silent.
Nasal vowels. In bon and enchanté, the n isn’t pronounced as a separate sound. It colours the vowel. Hindi speakers usually pick this up quickly once they hear it.
The French r. It’s a soft sound made at the back of the throat, not the rolled r we use in Hindi.

You can’t hear your own mistakes, so a trainer’s live correction saves weeks.

Etiquette: Handshakes, La Bise and Other Unwritten Rules

The kiss on the cheek, known as la bise, surprises many first-time visitors. It’s common among friends and family, and the number of kisses varies by region. At work and with new acquaintances, a handshake with a brief smile is the safer choice. Let the other person lead and don’t lean in first.

A few habits of French etiquette will earn you goodwill straight away:

Say bonjour when you enter a shop, café, clinic or lift, and au revoir when you leave.
Start a request with “Excusez-moi”, then ask “Parlez-vous anglais ?” if you need help.

Mistakes Indian Learners Make, and the Quick Fix

In our A1 batches, the first class always begins with introductions, and the same slips show up within ten minutes. If you recognise yourself here, you’re in good company.

“Je suis 25 ans.” Say “J’ai 25 ans.” French says you have an age.
Using salut with someone senior. Switch to bonjour, madame or monsieur.
Saying bonne nuit on arrival in the evening. Use bonsoir.
Pronouncing every letter. Listen for what’s silent, then copy what you hear.

Self-Study vs a Guided Class: An Honest Comparison

Apps and videos are a good start, and we’d never tell you otherwise. But greetings are a speaking skill, and real French conversation practice works best when someone listens and corrects you. Here’s how the two paths compare for a beginner.

Factor	Apps and videos	Guided class
Pronunciation feedback	Limited or automated	A trainer corrects every sound live
Speaking practice	Mostly solo, repeat after audio	Roleplay and pair work in every session
Tu vs vous judgement	Rule explained, rarely tested	Corrected in context, with examples
Doubt solving	Forums and search results	Asked and answered by your trainer
Exam readiness	General, not exam-specific	Structured towards DELF A1 and beyond

From Bonjour to Real Conversations: Learn French at ReSOLT

If you’ve been typing French speaking classes near me into Google, here’s what we offer. Our French classes in Mumbai run at Andheri and Dadar, with live online batches that follow the same syllabus. Whether you’re a student planning to study abroad or a professional learning for work, the A1 level French batch starts from zero and builds towards C2.

As a French institute in Mumbai, we’ve taught thousands of Hindi and English speakers, so our trainers know where beginners stumble. That experience shapes our French language course for beginners:

Small batches of around eight to ten learners, so every student speaks in every session.
Speaking from week one, with roleplay, pair work and group discussion.
Weekday, weekend, morning and evening timings, plus live online batches. You can learn French online without losing the trainer.
Doubt solving, revision sessions and mock tests, with DELF and TEF preparation when you’re ready.

Our spoken French course is rated 4.9/5 by learners. If you’d rather talk to a counsellor than read more, call or WhatsApp +91-7208 727 920, share your goal, and we’ll help you pick a batch that fits your week.

Ready to say your first “bonjour” with confidence? Call +91-7208 727 920 or write to info@republicschools.in to check the next French batch at ReSOLT.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common way to greet someone in French?

Bonjour. It works with any person and in any setting, from morning until early evening. Add madame or monsieur when speaking to a stranger.

What is the difference between bonjour and salut?

Bonjour is neutral and polite, so it suits shops, offices, interviews and first meetings. Salut is relaxed and means both hi and bye, which makes it right for friends and peers only.

When should I use bonsoir instead of bonjour?

Switch to bonsoir once the day turns to evening, which is around six o’clock, or earlier in winter when it gets dark. It’s a greeting for arriving, not leaving. When someone is heading to bed, the phrase is bonne nuit.

How do I introduce myself in French in one sentence?

Say “Bonjour, je m’appelle” followed by your name. That alone is enough for a first meeting. Add “J’habite à Mumbai” and enchanté(e) when you’re ready.

Is it enchanté or enchantée?

Men use enchanté and women use enchantée. They sound identical, so the extra e only matters in writing.

Should I use tu or vous with a French teacher or colleague?

Start with vous for teachers, managers and new colleagues, and wait for them to suggest tu. With classmates and people your age at social events, tu is usually fine. Listening to how they address you is a safe guide.

How do I reply when someone asks “Ça va ?”

Keep it short: “Ça va bien, merci, et toi ?” In a formal setting, say “Très bien, merci, et vous ?” If you’re having an average day, “Pas mal” or “Comme ci, comme ça” are perfectly normal answers.

Do French people really kiss on the cheek when they meet?

Among friends and family, yes. It’s called la bise, and the number of kisses varies by region. At work and with new acquaintances, a handshake is safer. Let the other person lead and don’t lean in first.

How long does it take to hold a basic introduction conversation in French?

With regular speaking practice, most beginners can introduce themselves and manage a short greeting exchange within the first two weeks. A full A1 level, which covers daily routine and simple questions, usually takes two to three months in a structured batch.

Can I learn French online, or do I need a classroom batch in Mumbai?

Both work if the online batch is live. At ReSOLT, online learners follow the same syllabus as the Andheri and Dadar centres, with live trainer sessions and study material. Recorded videos alone rarely fix pronunciation.