30 different ways to say good night and sweet dreams in French

No matter, if you sleep early or late, you need to learn how to say good night in French. Learning this expression is important if you are staying over at your francophone friend’s place, saying goodbye to a friend after a night party, falling asleep next to your French partner and the list goes on.

The night is called nuit in French, and the evening is called soirée. Logic dictates that “goodnight” is bonne nuit and “good evening” is bonne soirée. These two expressions are only useful when saying goodbye in French. If you are saying hello to someone in the evening, use bonsoir.

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How to say good night in French

English	French	IPA	Note/Context
Good night!	Bonne nuit !	bɔnə nɥi !
Good evening.	Bonsoir/Bonne soirée.	bõswaɾ/bɔnə swaɾeə.
Have a good night!	Passez une bonne nuit !	pasez‿ ynə bɔnə nɥi !
Goodnight my friend.	Bonne nuit, mon ami(e).	bɔnə nɥi, mõn‿ ami(ɛ).
I wish you a good night.	Je te/vous souhaite une bonne nuit.	ʒə tɛ/vu suɛt ynə bɔnə nɥi.
Good night, little ones.	Bonne nuit, les petits.	bɔnə nɥi,le pəti.	For children
Good night, see you tomorrow.	Bonne nuit, à demain.	bɔnə nɥi, a dəmɛ̃.
I had a great day, good night.	J’ai passé une bonne journée, bonne nuit.	ʒe pase ynə bɔnə ʒuɾneə, bɔnə nɥi.

Romantic ways to say good night in French

There are different ways to say good night to your love interest. Never miss a single chance to make them feel loved and special. If you have a French partner, the following table is quite important for you.

English	French	IPA
Goodnight, my love.	Bonne nuit, mon amour.	bɔnə nɥi, mõn‿ amuɾ.
Goodnight, sweet dreams.	Bonne nuit, fais de beaux rêves.	bɔnə nɥi, fe də bo ɾɛvə.
Goodnight, I love you.	Bonne nuit, je t’aime.	bɔnə nɥi, ʒə tɛmə.
Goodnight, beautiful.	Bonne nuit ma belle.	bɔnə nɥi ma bɛlə.
Goodnight, handsome.	Bonne nuit mon beau	bɔnə nɥi mõ bo
Goodnight, honey (female).	Bonne nuit mon chéri	bɔnə nɥi mõ ʃeɾi
Goodnight, honey (male).	Bonne nuit ma chérie	bɔnə nɥi ma ʃeɾjə

If you want to impress your French partner then you need to speak French fluently. Watch how the natives speak and try to gain their accents. Practice, practice, and some more practice…

Some other greetings for a good evening in French

Here are a few more options to consider before you go to bed. From “sweet dreams” to “Have a good evening,” there are enough French expressions to let you build a strong connection with the people around you.

English	French	IPA
Have a good evening.	Passe une bonne soirée.	pas ynə bɔnə swaɾeə.
Sweet dreams.	Fais de beaux rêves	fe də bo ɾɛvə
Sleep well.	Dors bien.	dɔɾ bjɛ̃.
I’m going to bed.	Je vais me coucher.	ʒə ve mə kuʃe.
I’m exhausted.	Je suis épuisé(e). Je suis crevé(e) (slang)	ʒə sɥiz‿ epɥize(ɛ). ʒə sɥi kɾəve(ɛ)
It’s time to go to bed.	C’est l’heure d’aller se coucher.	sɛ lœɾə dale sə kuʃe.
Get some sleep.	Va te reposer.	va tə ɾəpoze.
Go put your PJs on.	Va mettre ton pyjama.	va mɛtɾə tõ piʒama.
I have to wake up early tomorrow.	Je dois me lever tôt demain.	ʒə dwa mə ləve to dəmɛ̃.
Would you like herbal tea?	Tu veux une tisane ?	ty vøx‿ ynə tizanə ?
Would you like milk with honey?	Tu veux du lait avec du miel ?	ty vø dy lɛt‿ avɛk dy mjɛl ?
Do you have enough pillows?	Tu as assez d’oreillers ?	ty az‿ ase dɔɾɛje ?
Do you need to use the bathroom?	Tu as besoin de la salle de bain ?	ty a bəswɛ̃ də la salə də bɛ̃ ?
Do you want a book?	Tu veux un livre ?	ty vøx‿ œ̃ livɾə ?
Turn off the light.	Éteins la lumière.	etɛ̃ la lymjɛɾə.

French expressions related to sleep

Dormir comme un loir

Literal translation: To sleep like a dormhouse

Compter les moutons

Literal translation: Counting sheep

Dormir sur ses deux oreilles

Literal translation: To sleep on one’s both ears

La nuit porte conseil

Literal translation: The night brings advice

Comme on fait son lit, on se couche

Literal translation: As you make your bed, so you sleep

Un nom à coucher dehors

Literal translation: A name to sleep outside

If you want to use such greetings and phrases in your French conversations, you need to develop a command of French grammar. You cannot structure a sentence without mastering the grammar of any language. Learn French grammar to design your conversations just like natives do!

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is Bonsoir?

A. It is a French noun that means good evening.

Q. Is it correct to say Bon soir?

A. The phrase “bon soir” is incorrect. The masculine form of good is bon. However, because “nuit” is feminine (la nuit), “bon” must be used in the feminine form of “bonne.”

Q. Is Bonne Nuit a romantic movie?

A. “Bonne nuit, mon amour” translates literally as “Good night, my love.” If you want to say “Good night” in French in a romantic way, this is a good, basic way to do it.

Conclusion

In this post, we have explored different ways to say good night in French. You just cannot use the same phrase to say good night to your family members and your partner. Try using different phrases every night and keep updating your French vocabulary.

If you are a French learner and looking for ways to learn French, we recommend you start right from the basics. For example, learn French numbers, days, names of the month, and telling time in French. Doing so will enable you to understand basic French conversations.