French Unit 1: Bonjour — Greetings & Introductions: 18 MCQs with answers

A · Good day

'Bonjour' is made of 'bon' (good) and 'jour' (day), so it literally means 'good day'.

C · Bonne nuit

'Bonne nuit' means 'good night' and is strictly a farewell before sleep — never a hello.

C · Salut !

'Salut' is the informal greeting for friends, family, and peers. The other options are formal or a farewell.

D · Bonjour, ça va ?

'Ça va ?' is the standard question meaning 'how are you?' that pairs with a greeting.

B · Ça va bien, merci.

'Ça va bien, merci' is the standard reply meaning 'I'm fine, thank you'.

A · Enchanté(e)

'Enchanté(e)' means 'pleased to meet you'; the ending changes to 'ée' for a female speaker.

A · True

**Bonjour** literally means "good day" (*bon* = good, *jour* = day) and is the safest default greeting in French from morning until late afternoon.

B · Bonsoir, monsieur.

Evening time calls for 'bonsoir', and the formal relationship calls for the title 'monsieur'. 'Salut' is too informal, 'bonne nuit' is a farewell before sleep, and 'bonne journée' is a daytime farewell.

C · Because 'salut' is informal and signals closeness that does not exist with a stranger.

'Salut' is informal and reserved for people you already know; using it with a stranger ignores the social distance that French greetings encode.

A · Bonjour, et vous ?

Formal register requires 'bonjour' and 'vous'. 'Salut' and 'toi' are informal and do not fit a stranger or elder.

C · It is considered dated and best avoided.

'Mademoiselle' is now considered dated in formal French and is best avoided; 'madame' is the standard polite title.

D · Bonjour

At 2 pm it is daytime, and an unfamiliar colleague calls for the neutral/formal 'bonjour'. 'Bonsoir' is for evening, 'bonne nuit' is a farewell, and 'salut' is too informal.

D · Bonne soirée for an evening farewell

'Bonne soirée' (have a good evening) matches the evening, just as 'bonne journée' matches the day and 'bonne nuit' is only for bedtime.

D · Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

'Bonjour' is indeed the safe daytime default, and the reason is precisely that it works across almost all relationships, formal or neutral.

B · I and III only

Statements I and III are correct. Statement II is false: 'bonne nuit' is only a farewell before sleep, never a greeting.

B · The flaw is ignoring that greetings encode social distance and register, not just translation.

French greetings signal formality and relationship. 'Salut' with a stranger is rude, and 'bonjour' with a close friend sounds stiff — so they are not interchangeable.

D · Bonjour, ça va ?

The correct option is 'Bonjour, ça va ?' because it is the appropriate greeting for a colleague at 5 pm, which is still considered daytime. 'Salut' is too informal for a first meeting with a colleague, while 'Bonsoir' is not yet applicable, and 'Bonne nuit' is only used when parting.

B · Bonsoir, monsieur / madame. Comment ça va ?

The correct option is 'Bonsoir, monsieur / madame. Comment ça va ?' because it respects the formal context of meeting a stranger in the evening. 'Salut' is too casual, 'Bonjour' is inappropriate at 8 pm, and 'Bonne nuit' is only used when parting.