How People In Geneva Say Hello And Goodbye

Genevan 'Bonjour' And 'Au Revoir' Rituals

Oct 15, 2009

What's what with verbal expressions, use of the familiar 'tu' and first names? And who gives whose cheeks a peck when meeting face to face in Geneva, Switzerland?

Just at sheer vocabulary level, non-Genevois need a certain amount of time to get the knack of local hello and goodbye habits.

Add to this the head-scratching of whether to use the vous or tu forms of address, first names or Monsieur and Madame, when and when not to use a high five or other cool gesture, shake hands or kiss/kiss/kiss – three times in Geneva – and that’s quite a lot to master.

Saying Hello In Person in Geneva

The most common way for everyone to say Hello and Good Day combined, from early morning through until about 5 p.m., is quite simply Bonjour.

Younger people greeting each other, or older ones greeting people they know, may say Salut! or ‘Ello! (after Hello). Sometimes the Italian Ciao! is also used, as is Eh! Comment ca va? The Eh! is drawn out; it’s not a short dry sound.

Starting around five in the afternoon, Bonjour switches to Bonsoir – again, this means both Hello and Good Evening. Salut/’Ello/Ciao/Eh! Ca va? are valid around the clock.

The Many Facets Of the Genevan Goodbye

You can keep it simple and say Au revoir at any time of day, also Adieu, Bisous, Bye-Bye, and Ciao-Ciao. Like ‘Ello, Bye-Bye is something the Genevois say among themselves; it is not something reserved for interaction with native English-speakers. Bisous (pronounced bee-zoo) means kisses, so use only with people you know well.

However, mostly goodbye is not kept simple. Just as Hello and Good Day/Good Evening are rolled into one, so are leave-taking expressions. Here’s a basic list:

Of course, nobody’s saying you can’t do a double whammy and include a word for goodbye and one of the above, as in Ciao Ciao, Bon week-end!, for example, or Au revoir, Bon dimanche!

A demain! (‘’See you tomorrow!’’), or A lundi! (‘’See you on Monday!’’) are typical farewells in an office setting. Otherwise, A bientôt (‘’See you soon’’) is popular in contexts both familiar and formal, while Au plaisir (indicating that it was a pleasure to meet up with you) and Portez-vous bien (‘’Stay well’’) are reserved for more impersonal occasions among mature folk.

A slang term used more often by the young is A toute! (pronounced Ah toot). This means ‘’See you later’’, but may imply that a concrete, near-future meeting is already in the works. On se voit! On s’appelle! correspond to a casual ‘’See you around’’, express an intention to phone each other, indicating a non-specific and usually not very pressing intent to stay in touch.

Enjoy Your Elevator Ride

Expat writers often note the frequent use of phrases beginning with bon and bonne. One Spanish writer, Rosa Regàs, who wrote a memoir entitled Genève Portrait de Ville par une Méditerranéenne (ISBN 2-88340-047-4) about her experiences living in Geneva, recalls the sing-song French that as she perceived it made standard phrases sound like automatisms lacking in sincerity.

As the height of the ridiculous, she cites once hearing two people batting the bull before one got into the lift. Bon ascenseur! (‘’Happy elevator ride!’’) said the one left standing on the landing, she reports.

Vous, Tu And Kisses

In both phone and face to face meetings, the use of the familiar tu (or not) and use of first names are two whole other cans of worms. A basic rule of thumb is: young people among themselves can use tu and first names from the outset, but the older the parties (or in a hierarchical or business situation) it’s best to assume Monsieur, Madame and vous unless or until the other person asks you to address them in a less formal manner (or vice versa, if you are in the lead). Many are surprised to discover that goes for neighbors too, many of whom address each other for as long as they remain neighbors with vous and Monsieur/Madame without ever getting on more familiar footing. Neither is it unheard of for in-laws to use first names but retain the vous form.

When and when not to replace handshakes with trendier gestures like high fives or proffer bises (that's beeze), the kiss-kiss-kiss on the cheeks? Nod, smile, show every willingness to interact, but let the other person take the lead is the best advice, until such time as you have enough experience to judge for yourself.

Proper Phone Manners

Virtually everybody says Allo! (pronounced either AH-lo or ah- LO?) if answering their own line, although older folks may say Voilà, Madame so and so, or Monsieur so and so. Some also follow the Swiss-German style of stating their last name military style when they pick up, for example ‘’Dunant!’’, ‘’Rossier!’’, ‘’Dupraz!’’. Again, variations are always possible, like ‘’Voilà [pause] Dupraz’’.

If you call somebody you’ve met before but don’t know well, they will pick up as above but on hearing who it is they’ll say (with more warmth) something like Eh! Comment ca va? or Bonjour, Comment allez-vous? Among younger people, or older people who know each other, this ‘’How are you’’ would take the familiar tu form (Comment vas-tu?)

Mercifully, goodbyes on the phone tend to be pretty clear-cut: Au revoir or the more familiar Bye-Bye or Ciao-Ciao. Or of course Bisous.

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