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French Greetings — Salutations

Third graders take their first steps in French by learning common greetings — bonjour, au revoir, merci — so they can say hello, thank you, and goodbye in a new language.

Grade 3Salutations35 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Say bonjour and au revoir.
  • ✓Say merci.
  • ✓Ask comment ça va?
  • ✓Greet a partner.
Essential Question

Bonjour! That’s “hello” in French — a language spoken in France, Canada, and many countries across the world! How do you greet someone in French?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Greeting

Project this and match each French greeting to its English meaning — tap the French, then tap the English.

👋 Match each French greeting to its meaningTry it
Français
English
Now tap the English!
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Bonjour!

5 min

“Bonjour” means hello — how do we greet people in French?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “bonjour” together.
  • Ask what it means.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — New Greetings

8 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each greeting.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Practice the sounds.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Practice.
3

Practice — Match the Greeting

9 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Greeting.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match them.
  • Say them.
  • Explain them.
4

Speak — Speak

8 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet a partner in French.
  • Ask comment ça va?
  • Say au revoir.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Greet.
  • Ask it.
  • Say bye.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say a greeting.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: exchange greetings and farewells.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Recognize cultural practices of greeting.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare greetings across languages.

ACTFL
Communities 5.1

Use French greetings beyond the classroom.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Greeting picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ means ___.”
  • Practice with a partner.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with bonjour and merci.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add more greetings.
  • Have a French conversation.
  • Learn responses.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🗣️Audio of greetings
  • 💻Match the Greeting
  • 👥Partner cards
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

bonjourhello / good dayau revoirgoodbyebonsoirgood eveningbonne nuitgood nightmercithank yous’il vous plaîtpleasecomment ça va?how are you?oui / nonyes / no
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you say “hello” in French?
Bonjour.
QUESTION 2
What does “merci” mean?
Thank you.
QUESTION 3
What does “comment ça va?” mean?
How are you?

Reflect: greet in French.

Have students greet a family member in French today — with “bonjour” and “merci.” A printable salutations sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 French Greetings (Salutations)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 French Greetings (Salutations)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ French Greetings (Salutations)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: au revoir, bonjour, bonne nuit, bonsoir, comment ça va?, merci, oui / non, s’il vous plaît
  1. goodbye
  2. good evening
  3. please
  4. good night
  5. how are you?
  6. hello / good day
  7. thank you
  8. yes / no

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “hello” in French?
  2. What does “merci” mean?
  3. What does “comment ça va?” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) au revoir · 2) bonsoir · 3) s’il vous plaît · 4) bonne nuit · 5) comment ça va? · 6) bonjour · 7) merci · 8) oui / non
Part B: 1) Bonjour. 2) Thank you. 3) How are you?