Les Salutations – JSS1 French Lesson Note (First Term)

Les salutations are French greetings and polite expressions used to say hello, wish people well and say goodbye, such as Bonjour, Bonsoir, Bonne nuit and Au revoir. French classroom language is the set of short commands and requests used in a lesson, such as Asseyez-vous, Écoutez and Répétez.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. greet people in French at different times of the day;
2. use French expressions to wish people well on birthdays and holidays;
3. say goodbye in French;
4. understand and obey common French classroom commands;
5. give the English meaning of the French expressions in the lesson.

How do you greet people in French?

You greet people in French with Bonjour in the morning and daytime, and Bonsoir in the evening.

Greetings by time of day

• Bonjour: good morning, also used as “hello” during the day.
• Bonsoir: good evening, used when you meet someone in the evening.
• Bonne nuit: good night, said when someone is going to bed or leaving at night.

Greetings with a title or a family name

• Monsieur: sir, used for a man.
• Madame: ma, used for a married or older woman.
• Mademoiselle: miss, used for a young woman or girl.
• Papa and Maman: Daddy and Mummy, used at home.

How do you wish people well in French?

You wish people well in French with short expressions that begin with Bon, Bonne or Joyeux.

• Bonne journée: said to wish someone a nice day.
• Bon anniversaire: said on someone’s birthday.
• Bon Noël and Joyeux Noël: two ways to say Merry Christmas.
• Bonne année: said at the start of a new year.
• Bonnes Pâques: said at Easter.
• Bienvenue: said to welcome a visitor or a new student.
• Du courage: said to encourage someone who is working hard.

How do you say goodbye in French?

You say goodbye in French with Au revoir, or with À bientôt when you expect to meet again soon.

• Au revoir: the usual way to say goodbye.
• À bientôt: see you soon or see you later.
• À la prochaine fois: see you next time.
• Bonne nuit: good night, said at the end of the day.

What is classroom language in French? (Leçon 2)

Classroom language is the group of French expressions a teacher and students use in a French class.

Commands for order and silence

• Silence, Pas de bruit: ask the class to stop making noise.
• Tais-toi, Taisez-vous: ask someone to be quiet.

Commands for sitting and standing

• Assieds-toi, Asseyez-vous: sit down.
• Lève-toi, Levez-vous: stand up.
• Croisez les bras: fold your arms.

Commands for books and the board

• Regardez le tableau: look at the board.
• Ouvrez vos cahiers, Fermez vos livres: open your notebooks, close your books.
• Effacez le tableau: clean the board.

Commands for listening, speaking and writing

• Écoutez, Écrivez, Lisez: listen, write, read.
• Répétez, Répétez après moi, Encore: repeat, repeat after me, again.
• Écoutez très bien, Écoutez attentivement: listen very well, listen attentively.

Commands for giving and coming

• Viens ici, Venez: come here, come.
• Tiens: take this.
• Donne-moi: give me, followed by the object, such as le bic or le chiffon.
• Merci monsieur, Merci madame: thank you, sir or ma.

What is the difference between the “tu” and “vous” commands?

A “tu” command is given to one person you know well, and a “vous” command is given to several people or to someone you respect.

• Tu form: used for one friend, one classmate or a child, such as Assieds-toi.
• Vous form: used for a group, or politely for one adult, such as Asseyez-vous.

How can you learn these expressions well?

• Say them aloud: repeat each expression after the teacher.
• Watch the accents: write É, è, à and â exactly as shown.
• Match the time: use Bonjour before the evening and Bonsoir after it.
• Act them out: pairs give and obey commands such as Levez-vous and Ouvrez vos cahiers.

Evaluation

1. Say “Good evening, Mummy” in French.
2. Say “Happy New Year” in French.
3. Give the English meaning of “Répétez après moi”.
4. Say “Sit down, everyone” in French.
5. What is the French for “Look at the board”?

Assignment

Write five French greetings or wishes from the lesson with their English meanings. Then write five French classroom commands from the lesson with their English meanings.