This year you are learning French, a little every week, and today we start with hello. Before nine o'clock this morning, how many different ways did you say hello? Think of four. English has more than you might expect: hi, hello, morning, hey...
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Recognise and say common French greetings
- Match each French greeting to its English meaning
- Greet a partner properly in French
Here are today's eight French greetings on the board. Listen to each one, then say it back together.
We will meet them in two short waves so they stick. Listen for the soft zh sound in Bonjour, like the s in treasure.
Watch the board. Volunteers click each French greeting, then its English meaning. When a match is found, the whole class says the French aloud together.
Freeze-frame next: you will hear a situation in English. Answer together with one French greeting from today's list, meeting a teacher at 9am, seeing a friend, evening, afternoon, asking how someone is (friend or teacher), answering how you are, or meeting someone new.
Open your copy. Write four greetings you could use at school before lunch, and write the English meaning beside each one.
Tip: Bonsoir is for the evening. Pick four you could say this morning or at break.
- Bonjour — Hello / Good morning
- Salut — Hi (informal)
- Bonsoir — Good evening
- Bon après-midi — Good afternoon
- Comment ça va ? — How are you? (informal)
- Comment allez-vous ? — How are you? (formal)
- Ça va — I'm fine / OK (informal)
- Enchanté — Nice to meet you
You are at the school gate meeting a French pen pal, or walking into a boulangerie (bakery). Work from the three prompt cards on the board. Take turns as Partner A and Partner B, then swap after each card.
Card 1, friend at the gate
A: informal hello + ask how they are
B: short 'I'm fine' answer
Card 2, into the bakery
A and B: polite hello both ways
Card 3, meeting someone new
A: polite hello + nice to meet you
B: nice to meet you back
💬 Discussion time
In France, when you walk into a shop you say Bonjour to the shopkeeper before you ask for anything. Going in silent is considered rude, even if you are only browsing.
- Which of today's greetings sounds closest to an English one?
- Which sounds least like anything you already know?
- If you walked into a shop in Lyon to buy a croissant, what would you say first, and what would feel rude?
After today you can:
- Greet a classmate or a teacher in French, and pick a hello that fits the time of day
- Ask how someone is, and answer when they ask you
- Match the French greetings you heard to what they mean in English
Next time we learn how to close a conversation properly instead of just walking away.
That was a sample lesson from French for 5th Class
Every lesson in the course is ready to teach like this one. See what else comes with it, and how to order it.
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