Word
Bonsoir !
Meaning
Good evening!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Bonsoir !
bonsoir
good evening
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Questions & Answers about Bonsoir !
How do you pronounce Bonsoir?
It’s pronounced roughly bohn-SWAHR.
A more precise French pronunciation is /bɔ̃.swaʁ/:
- bon has a nasal vowel, so the n is not fully pronounced like in English
- soir sounds like swahr
- the final r is the French r, made farther back in the throat than an English r
If you say bohn-swar, most people will still understand you.
When do I use Bonsoir instead of Bonjour?
Use Bonsoir in the evening.
A simple learner-friendly rule is:
- Bonjour = during the day
- Bonsoir = from early evening onward
The exact time can depend on context and season, but Bonsoir is the normal greeting once it feels like evening.
Does Bonsoir mean both good evening and good night?