Do French people actually say salut?

The informal French greeting “Salut!” (pronounced sah-lu) has several meanings including hi, hello, bye, goodbye and cheers. The French strictly use salut with acquaintances and not strangers. In more formal situations the French use both bonjour and au revoir.

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Do French people still say salut?

Just as in English, there are several ways to say hello in French. You can simply use the informal salut (hi) on its own. You can also use bonjour (good morning or good afternoon) or bonsoir (good evening).

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Why do French people say salut?

It is an informal way of greeting someone or bidding them farewell. If someone introduces you to a new person, and it is an informal setting, with people your age, you say "salut". And then when each party goes in a different direction, you can say "salut" again.

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Should I say salut or bonjour?

Salut (pronounced with a silent t) is commonly used in France, although it is extremely informal: It's the equivalent of saying "hey" in English. Avoid using salut with people you don't know unless you are a teenager. If you are in doubt, stick with bonjour, which—as noted—is always an acceptable form of greeting.

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Is it rude to say salut?

Salut is a rather casual way of greeting someone. It's okay for a buddy, a close friend, but that's about it. Not appropriate for a relative, an older person or your boss.

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Do French People Really Say 'Ooh La La'?

34 related questions found

Is it rude to say bonjour twice?

when you meet a person for the second time during the day you just say , “hi” or “hello”. But in France, saying bonjour several times is super rude.

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Is T silent in salut?

Salut pronunciation

The -t is completely silent.

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Is salut too casual?

Salut is a casual French expression. There are pretty strict rules about when to use salut. This is an informal greeting and because it's considered so casual, salut should only be used as a greeting between close friends.

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Can I say salut to a stranger?

Salut is not a way that you would greet strangers either, while it is used in informal settings, it is mainly said to people you know. This can include any acquaintances, though, not just friends and family.

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What are 3 greetings in French?

The most important French greetings include bonjour (hello), enchanté(e) (nice to meet you), bonsoir (good evening/hello), salut (hi), coucou (hey), Ça fait longtemps, dis donc (long time no see), Âllo (hello), Ça va? (how are you?), tu vas bien? (have you been well?), quoi de neuf? (what's up?), au revoir!

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How do French people greet?

It is expected that you will shake hands with everyone present when arriving and leaving. Among friends and relatives, the most common greeting is the 'la bise' (kiss on both cheeks). The la bise consists of placing one's cheek against another's, making a kiss noise, then repeating it on the opposite side.

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Is it OK to say bonjour in the evening?

Both are used to greet people but not a the same time of the day. Say "Bonjour" until the end of the afternoon and "bonsoir" once the evening starts. Bonjour is a greeting and only a greeting at the difference of "bonsoir" that can be used to say good bye in the evening and evening ONLY.

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Do French people actually say Enchante?

When you want to say “nice to meet you” in French, most of the time you'd say “enchanté” (if speaking to a man) or “enchantée” (if speaking to a woman). The translation is literally the word “enchanted,” which sounds extremely formal to many English speakers, but which is actually quite casual in French.

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How do I respond to salut?

After you greet someone in French with bonjour or salut and you both make your introductions, you can say enchanté(e), which means “pleased to meet you”. The literal translation of this word is “delighted” or “enchanted”, you're saying that you're delighted to meet this person. If you're male, say enchanté.

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How do you cheers in France?

Wondering how to say Cheers in French? You can say “Santé” which translates to “to your health”. A more polite way is to say “À votre santé!”, which is another common way to say cheers in French.

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How do you reply to bonjour?

You can either reply saying "Bonjour" back or you could say "salut" which also means hello but in an informal way. This is especially important in French because French-speakers tend to be much more formal about greetings.

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How do you greet a French girl?

Greetings in French – The do and the don't
  1. Bonjour, Monsieur (to a man)
  2. Bonjour, Madame (to a lady)

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Can salut mean hi and bye?

About: Kind of functionally a French ciao or aloha, salut is a general greeting that can be used for both hello and goodbye. It's a word with many meanings (including salute, salvation, and cheers), and is generally informal but not rude or slangy.

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How do you respond to salut ca va?

As with English, French people tend to reply to Ça va? with a positive response – Bien, or Bien, merci – much the same way as we would use fine in English. The following responses are polite enough for a new acquaintance, but general enough for a good friend, too: Très bien, merci.

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What does ca va literally mean?

Ça va literally translates to “it goes,” but it is used in a variety of situations. The most common way you'll hear ça va is when it is used to ask someone how they're doing as a shortened version of comment ça va ?

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What time do you stop saying bonjour?

Once you reach the end of the afternoon around 6 p.m., you stop saying bonjour and you start to say bonsoir, which means “good evening.” Unlike bonjour, you can use bonsoir when saying goodbye where it would translate more to “goodnight” instead of “hello.” If it's so late in the night that whoever you're saying ...

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Is Bonsoir hello or goodbye?

Well, they both generally mean "good evening". But you use one when you greet someone, and you use the other when you are saying farewell. In other words, BONSOIR is in the same category as HELLO, whereas BONNE SOIRÉE is in the same category as GOODBYE.

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Is Moet t silent?

Surprisingly, Moët is pronounced with a hard 't' and not a silent 't' as is typical for most of the French language. You could pronounce Moët as mo-wet or even moh-et, but it's definitely not moh-way.

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Do French greet by kissing?

More than a tradition, it's a habit and even a reflex. Of Latin origin, the greeting kissing persists in countries where the culture of contact dominates, and this culture is deeply rooted in France. The French still greet each other by touching each other, kissing or shaking hands.

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