About This Lesson
Use Basic thanks and farewells to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
À plus tard.
ah ploo TAR. See you later.
B
À demain.
ah duh-MAN. See you tomorrow.
A
Merci beaucoup.
mehr-SEE boh-KOO. Thank you very much.
B
C'est tout pour aujourd'hui.
say TOO poor oh-zhoor-DWEE. That is all today.
A
Bonne nuit.
bun NWEE. Have a good night.
B
À la prochaine.
ah lah proh-SHEN. See you next time.Word by Word
À
In this dialogue, "À" helps introduce a farewell: "À plus tard", "À demain", and "À la prochaine" mean that the speakers expect to meet again. It is used with a time or farewell expression rather than giving the whole meaning by itself. Reuse the pattern "À" plus a time or farewell expression when saying goodbye.
plus
In "À plus tard", "plus" contributes to the idea of a later time, so the expression means "see you later." Its meaning here comes from the full expression "À plus tard", not from "plus" alone. Use it in this farewell pattern when you expect to see the person later.
tard
In "À plus tard", "tard" refers to a later time and completes the farewell "see you later." Together with "plus", it specifies when the speakers expect to meet again. Reuse the exact pattern "À plus tard" when saying goodbye for now.
demain
In "À demain", "demain" means "tomorrow" and identifies the expected time of the next meeting. The full expression is a short way to say goodbye when the speakers expect to meet tomorrow. Use "À demain" with someone you plan to see the next day.
Merci
"Merci" means "thank you" in the line "Merci beaucoup." It is used to express gratitude to the other person. Use "Merci" when thanking someone, and add "beaucoup" in this dialogue expression to make the thanks stronger.
beaucoup
In "Merci beaucoup", "beaucoup" adds the meaning "very much" or "a lot" to the thanks. It follows "Merci" in this common expression of strong gratitude. Use the pattern "Merci beaucoup" when you want to thank someone warmly.
C'est
In "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui", "C'est" introduces the statement that this is all for today. It combines with the rest of the sentence, so the complete meaning comes from "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui." Use "C'est" to introduce a simple statement about what something is or how a situation stands.
tout
In "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui", "tout" means "all" or "everything" and says that nothing more is planned for today. It works with "C'est" and "pour aujourd'hui" to close the day's activity. Reuse the pattern "C'est tout pour" followed by a time or topic when marking an ending.
pour
In "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui", "pour" links "tout" with the time period concerned: "for today." It shows that the statement applies to today. Reuse "pour" before a time expression when saying that something is intended or applies for that period.
aujourd'hui
In "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui", "aujourd'hui" means "today" and limits the statement to the current day. It follows "pour" in the time expression "pour aujourd'hui." Use "pour aujourd'hui" when saying that something is enough or finished for today.
Bonne
In "Bonne nuit", "Bonne" contributes the meaning "good" in a farewell wishing someone a good night. It appears directly before "nuit" in this expression. Use the complete phrase "Bonne nuit" when saying goodbye at night or before someone goes to sleep.
nuit
In "Bonne nuit", "nuit" means "night" and identifies the time being wished good. The full expression is a nighttime farewell rather than a general statement about night. Use "Bonne nuit" when ending a conversation at night or wishing someone a good night's rest.
la
In "À la prochaine", "la" is part of the farewell expression referring to the next time. It helps connect "À" with "prochaine"; the meaning "see you next time" belongs to the complete expression "À la prochaine." Reuse "À la prochaine" as a ready-made farewell when you expect to meet the person again.
prochaine
In "À la prochaine", "prochaine" contributes the idea of the next or coming occasion. Together with "À la", it forms the farewell "see you next time." Use the complete pattern "À la prochaine" when ending a conversation without specifying an exact day or time.
Grammar Points
À + expression de temps
À plus tard. / À demain.
ah ploo TAR. / ah duh-MAN.See you later. / See you tomorrow.
French uses à in several farewell expressions referring to a later time or occasion.
French Vocabulary
À demain
phrase
ah duh-MAN
See you tomorrow
A farewell used when you expect to see someone tomorrow.
À la prochaine
phrase
ah lah proh-SHEN
See you next time
A farewell used when you expect to meet again.
À plus tard
phrase
ah ploo TAR
See you later
A casual farewell used when you expect to see someone later.
aujourd'hui
adv
oh-zhoor-DWEE
today
Refers to the current day.
beaucoup
adv
boh-KOO
very much
Used with merci to make the thanks stronger.
Bonne nuit
phrase
bun NWEE
Have a good night
A farewell or good wish used at night.
C'est tout
phrase
say TOO
That is all
Used to say that nothing more is needed or available.
merci
intj
mehr-SEE
thank you
Used to express thanks.
nuit
noun
NWEE
night
The period of darkness between evening and morning.
pour
prep
poor
for
Introduces the time period in pour aujourd'hui.
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
See you later.
Show Answer
À plus tard.See you tomorrow.
Show Answer
À demain.Thank you very much.
Show Answer
Merci beaucoup.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
thank you
Show Answer
mercifor
Show Answer
pourvery much
Show Answer
beaucoupnight