Wishing people well with 'bon' and 'bonne'
When English speakers wish someone well, they often reach for a verb: have a good trip, enjoy your meal, good luck with your exam. French usually drops the verb and says just bon or bonne followed by a noun: bon appétit, bon voyage, bonne chance, bonne soirée. The whole wish is two words long.
Learners trip over this in two ways. Some try to translate the English verb and build sentences no French speaker would say. Others know the phrases but forget that bon changes to bonne with a feminine noun. This article shows the pattern, the most useful wishes and the few traps around them.
The formula is simple: bon + masculine noun, or bonne + feminine noun. There is no verb, no article and no pronoun. You say it on its own, often as you part, before someone eats or before something important happens.
Because the adjective agrees with the noun, you need to know the gender. Voyage and anniversaire are masculine, so you say bon. Chance, soirée and nuit are feminine, so you say bonne. Both forms sound slightly different: bon has a nasal vowel, while bonne ends in a clear n sound.
To say what the wish is for, add pour + noun.
Rule of thumb: if English says have a good..., enjoy your... or good... as a wish, try bon or bonne + noun first.
Bon appétit is said just before people start eating, by the host, by a waiter or between friends. English has no exact everyday equivalent, so English speakers often skip it. In France, leaving it out can feel a little cold.
Bon anniversaire is the everyday way to say happy birthday. Bon voyage is for someone about to travel.
Bonne chance wishes someone good fortune, especially when the result depends partly on luck: a test, a match, a job interview.
Bonne soirée is what you say when you leave someone in the evening: have a nice evening. Bonne nuit is only for bedtime, when someone is going to sleep.
The same pattern gives many other everyday wishes you will hear, such as bonne journée (have a nice day) and bon rétablissement (get well soon).
Saying have a good trip with the verb avoir does not work in French. Just say bon voyage. If you want a full sentence, use souhaiter: je te souhaite bon voyage.
Bonsoir is a greeting when you arrive in the evening. Bonne soirée is a wish when you leave. Arriving at a party and saying bonne soirée sounds like you are already going home.
When the challenge is hard work rather than luck, such as a long shift or revising all weekend, French speakers prefer bon courage.
Christmas takes joyeux: the standard form is joyeux Noël. For birthdays you will hear both bon anniversaire and joyeux anniversaire.
In France, bonne fête usually celebrates someone's name day. In Quebec, it is the normal way to say happy birthday.
To wish someone well in French, skip the English verb and say bon + masculine noun or bonne + feminine noun, on its own: bon appétit, bon voyage, bonne chance, bonne soirée. Add pour + noun to say what the wish is for, and remember that Christmas takes joyeux.