French · Emotions & Descriptions

"Good" in French: bon / bonne

bon / bonne

Say it: bohn / bunadjective/bɔ̃/ /bɔn/

Good in French is bon before masculine nouns and bonne before feminine ones. C'est bon means that's good or that tastes good. Bien is the adverb "well".

Tasting soup

Mmm, c'est bon !
Mmm, that's good!
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How to pronounce bon / bonne

Say it

bohn / bun

/bɔ̃/ /bɔn/

Bon is a nasal bohn. Bonne is bun, with a clear n and silent e. Do not confuse bon with English bone.

"Good" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
bon / bonnegood

Adjective before or after nouns, with agreement.

c'est bonthat's good / ready / tasty

Very common everyday phrase.

un bon plana good tip / deal

Informal for a useful idea.

bonne idéegood idea

Feminine agreement with idée.

How to use bon / bonne in real life

  1. 1Tasting soup

    Mmm, c'est bon !

    Mmm, that's good!

    Default food reaction.

  2. 2Choosing a film

    C'est un bon film.

    It's a good film.

    Bon before masculine film.

  3. 3Reacting to a plan

    Bonne idée, on y va.

    Good idea, let's go.

    Bonne agrees with feminine idée.

Mistakes English speakers make with bon / bonne

Incorrect: Une bon idée.

Correct: Une bonne idée.

Idée is feminine, so bonne.

Incorrect: Je parle bon français. (aiming at "well")

Correct: Je parle bien français.

Use the adverb bien for how you do something. Bon/bonne are adjectives.

Good to know

C'est bon also means "that's enough" or "we're good" in tone of voice. In cooking, bon appétit wishes people a good meal and is still widely said at the table.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Trying a homemade sauce

  1. ChatPal

    Goûte ça. C'est bon ?

    Taste this. Is it good?

  2. You

    Oui, c'est très bon !

    Yes, it's really good!

  3. ChatPal

    Encore un peu de sel ?

    A bit more salt?

  4. You

    Non, c'est bon comme ça.

    No, it's good like this.

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"Good" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Good" in French

When do I use bon vs bonne?

Bon with masculine nouns, bonne with feminine ones.

What about bien?

Bien is "well" (adverb). Bon/bonne mean "good" (adjective).

Does c'est bon only mean tasty?

No. It can mean okay, ready, or that's enough, depending on tone.

How do you pronounce bon?

Nasal bohn, without a hard final n.

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