Languages › French Correctly Use the Confusing French Pairs Bon vs. Bien Print Il est bon étudiant / Il est bien comme étudiant. (He is a good student.). Catherine Delahaye/Getty Images French Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on November 04, 2019 Bon and bien are often confused because they have somewhat similar meanings and they can both be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. See the summary table at the bottom. Adjectives Bon is usually an adjective. It modifies a noun and means good, suitable, efficient, correct, useful, etc. Bien means good, moral, right, healthy, etc., and can only be used as an adjective with copular (state-of-being) verbs such as être. Il est bon étudiant.He is a good student. Il est bien comme étudiant.He is a good student. J'ai passé une bonne soirée.I had a nice evening. Ça serait bien !That would be good! Il a bon cœur.He has a good/kind heart. Très bien ! Very good! Ce timbre n'est pas bon.This stamp is not valid. Je suis bien partout.I'm at ease anywhere. Luc est bon pour le service.Luc is fit for (military) service. Ce n'est pas bien de dire ça.It's not nice to say that. Je le trouve bien.I think it's nice. Adverbs of Manner Bien is usually an adverb. It means well or can be used to stress something. Bon, in the rare instances where it is used as an adverb, means good or pleasant. J'ai bien dormi.I slept well. Il fait bon ici.It's nice/pleasant here. Il se porte bien.He is in good health. Il fait bon vivre.It's good to be alive. Je vais bien, merci.I am well, thank you. Il fait bon étudier.It's good to study. La radio ne marche pas bien.The radio isn't working right. Ça sent bon !That smells good! Je le vois bien souvent.I see him quite often. J'ai bien dit ça.I *did* say that. Nouns Bon can be a noun that refers to any sort of important or official piece of paper: form, bond, coupon, voucher, etc. Bien means good in the general sense, and biens means goods (as opposed to services). un bon à vuedemand note le bien publicpublic good un bon de caissecash voucher le bien et le malgood and evil un bon de commandeorder form dire du bien deto speak well of un bon de livraisondelivery slip faire du bien à quelqu'unto do someone good un bon de réductioncoupon les biens d'un magasina store's goods un bon du TrésorTreasury bond biens immobiliersreal estate En résumé Bon Bien adjective good well adverb nice well noun form, bond good(s) Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "Correctly Use the Confusing French Pairs Bon vs. Bien." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/bon-vs-bien-1368817. Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). Correctly Use the Confusing French Pairs Bon vs. Bien. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/bon-vs-bien-1368817 Team, ThoughtCo. "Correctly Use the Confusing French Pairs Bon vs. Bien." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/bon-vs-bien-1368817 (accessed March 28, 2024). copy citation By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies