Bon vs bien
The short answer
Bon is an adjective and describes a noun, so it changes shape: bon, bonne, bons, bonnes. Bien is an adverb and describes a verb, and it never changes. Un bon repas is a good meal; elle cuisine bien is she cooks well. It is the same split English makes with good and well.
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At a glance
Bon or Bien?
| Compare | BonAdjective. Describes a noun, and agrees with it. | BienAdverb. Describes a verb, and never changes. |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | A noun | A verb, an adjective or another adverb |
| Does it change form? | Yes: bon, bonne, bons, bonnes | Never |
| English equivalent | good | well |
| After être | Describing the thing: la soupe est bonne | Judging the situation: c’est bien |
| Comparative | meilleur | mieux |
| Typical phrase | un bon film, bonne journée, de bonne heure | bien sûr, très bien, aller bien |
How to choose
Ask these, in order
- 1
Is there a noun for it to describe?
Bon, agreeing with that noun in gender and number.
C’était une bonne décision.
It was a good decision.
- 2
Is it describing how something is done?
Bien, and it does not change no matter who is doing it.
Elle parle bien espagnol.
She speaks Spanish well.
- 3
Is it after être, describing a person or thing?
Bon, agreeing as usual. Il est bon means he is good at something or it tastes good.
Cette tarte est vraiment bonne.
This tart is really good.
- 4
Are you judging a situation rather than a thing?
C’est bien. The subject is the whole state of affairs, and bien is the adverb doing the judging.
Tu as fini ? C’est bien.
You’ve finished? That’s good.
NBC’est bon would mean it tastes good, or that something is now correct, a different sentence.
Side by side
Each one, in full
When to use bon
Adjective. Describes a noun, and agrees with it.
Bon is an ordinary adjective: it attaches to a noun and agrees with it. Un bon restaurant, une bonne idée, de bons résultats, de bonnes raisons. It usually sits before the noun, which puts it in the small group of French adjectives that do.
It also covers taste and smell, which is why c’est bon is what you say about food. And it appears in a set of fixed expressions where it means something closer to correct or right: la bonne réponse, le bon numéro.
Ce sont de bonnes nouvelles.
That’s good news.
Tu as pris le bon train ?
Did you get the right train?
NBBon meaning correct rather than good, a very common use.
Ça sent bon ici.
It smells good in here.
NBBon after sentir, because it describes the smell itself.
When to use bien
Adverb. Describes a verb, and never changes.
Bien modifies verbs and never agrees with anything: elle chante bien, ils travaillent bien, nous avons bien mangé. It is also what you use to intensify an adjective or another adverb: bien mieux, bien plus cher.
With être, bien judges rather than describes. C’est bien means that is a good thing to have done; il est bien means he is decent or the situation with him is fine. Both are common and neither can be replaced by bon without changing the meaning.
Tout s’est bien passé.
It all went well.
Je vais bien, merci.
I’m well, thanks.
NBNever je vais bon, aller takes bien, always.
C’est bien plus compliqué que ça.
It’s far more complicated than that.
Mistakes to avoid
What learners actually get wrong
Elle parle bon français.
Elle parle bien français.
Parler is a verb, so it takes the adverb. Bon would need a noun to attach to, elle parle un bon français is possible and means her French is of good quality, which is a different claim.
Je vais bon.
Je vais bien.
Aller in the health sense always takes bien. This is the first phrase most learners meet in French and one of the most persistent errors, because bon feels like the more basic word.
C’est plus bon comme ça.
C’est meilleur comme ça.
Bon has an irregular comparative, meilleur, exactly as English has better rather than more good. Bien’s comparative is mieux, and the two are not interchangeable.
Il est bien en maths.
Il est bon en maths.
Being good at a subject takes bon, which describes the person. Bien would have to attach to a verb instead: il travaille bien en maths. And to say someone is well behaved, French uses bien with a participle, il est bien élevé, which is a third construction again.
Now use it
Accord des adjectifs
Match the adjective to its noun in gender and number. Reading a rule and being able to apply it are different skills, and only one of them shows up when you speak.
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Questions
Asked and answered
- When do I say c’est bon and when c’est bien?
- C’est bon is about taste, or means that’s enough or that’s sorted, c’est bon, j’ai compris. C’est bien is approval of an action or situation: tu as réussi ? C’est bien. Both are extremely common and they are not interchangeable, so it is worth hearing the difference in context.
- What is the difference between meilleur and mieux?
- Meilleur is the comparative of bon and behaves like an adjective, agreeing with its noun: une meilleure solution. Mieux is the comparative of bien and never changes: elle joue mieux que moi. The same adjective-versus-adverb split, one level up.
- Why does French put bon before the noun?
- Most French adjectives follow the noun, but a small set of short, common ones come first: bon, mauvais, grand, petit, jeune, vieux, beau, nouveau. Bon belongs to that group, which is why un bon film is right and un film bon sounds wrong.