You're standing in a bakery in the Marais, the smell of butter is hitting you like a freight train, and you want to tell the baker their croissant is amazing. You freeze. Your brain offers up a single word: bon. But then you remember bien. Suddenly, the simple task of saying "good" feels like a high-stakes grammar exam. Honestly, figuring out how do i say good in french is less about memorizing a dictionary and more about understanding the soul of the language. It’s about the difference between a person’s character and the way a soup tastes.
French is picky. It doesn't just want a synonym; it wants the right vibe.
The Bon vs. Bien Battle
Most people start with bon. It’s the literal translation of "good" that you’ll see on page one of any workbook. You use it as an adjective. This means it describes nouns—things, people, places. If you’re eating a steak and it’s delicious, it is bon. If you meet a kind person, they are un homme bon.
Then there’s bien. This is the adverbial cousin. It usually describes how something is done. If your friend plays the piano with grace, they play bien. But here is where it gets weirdly French: bien is also used to say "I am good" or "I am doing well" (Je vais bien). If you say Je suis bon, you aren't saying you're feeling happy. You're actually saying you're "good" at something (like math) or, in certain contexts, that you’re a "good" person in a moral sense. Or, if you're not careful, it can sound a bit suggestive. Context is everything.
The French linguist Henriette Walter often discusses how French speakers prioritize the "feeling" of the sentence over rigid rules. This is why you’ll hear people say C’est bien for a movie they liked, even though the movie is a noun. Why? Because C’est bien implies the experience was satisfying. C’est bon implies the movie was "good" in a more technical or moral sense, which sounds a bit stiff.
When Good Means Tasty, Kind, or Just Right
When you're trying to figure out how do i say good in french in a restaurant, you’re almost always going to reach for bon.
- C'est bon ! (It's good!)
- C'est très bon. (It's very good.)
- C'est vraiment bon. (It's really good.)
But wait. If you want to sound like a local, you might drop bon entirely for something more specific. The French love to be precise. Is it délicieux? Is it excellent? If you use bon for a five-star meal, it’s almost like a faint praise. It’s like saying a painting is "nice."
There's also the gender issue. French nouns have genders, so bon has to change its outfit.
- A good wine: Un bon vin.
- A good tart: Une bonne tarte.
- Good wines: De bons vins.
- Good tarts: De bonnes tartes.
It’s a lot to track while you’re just trying to enjoy a meal. Just remember that if the noun ends in a silent 'e' or feels feminine, add that extra 'ne' to the end of bon. It changes the sound, too. Bon sounds like a nasal "bohn," while bonne sounds like "bun."
The "C'est Bien" Trap
You’ll hear C'est bien constantly. In English, we say "That's good" for almost everything. Did you finish your homework? That's good. Did you find your keys? That's good.
In French, if you've accomplished a task, it’s C’est bien. It’s a pat on the back. It’s a "well done." If you use C’est bon in that situation, you might actually be saying "That's enough" or "That's fine, stop." If someone is pouring you water and you want them to stop, you say C'est bon. Say C'est bien there, and they might just keep pouring while looking at you confused.
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Why Adverbs Matter
Adverbs like bien are the workhorses of the language. They modify verbs.
Think about the phrase Il travaille bien. He works well. You wouldn't say Il travaille bon because that sounds like "He works good," which is just as clunky in French as it is in English.
The complexity of how do i say good in french often boils down to whether you are describing a thing or an action.
- Describing a thing? Use bon.
- Describing an action? Use bien.
- Describing your health? Use bien.
- Describing the weather? Use beau (which technically means beautiful, but that's how they say "good" weather).
Beyond the Basics: Slang and Nuance
If you really want to blend in, stop saying bon all the time. It’s a bit basic.
Younger crowds in Paris or Lyon might use cool (yes, they stole it from us) or top. C'est top ! is a very common way to say something is great. Then there's super. It’s an oldie but a goodie. C'était super ! Then there is the word bravo. We use it for performances, but the French use it for any "good" job. If a kid finishes their vegetables? Bravo ! If a colleague hits a deadline? Bravo. What about sage? If you want to tell a child to be "good," you don't say sois bon. You say sois sage. It literally translates to "be wise," which is a pretty heavy expectation for a four-year-old, but that’s the culture. Being good means being well-behaved and quiet.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One of the funniest mistakes learners make is with the phrase "I am good."
In English, when someone asks "How are you?", we often say "I'm good." If you translate that literally to Je suis bon, you are essentially telling the other person "I am a good person" or "I am good in bed." It’s an awkward moment. Always, always use Je vais bien or just Ça va.
Another one is Bonne journée. People often get confused between bon and bonne. Since journée (day) is feminine, you must use the feminine form. You’ll hear this every time you leave a shop. It’s the standard "have a good day."
The Table of "Good" Variations
Because we aren't doing tables today, let's just look at the flow of these words in action.
If you are talking about a film, it is un bon film.
If you are talking about food, it is de la bonne cuisine.
If you are talking about a result, it is un bon résultat.
If you are talking about behavior, it is une bonne conduite.
But if you are describing how someone speaks, they parlent bien.
If someone behaves, they se comportent bien.
If someone sleeps, they dorment bien.
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The Philosophy of "Good" in France
There is a certain weight to the word bon. In French culture, which is deeply rooted in gastronomy and philosophy, le bon is often associated with the senses. It's the pleasure of a warm baguette or the scent of lavender in Provence. Le bien, on the other hand, is often more moral or functional.
When you ask how do i say good in french, you are tapping into a linguistic divide between the physical world and the world of actions. It’s why bon is used for smells and tastes, while bien is used for social interactions and health.
The French writer Albert Camus often used these distinctions to highlight the absurdity or the beauty of life. In French, you don't just "have a good time." You passes un bon moment. You "pass" a good moment. It implies that the goodness is a fleeting thing you are moving through.
Specific Scenarios and What to Say
Let's look at some real-world situations where you need to say "good" but the obvious word might fail you.
At a Concert:
Instead of c’est bon, try c’est génial. It carries more energy. C’est bon sounds like you’re saying the acoustics are technically adequate. C’est génial means you’re actually having fun.
Meeting Someone's Dog:
You wouldn't usually say the dog is bon. You’d say he is gentil (kind/nice) or mignon (cute). A bon chien sounds like a hunting dog that is good at its job, not necessarily a pet you want to cuddle.
Talking About a Professional:
If you have a "good" doctor, they are un bon médecin. Here, bon works perfectly because it implies they are skilled at their craft.
Checking if Food is Still Safe to Eat:
If you're looking at a yogurt that’s three days past its date, you ask C'est encore bon ?. In this context, bon means "valid" or "not spoiled."
The Pronunciation Secret
Many English speakers struggle with the nasal 'n' in bon. To get it right, don't let your tongue touch the roof of your mouth at the end of the word. It’s all in the throat and nose. If you say "bone," you’ve gone too far. If you say "bo," you’re almost there. It’s a soft, vibrating sound that stops just before the 'n' becomes a hard consonant.
Bien is similar. It’s not "bee-en." It’s more like "bee-ah," with that same nasal finish. Practice it in the shower. It’s the only way.
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Actionable Steps for Mastering "Good"
To really get comfortable with these nuances, you have to stop translating word-for-word in your head.
First, start observing how people react when you use bon versus bien. If you see a slight look of confusion, you probably used an adjective where an adverb belonged.
Second, record yourself. Say C’est bon and C’est bien and listen to the difference. One is about the "what," the other is about the "how."
Third, expand your vocabulary. Learn three alternatives to bon today: excellent, sympa (short for sympathique, meaning nice/good), and agréable. Using these will make you sound 100% more fluent than just sticking to the basics.
Fourth, pay attention to fixed expressions. Bon appétit, Bon voyage, Bon courage (which means "good luck" or "hang in there"). These use bon because they are wishing you a "good" thing (a noun). You wouldn't say Bien voyage because "voyage" isn't a verb in that sentence.
Lastly, don't stress. French people are generally quite happy when someone tries to speak their language. If you mix up bon and bien, they will still understand you. They might give you a small, knowing smile, but they won’t call the grammar police. The goal is communication, not perfection.
The next time you’re in that bakery, just look the baker in the eye, point at the pain au chocolat, and say C'est très bon. You’ll be just fine.
Move toward using C'est bien for situations that involve a job well done or a general sense of "alright," and save C'est bon for when your senses—taste, smell, touch—are genuinely pleased. This subtle shift is exactly what separates a tourist from a traveler.
Start by replacing one "good" in your daily French practice with a more specific word like magnifique or parfait. It forces your brain out of the translation rut and into the actual flow of the French language. This is how you stop asking how to say it and just start saying it.