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The French phrase "Bonne année" revealed

Get prepared to find out everything you want to know about the basic phrase "Bonne année !". It includes a complete definition of what it is and how to use it in a casual conversation with an audio example. Together with the cool things we sprinkled like dialogue example, synonym, slow pronunciation audio and more!


French to English

  • Translation : Happy new year!

  • Register : Neutral - Basic - Christmas & New Year's Eve

Pronunciation

Slow

Normal

  • IPA : / bɔn ane ! /

aesthetic french quote bonne annee

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Bonne année ! meaning

Definition

The literal meaning is:

"Bonne année" is the simplest and most common way to say "Happy New Year" in French. It's interesting to note that in French, there is no mention of "New" contrary to English because it's implied in the context.

How to use

Simply use "Bonne année" the same way you would use "Happy New Year". But if you want something nicer, you can say instead "Bonne année et bonne santé" (Happy New Year and good health to you). Or you can use "Meilleurs voeux" (Best wishes).

You can also add "Très" to strengthen it: "Très bonne année" (Very Happy New Year) or even replace "bonne" with "excellente" like following "Excellente année" (Excellent New Year).

Since there are countless possibilities and variations, you can check the "Synonyms" section below for more inspiration.

Fun fact

You should absolutely wait for the New Year to be there before using it, or French people are going to be pissed! (True story)

Synonyms

↓ Example in a story with slow audio ↓

Finally, let's see an example in a parallel story with slow audio.

Le Nouvel An

The New Year

Le Nouvel An est l'une des vacances nationales en France.
The New Year is one of the national holidays in France.
En général, c'est la fête qui met fin aux vacances d'hiver.
Usually, it's the celebration that puts an end to the winter holidays.
Contrairement à Noël, le Nouvel An est généralement fêté avec des amis.
Unlike Christmas, the New Year is usually celebrated with friends.
Mais à bien des égards, ces deux fêtes sont similaires.
But in many ways, these two celebrations are similar.
Par exemple : le Nouvel An aussi inclut un délicieux repas et du champagne...
For example: the New Year also includes a delicious meal and champagne...
Et les plats sont souvent similaires à ceux servis à Noël.
And the dishes are often similar to those served at Christmas.

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