It’s often the case in French that you’ll be presented with a pair of words that the dictionary assures you have the same meaning – but it can be hard to know which is appropriate for a certain situation.

We’ve been exploring these word pairs in a mini-series over the holidays in our French Word of the Day section.

Here are 12 of the most common pairs, and the differences between them. 

Bonjour v. Salut

While both of these are perfectly acceptable greetings, salut is best used in informal situations while bonjour is acceptable just about anywhere. 

If you are saying hello to a friend or colleague you might say salut instead of bonjour. However, if you are approaching a store clerk or you are entering a professional meeting, bonjour would be the better choice. Likewise bonjour would usually go down better if the person is significantly older than you.

It is unlikely that mixing up bonjour or salut would cause any offence, but there is a difference in formality between the greetings. For instance, you could start a casual email with ‘bonjour’ but you would be unlikely to start an email or formal correspondence with ‘salut’.

That being said, salut unlike bonjour can double as an informal ‘goodbye’. 

Examples

Salut Clara, je suis en bas. Tu peux me laisser entrer? – Hi Clara, I’m downstairs. Can you let me in?

Bonjour Monsieur, vous pouvez me laisser votre manteau – Hello sir, you can leave your coat with me.

Find more examples here.

Pardon v. Excusez-moi

Both of these can be used after accidentally bumping into someone on a crowded bus.

There are a few small differences between pardon and excusez-moi, though both roughly mean ‘excuse me’.

If you want to get someone’s attention – perhaps a store clerk – you should begin by saying ‘bonjour’ and then you can say ‘excusez-moi’ followed by your query. As such, you probably would use excusez-moi before an action – either prior to politely informing someone they are in your seat (excusez-moi, je pense que c’est ma place) or before pushing past a crowd. 

Pardon is usually reserved for the aftermath. If you have already bumped into someone, you might say pardon.

Examples

Bonjour, excusez-moi. Vous savez où se trouvent les toilettes ? – Hello, excuse me. Do you know where the toilet is?

Oh, pardon, je ne vous ai pas vu – Oh excuse me, I did not see you there.

Find full details here. 

Pardon v. Désolé

The French translation of ‘sorry’ is désolé, and if you want to be more deliberate in your apology you can say the full phrase: je suis désolé(e).

However, unlike Anglophones, a French person would be more likely reserve the word sorry (désolé) for situations where real harm or discomfort has been caused. Small inconveniences or mistakes are usually covered by a simple pardon, which is less formal and more frequently used.

Examples

Pardon, je me suis trompé de numéro – Sorry, I have the wrong phone number

Désolé d’avoir manqué votre concert. J’ai dû travailler tard. – I’m sorry I missed your concert. I had to work late.

Find more context here. 

Bonne soirée v. Bonne nuit

Both of these expressions tell the audience that 1) it is nighttime and 2) you are leaving. However, the typical audience for these two expressions is probably quite different.

Bonne soirée simply means ‘have a nice night’ or ‘have a nice evening’. You would use it when leaving a party, or walking out of the office at the end of the day.

On the other hand bonne nuit means ‘goodnight’. You would only use this expression if you are about to go off to bed, so the audience would likely be your family members. As such, saying bonne nuit when making your exit from a bar would be a bit strange.

Find more examples here.

Examples

Je vais rentrer chez moi, je suis un peu fatigué. Bonne soirée ! – I am going to head home, I’m a bit tired. Have a nice night!

Je vais me coucher. Bonne nuit – I am going to bed. Goodnight.

Je m’en fiche v. Je m’en fous

Both of these expressions are informal ways to say ‘I don’t care’, but one is a bit more offensive than the other.

Your French friend might casually say je m’en fiche when asked about which restaurant to test out over the weekend. It is a bit colloquial, but not really vulgar.

In contrast, je m’en fous might not go over so well with your boss. It would best be translated as ‘I don’t give a shit’ in English (or something a tad ruder). It’s perhaps wise to refrain from using it in front of French in-laws, old ladies, or others who potentially could take offence, but it’s pretty safe to use among friends.

READ MORE: Ten very French ways to say you don’t care

Examples

As-tu une préférence pour le choix du film à regarder ? / Non, je m’en fiche. – Do you have a preference for which movie to watch? / No, I don’t care.

Il s’est excusé ? Je m’en fous. C’est un con. – He apologised? I don’t give a shit. He’s a jerk.

Find more examples here. 

Madame v. Mademoiselle

Technically, the difference between these two terms is age, but this is also a situation where language has evolved and changed in recent years.

The basic difference is presumed age – madame would be for a woman, while mademoiselle would be for a girl or a young woman (teens and early 20s, usually). Historically the title of madame was only given to married women, while mademoiselle was given to young girls or single women, but the titles have not been linked to marital status for many years.

However, these days more and more women say they don’t like mademoiselle and don’t see why the language needs to differentiate between young women and older women, when all men are referred to simply as monsieur.

Because the language itself has changed, you’ll likely notice a difference in how French people use these based on their age – older people are more likely to call a waitress mademoiselle, for example.

You can safely use mademoiselle with children and teenagers, but once you have doubt about someone’s age it is best to stick with ‘madame’ to avoid causing any offence – although one of the benefits of being a foreigner is that you’re more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt in these matters.

READ MORE: Why the French still can’t choose between Madame and Mademoiselle

Examples

Comment je peux vous aider, madame ? – How can I help you, ma’am?

Que veux-tu pour Noël, mademoiselle ? – What do you want for Christmas, miss?

C’est bon v. C’est bien

Google Translate would have you believe that there is no difference between these two terms, as both translate into ‘it’s good’.

However, the choice between bon and bien can be tricky, and French people even get them confused. Don’t stress too much about mixing up these words, as both do express a positive sentiment.

The easiest rule of thumb is to use ‘bon’ when talking about something you can taste or smell.

Bon is also used when discussing the weather or if something is correct (ex. The article is good like that – L’article est bon comme ça)

Meanwhile, bien is typically used when describing something that has been done in a satisfying manner. For example, you might reply ‘c’était bien’ after your friend asks how your holiday was.

There are some other grammar rules to keep in mind. While technically both words can be adjectives, you are much more likely to see bon in this sense. 

On the other hand, bien can be used as an adverb, similar to how one might use ‘well’ in English (ex. He speaks French well, Il parle bien français)

Examples

C’est un bon cuisinier – He is a good cook.

C’est très bon. J’aime ce vin. – It is very good. I like this wine.

Il cuisine bien. – He cooks well.

Les vacances se passent bien ? – Are your holidays going well?

Find more examples here. 

Je pense v. Je crois

If you are looking to express an opinion, you can opt for either of these phrases.

The small difference between them is based on how you want your opinion to be received. Je pense means ‘I think’ and this can be rather neutral, simply informing the other person that based on your reasoning you think “X=Z”.

Je crois means ‘I believe’, so you might use this when expressing a subjective conviction or when you want to leave a little room for doubt.

Examples

Je pense qu’elle est dans la cuisine – I think she is in the kitchen.

Je crois qu’il serait plus rapide de prendre le métro. – I believe it would be faster to take the Metro.

C’est pas grave v. Y’a pas de quoi

There are a few ways in French to tell someone that ‘it’s no big deal’ or ‘no worries’.

One option is c’est pas grave, which you might say to a waiter if they mixed up your drink order.

The other possibility is y’a pas de quoi – you might say this to your friend after fronting them a few euro for a drink. 

The difference between these expressions is very minute – y’a pas de quoi is a bit more colloquial, so it would be best used amongst friends, while c’est pas grave can be used in many different situations.

Examples

J’ai oublié le pain / C’est pas grave – I forgot the bread/ It’s no big deal.

Merci, je t’inviterai la prochaine fois. / Y’a pas de quoi. – Thanks, I’ll get you next time. / Don’t worry about it.

De rien v. Je vous en prie

Most of the time, you can stick with de rien when saying ‘you’re welcome’ in French, but if you want to give a more formal response you can say je vous en prie.

Oftentimes, servers or people who work in the service industry will respond ‘je vous en prie’ after a customer says thank you. It is slightly more polite than de rien.

Find more context here.

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Examples

Merci, le repas était délicieux/ Je vous en prie – Thank you, the meal was delicious / You’re welcome.

Merci pour ton aide. / De rien – Thanks for your help / You’re welcome.

Merde v. Mince

Looking to let off a little steam? Depending on your audience, you can opt for either merde or mince. 

Merde means ‘shit’ (as such, you will also hear it used literally to describe faeces, usually belonging to an animal). It is a more offensive way to express frustration or disappointment, so you should be careful who you say it around.

Meanwhile, mince basically means ‘darn’ or ‘crap’. It is more acceptable around children, older people, nuns or in formal settings.

Mince is one of several examples of ‘fake swearing’ that take the first letter of a profanity – it’s roughly equivalent to saying ‘sugar’ in English when you mean ‘shit’. 

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Examples

Merde, j’ai raté la sortie – Shit, I missed the exit

Oh mince, Julie a oublié ses devoirs à la maison – Oh crap, Julie forgot her homework at home

Au revoir v. Adieu

And finally, there are two words for goodbye in French, but one is a lot more final than the other.

If you are hanging up the phone, leaving a friend’s house, or getting on the train – each with the assumption you will see the other person again – you might say au revoir. In fact, the The Sound of Music may have misled us, because the vast majority of situations would end in ‘au revoir’ instead of ‘adieu.’

This is because adieu presumes finality. It is what you would say to someone you never expect to see again. Most of the time, it is used by the French press when wishing a farewell to actors or important figures who have died. 

Examples

J’y vais maintenant. Au revoir, à demain. – I am heading off now. Goodbye, see you tomorrow.

En 2023, nous avons dit adieu à l’acteur de Friends, Matthew Perry. – In 2023, we said farewell to the Friends actor Matthew Perry.