Beginner's French Lesson 1

Beginner's French Lesson 1 Title: Ça va ? (How are you?)
Topics covered: greetings and courtesies

Dialogue

Sophie and Vincent are college students at a university in Nantes. As they pass by each other on campus, they exchange a few words before going their separate ways.

Sophie: Bonjour, Vincent.
Vincent: Bonjour, Sophie.
Sophie: Ça va ?
Vincent: Oui, ça va. Et toi ?
Sophie: Ça va très bien, merci.
Vincent: À bientôt.
Sophie: Au revoir.

Traduction (Translation in English)
Sophie : Hello Vincent.
Vincent : Hello Sophie.
Sophie : How are you?
Vincent : I'm fine. And you?
Sophie : I'm very well, thanks.
Vincent : See you later.
Sophie : Bye.

Points grammaticaux (Grammar points)
In French, the expression Ça va ? is similar to the English expression "How's it going?" It is considered an informal expression and therefore is used only among family and friends. Among acquaintances and those one does not know well, the formal expression Comment allez-vous ? is used to ask "How are you?"

We will look more at the formal and informal contexts in Beginning French Lesson 2.

Vocabulaire (Vocabulary)
Bonjour. Hello.
Salut. Hi.
Ça va ? How are you? How's it going? (informal)
Comment allez-vous ? How are you? (formal)
très bien very well
A bientôt. See you later.
Au revoir. Good-bye.
Merci. Thank you.
Je vous en prie. You're welcome. (formal)
De rien. You're welcome. (informal)

Most likely, when Sophie and Vincent first saw each other, they greeted each other with la bise. La bise is a brief kiss on each cheek, beginning with the right cheek and then moving to the left. It is a custom practiced among family and friends when saying hello and good-bye.