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Annual French Expression
| Meaning | Happy New Year! | |
| Literally | Good year and good health! | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[buh na nay ay buhn sa(n) tay] |
| IPA | [bɔ na ne e bɔn sã te] | |
Usage notes: Bonne année et bonne santé is a classic way to wish someone a happy new year in French.
In English, we say “happy new year,” but the “new” is unnecessary in French – bonne année does the whole job. The addition of bonne santé (good health) is not only a nice thought, but it also rhymes, making a little sing-songy sort of phrase.
Don’t say this until it’s actually the new year – the French find it very odd to be wished a happy new year while it’s still the old one.
More new year’s wishes
- Bonne année
- Bonne et heureuse année
- Meilleurs vœux
- Meilleurs vœux pour le Nouvel An
Seasonal listening practice
Related features
- À la vôtre !
- New Year’s Vocabulary
- French New Year’s Resolutions
- Le Nouvel An à fond
- Expressions with an and année
- An vs année
- Expressions with bon
French holiday expressions
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In italiano
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