Well and good: when to use bien and bon in French

Tu dors bien ? (are you sleeping well?) Bien (well) is generally used with a verb (here, dormir, meaning “to sleep”). Example: je connais bien Paris (I know Paris well).

We use bon (good) with a noun, not with a verb like dormir (to sleep), here in the form tu dors. Example: bon appétit! (enjoy your meal!, literally “good appetite!”).

– Comment ça va ? – Ça va bien (-How are you? -I'm well). We could also say je vais bien (I'm doing well). Example: - Comment allez-vous ? - Ça va bien/Je vais bien (-How are you? -I'm fine/I'm doing well).

Bon (good) most often refers to a noun, so we can't use it here with ça va. Example: Jules est un bon copain (Jules is a good friend).

Anna a un bon travail (Anna has a good job). We use bon (good) with a noun, in this case travail (job, work), and the ending changes depending on the gender and number of the noun. Example: c'est une bonne série (it's a good series).

Bien (well) usually refers to a verb, so we can't use it here with the noun travail (job, work). Example: nous travaillons bien ensemble (we work well together).

Théo aime bien voyager (Théo really likes to travel, literally “Théo likes well to travel”). We generally use bien (well) with a verb. Example: tu nages bien ! (you swim well!).

We could say Théo a fait un bon voyage (Théo had a good trip), but we needed to use bien here with the verb aimer (to like).

J'ai envie d'un bon café (I want a good coffee). Bon (good) is used with a noun, in this case café (coffee). Example: c'est un bon restaurant/une bonne boulangerie (it's a good restaurant/bakery).

We use bien (well) with a verb, not a noun like café (coffee). Example: il danse bien (he dances well).

Ce parfum sent très bon (This perfume smells very good). With the verb sentir sentir, présent (to smell), we use bon (good) and it doesn't have to agree with the noun. Example: ces croissants sentent bon ! (these croissants smell good!).

We could say je me sens bien (I feel good) se sentir, présent. However, sentir here means “to smell” and we are describing parfum (perfume).

Caroline cuisine très bien (Caroline cooks very well). We generally use bien (well) to add information about a verb, in this case cuisiner (to cook). Example: Paulo parle bien français (Paulo speaks French well).

Bon (good) refers to a noun, not a verb as in the case of cuisiner (to cook). Example: Caroline prépare de bons plats (Caroline prepares delicious dishes).

J'adore le chocolat, c'est très bon ! (I love chocolate, it's really good!). We use c'est bon (it's good) when we're talking about something pleasant, like le chocolat (chocolate). Example: - Tu aimes le caramel ? - Oui, c'est bon ! (-Do you like caramel? -Yes, it's good!).

We use c'est bien (that's good) to describe something positive or successful, so we can't use it here to describe chocolat (chocolate). Example: Vous partez en vacances ? C'est bien ! (Are you going on vacation? That's good!).

Tu parles l'espagnol, c'est bien ! (You speak Spanish, that's good!). We use c'est bien (that's good) to talk about something positive or successful. Example: vous êtes à l'heure, c'est bien ! (you're on time, that's good!).

We use c'est bon (it's good) to talk about tasty or pleasant things. We can't use it here to talk about something positive. Example: c'est bon, la pizza ! (the pizza's good!).