Fun French Expressions With 'Bien'

The French word bien means "well" or "good" and is used in many idioms that express several forms of speech, from nouns to verbs and exclamations. But bien by itself is usually an adverb. Learn how to say "good and evil," "real estate," "we'll see," "to do a good job," and more with these fun expressions using bien.

Remember not to confuse bien and its close sibling bon. Bon and bien are often confused, because they have similar meanings and because both can function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.

Common French Expressions Using 'Bien'

Avoir la langue bien pendue – To be a facile talker; to have the gift of gab

Bel et bien – Altogether; truly; really

Bien au contraire – On the contrary; quite the opposite

Bien dans sa peau – Comfortable in one's own skin / with oneself

Bien entendu – Of course; obviously

Le bien et le mal – Good and evil

Le bien public – Public good

Le bien d'humanité – The good of humanity

Les biens d'un magasin – A store's goods

Les biens immobiliers – Real estate

Bien sûr – Of course

Bien sûr que non – Of course not

Dire du bien de – To speak well of

Être bien mal – To be close to death

Faire du bien à quelqu'un – To do someone good

Faire le bien – To do good

On verra bien ! – We'll see!

Prendre la chose bien – To take something well

Rendre le bien pour le mal – To return good for evil

S'y prendre bien – To do a good job; handle something the right way