The difference between bon and bien

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Bon and bien are two words which French learners often get mixed up. Both words are related, meaning not only do they sound very similar, but they also have a very similar meaning.

Despite this, we use bon and bien in very different ways.

Bon as an adjective

Bon is primarily used as an adjective. Its ending changes depending on whether the noun or pronoun it relates to is masculine, feminine, singular or plural:

It can mean a few different things:

Good

C'est un bon médecin.
He's a good doctor.

Les gâteaux ne sont pas bons.
The cakes don't taste good.

J'espère que vous avez passé une bonne journée.
I hope you've had a good day.

Valid

Je suis désolé, votre billet n'est plus bon.
I'm sorry, your ticket isn't valid any more.

Right/correct

Est-ce la bonne adresse ?

Is this the right address?

Ready/ripe

Les poires sont bonnes.
The pears are ripe.

Large amount (informal)

Elle a pris une bonne poignée de bonbons dans le bocal.
She took a good handful of sweets from the jar.

Bon as an adverb

Bon can also sometimes be used as an adverb, in particular after certain verbs:

faire bon - to be pleasant

Il fait bon dehors.
It's pleasant outside.

sentir bon - to smell good

Le café sent bon.
The coffee smells good.

tenir bon - to endure, to hold up

Le bateau a tenu bon malgré la tempête.
The boat held up despite the storm.

Bon as a noun

Bon has a few specific meanings as a noun.

The good

Le Bon, la Brute et le Truand

The Good, the Ugly and the Bad

The correct one

Tu as choisi le bon.
You chose the correct one.

Someone who is good at something

C'est un bon en informatique.
He's good at I.T.

A voucher

J'ai un bon de 25 euros.
I have a €25 voucher.

A certificate/document

un bon de livraison
a delivery note

Bien as an adverb

Bien is primarily used as an adverb, meaning 'well'.

Examples

Nous avons bien mangé.
We ate well.

Je vais bien.
I'm well / I'm doing well.

La maison est bien construite.
The house is well built.

Bien as an adjective

Bien can also be used as an adjective, meaning 'proper', 'fine' or 'appropriate'. Note that bien never changes form, regardless of whether the noun or pronoun it describes is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

Examples

Tout est bien.
Everything is fine.

Ce n'est pas bien de mentir.

It isn't right to lie.

Ils sont bien ici.

They feel right at home here.

Bien as a noun

When used as a noun, bien typically means 'goods' or 'assets'.

Examples

Les biens immobiliers
real estate / property

Les biens d'une entreprise
a company's assets

Elle possède plusieurs biens.
She owns several properties/assets.

To learn more about the difference between bon and bien, be sure to check out lessons 13 and 19 of The Complete French Course.