When you think of the word “evening” in French, le soir probably comes to mind first. And you'd be right! It's the most common and direct translation. However, the French language is rich with nuance, and there are several other ways to refer to this lovely time of day, each with its own specific context and feel.

Whether you're wishing someone a pleasant evening, making plans for tonight, or describing the twilight hour, using the right word can make your French sound much more natural and sophisticated.

Let’s explore nine fantastic ways to say “evening” so you can confidently chat about your plans from sunset onwards!

The standard 'evening' – le soir

The most common and standard way to say 'the evening' in French is le soir. It's the go-to term you'll hear and use most frequently.

Le soir generally refers to the part of the day between the end of the afternoon and the time you go to bed. This typically starts around 6 PM (18h) and lasts until midnight.

To express the idea of 'in the evening' or 'at night', you simply use le soir. Unlike English, you do not need a preposition like 'in' or 'at'. For example, 'Je travaille le soir' means 'I work in the evening'.

Using the definite article le soir implies a recurring or habitual action. For instance, 'Le soir, je lis un livre' means 'In the evening, I read a book' (as a habit). To talk about one specific, non-recurring evening, you would use un soir ('one evening'), and to talk about the current or upcoming evening, you use ce soir ('this evening' or 'tonight').

Soir is a masculine noun, so it is always le soir. The plural form, les soirs, is used to emphasize an action that happens every single evening. For example: 'Tous les soirs, il promène son chien' (Every evening, he walks his dog).

Le soir is the root of the common greeting Bonsoir, which means 'Good evening'. You can use it to greet someone or to say goodbye in the evening.

💡 * Le soir, nous dînons en famille. (In the evening, we have dinner as a family.)

• Que fais-tu ce soir ? (What are you doing tonight?)
• Il est rentré tard un soir de décembre. (He came home late one evening in December.)
• J'aime écouter de la musique le soir pour me détendre. (I like to listen to music in the evening to relax.)
• Tous les soirs, le soleil se couche plus tôt en hiver. (Every evening, the sun sets earlier in winter.)

The 'evening' as an event or duration – la soirée

When learning French, you'll quickly encounter two words for 'evening': le soir and la soirée. While they seem similar, la soirée is used specifically to talk about the evening as a duration or a social event.

The fundamental difference is that le soir refers to the evening as a point in time (like 'in the evening'), whereas la soirée refers to the span of time or the experience within that evening. Think of le soir as the container and la soirée as the contents.

You use la soirée to describe what happens during the evening. If you want to say you had a 'good evening', you are describing the experience over its duration, so you must use la soirée. For example, J'ai passé une bonne soirée (I had a good evening).

More specifically, la soirée is the go-to word for an 'evening party' or a 'social gathering'. If someone says, Je fais une soirée samedi (I'm having a party on Saturday), they are referring to a specific event, not just the general time of day.

This distinction is also clear in greetings. Bonsoir is a simple greeting you say when it is the evening. Bonne soirée ! is what you say to someone when they are about to go do something for the evening, wishing them a good experience.

💡 * J'ai passé une excellente soirée au cinéma.

• Nous sommes invités à une soirée d'anniversaire vendredi.
• Bonne soirée et à bientôt !
• La soirée a commencé à 20h et s'est terminée tard dans la nuit.
• Que fais-tu pendant la soirée ?

The 'late afternoon' or 'early evening' – la fin de l’après-midi

In French, there isn't a single, perfect word for 'late afternoon.' Instead, the most common and natural way to express this time is with the phrase la fin de l’après-midi, which can also mean 'early evening'.

Literally, this phrase translates to 'the end of the afternoon.' It's composed of la fin (the end) + de l’après-midi (of the afternoon), perfectly describing the time when the day's main activities are winding down.

La fin de l’après-midi generally refers to the period from about 4 PM to 6 PM. It's the bridge between the peak of the afternoon and the start of the evening (le soir), which typically begins around 6 or 7 PM.

A very common way to use this phrase is with the preposition en, as in en fin d'après-midi. This is used to mean 'in the late afternoon' or 'towards the end of the afternoon' when making plans or describing when something happened.

💡 * On se voit en fin d'après-midi ? (Shall we meet in the late afternoon?)

• Le magasin ferme en fin d'après-midi. (The store closes in the late afternoon.)
• J'aime me promener en fin d'après-midi, quand le soleil est moins fort. (I like to take a walk in the late afternoon, when the sun is less strong.)
• La réunion aura lieu en fin d'après-midi, vers 17h. (The meeting will take place in the late afternoon, around 5 PM.)

The poetic 'dusk' or 'twilight' – le crépuscule

The poetic 'dusk' or 'twilight' – le crépuscule

Le crépuscule is the French word for 'twilight' or 'dusk.' It specifically refers to the period between sunset and complete darkness, characterized by a soft, fading light. This term carries a very poetic and often melancholic or romantic connotation, frequently used in literature and art.

Interestingly, le crépuscule can refer to both the evening twilight (crépuscule du soir) and the morning twilight, or dawn (crépuscule du matin). While it technically covers both, it is most commonly used to mean 'dusk' unless specified otherwise.

Beyond its literal meaning, le crépuscule is often used figuratively to describe the final stage or decline of something, much like the English phrase 'the twilight of an era' or 'the twilight of one's life' (le crépuscule d'une vie).

💡 * J'adore me promener sur la plage au crépuscule. (I love walking on the beach at twilight.)

• La lumière du crépuscule donnait une couleur dorée aux bâtiments. (The twilight light gave a golden color to the buildings.)
• Nous sommes entrés dans le crépuscule de cette civilisation. (We have entered the twilight of this civilization.)
• Le poète a écrit de nombreux vers sur la beauté du crépuscule. (The poet wrote many verses on the beauty of dusk.)

The 'nightfall' – la tombée de la nuit

The 'nightfall' – la tombée de la nuit.

La tombée de la nuit literally translates to 'the falling of the night.' It’s a descriptive and somewhat poetic phrase used to refer to dusk or twilight, the period when the sun sets and darkness begins.

This expression carries a more literary or evocative tone compared to more common terms like le crépuscule (twilight) or simply le soir (the evening). It's perfect for setting a scene in a story or describing a beautiful sunset.

The phrase is directly related to the common verbal expression la nuit tombe, which means 'the night falls.' Understanding the noun phrase helps you recognize and use the verb form more naturally.

Use la tombée de la nuit when you want to be more descriptive than functional. For simply stating the time of day, le soir is more common, but for capturing the atmosphere of evening's arrival, la tombée de la nuit is the ideal choice.

💡 * J'aime me promener à la tombée de la nuit. (I like to take a walk at nightfall.)

• Nous devrions être rentrés avant la tombée de la nuit. (We should be back before nightfall.)
• Les couleurs du ciel sont magnifiques à la tombée de la nuit. (The colors of the sky are magnificent at dusk.)
• À la tombée de la nuit, le village devient très calme. (At nightfall, the village becomes very quiet.)

The specific 'this evening' or 'tonight' – ce soir

When you need to talk about plans for the current evening or night, the phrase you'll almost always use in French is ce soir.

Literally translating to 'this evening,' ce soir is highly specific. It pinpoints the period from late afternoon until about midnight on the day you are speaking. It's the direct equivalent of both 'this evening' and 'tonight' in English.

You use ce soir to make plans, ask about someone's schedule, or describe an event happening on the current day. It's a fundamental time marker for everyday conversation.

It's important not to confuse ce soir with cette nuit ('this night'). While ce soir covers the main evening hours (e.g., 6 PM to midnight), cette nuit refers to the late-night or early morning hours (e.g., midnight to 4 AM). So, a party starts ce soir, but might continue late into cette nuit.

💡 * Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce soir ? (What are you doing tonight?)

• Je reste à la maison ce soir pour regarder un film. (I'm staying home tonight to watch a movie.)
• On dîne au restaurant ce soir. (We're having dinner at the restaurant this evening.)
• Le match de foot est diffusé à la télé ce soir. (The soccer game is on TV tonight.)

The adverbial 'in the evening' – en soirée

The phrase en soirée is a specific way to say 'in the evening' in French. Unlike the more general le soir, it often implies a special event, an outing, or a more formal context for the evening's activities.

Use en soirée when referring to activities that are planned for the evening, such as a party, a dinner, or a formal reception. It carries the nuance of 'for the evening's entertainment' or 'as an evening event'. For routine, daily evening actions, le soir is more appropriate (e.g., Je lis le soir - I read in the evening).

As an adverbial phrase, en soirée typically follows the verb it modifies. It is an invariable phrase, meaning it does not change to agree with other parts of the sentence.

💡 * Que vas-tu porter en soirée ? (What are you going to wear for the evening event?)

• La cérémonie se déroulera en soirée. (The ceremony will take place in the evening.)
• Ils organisent une petite fête en soirée pour célébrer son anniversaire. (They are organizing a little party in the evening to celebrate his birthday.)
• Il est rare que nous sortions en soirée pendant la semaine. (It's rare for us to go out in the evening during the week.)

The old-fashioned 'evening gathering' or 'vigil' – la veillée

The old-fashioned 'evening gathering' or 'vigil' – la veillée

Historically, la veillée was a cherished tradition, especially in rural areas. It refers to the time after dinner when family and neighbors would gather, often by the fireside, to talk, tell stories, sing, or do light work. It was a primary form of social entertainment before electricity.

Beyond this cozy image, la veillée also means 'vigil.' This can be a solemn occasion, such as staying up all night with someone who is sick (une veillée d'un malade) or gathering to watch over the body of a deceased person before a funeral (une veillée funèbre). Context is key to understanding the meaning.

While traditional veillées are rare today, the expression faire la veillée is still used to mean 'to stay up late' or 'to have a late night,' often in a social context. For example, one might faire la veillée to finish a book or chat with friends.

💡 * Autrefois, les gens du village se retrouvaient pour la veillée dans la plus grande ferme.

• La famille a organisé une veillée funèbre pour honorer la mémoire du défunt.
• Nous avons fait la veillée hier soir pour regarder les étoiles filantes.
• L'infirmière a passé la veillée au chevet du malade.

1. What is L'Heure Bleue?

The French phrase l'heure bleue literally translates to 'the blue hour'. It refers to the period of twilight in the morning or evening when the sun is just below the horizon, and the sky is filled with a deep, serene blue light. It's a moment cherished for its calm and magical atmosphere.

Beyond its literal meaning, l'heure bleue holds a strong poetic and romantic connotation in French culture. It's a popular concept in photography, film, and art, often used to evoke feelings of tranquility, melancholy, or romance. The term is famously associated with the ambiance of Paris just after sunset.

Grammatically, 'heure' is a feminine noun, so the phrase is always 'l'heure bleue' (the blue hour) or 'une heure bleue' (a blue hour). It's used to describe this specific time of day rather than a literal hour on the clock.

💡 * J'aime regarder la ville s'illuminer pendant l'heure bleue. (I like to watch the city light up during the blue hour.)

• Le photographe a capturé un portrait magnifique à l'heure bleue. (The photographer captured a magnificent portrait at the blue hour.)
• C'est à l'heure bleue que Paris est la plus romantique. (It's during the blue hour that Paris is the most romantic.)
• L'heure bleue du matin est souvent plus froide, mais tout aussi belle. (The morning blue hour is often colder, but just as beautiful.)

Are there other ways to say 'evening' in French?

Are there other ways to say “evening” in French?

This article has covered the most common ways to say ‘evening’ in French, mainly soir and soirée. However, the French language is full of subtleties, and you'll find other terms, from poetic expressions like crépuscule (twilight) to more specific words for evening activities.

To expand your vocabulary, try searching online for “expressions sur le soir” or looking up synonyms for soir in a French thesaurus like a dictionnaire des synonymes.

When you discover a new term, always check its definition and observe how it's used in context. A word like veillée (an evening gathering or vigil) has a very different feel from a simple soir.

Pay close attention as you watch French films or read French literature. Notice how characters describe the time of day. This is one of the best ways to grasp the natural rhythm and nuance of the language.

For a deeper exploration of vocabulary related to the evening, the online dictionary Larousse is an excellent resource. The entry for soir will often include a list of idioms and common phrases that can enrich your understanding.

We hope this guide has been helpful. Let’s end with a poetic French proverb: À chaque jour suffit sa peine, et à chaque soir son espérance. (To each day its own trouble, and to each evening its own hope.)