Hello, my name is…
French greetings change with the time of day and how well you know the person. Once you've said hello, you usually introduce yourself with je m'appelle (literally 'I call myself') or directly with je suis ('I am'). The verb être (to be) is the workhorse of French, just as 'to be' is in English — and we'll meet its first two forms here: je suis (I am) and tu es (you are).
Greetings by time and tone
Bonjour is the safe daytime greeting — use it with anyone until evening. Bonsoir is the same idea after about 6 p.m. For a casual hi between friends, use salut. Goodbye: au revoir (anyone, anytime), salut again (informal), à bientôt = see you soon, bonne journée = have a good day, bonne soirée = have a good evening.
How are you?
Three levels of formality. Casual: Ça va? (the same words also answer it: Ça va, merci). A bit more polite: Comment ça va?. Formal — to a stranger or someone older: Comment allez-vous?. Standard answers: Très bien, merci (very well, thanks), Ça va bien, or just Bien, et toi? (good, and you?).
Saying your name
Je m'appelle Marie = my name is Marie (literally 'I call myself Marie'). To ask: Comment tu t'appelles? (informal) or Comment vous appelez-vous? (formal). The shorter answer Je suis Marie also works — French uses both, just like English alternates between 'I'm Marie' and 'My name is Marie'.
First conjugation: être
être = to be. Today we only need two forms, which you'll use constantly: je suis = I am. tu es = you are (to one person, casual). Examples: Je suis Marie = I am Marie. Tu es français? = Are you French? (rising tone makes it a question — French often skips the inversion in casual speech). The full conjugation comes in the next lesson.
Nice to meet you
When introduced to someone, the standard reply is Enchanté (if you're male) or Enchantée (if you're female). The pronunciation is identical — the extra e is just spelling agreement. Literally it means 'enchanted', but it's used the way English uses 'pleased to meet you'.
