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Use bon when good describes a noun and can agree as bon, bonne, bons, or bonnes; use bien when well describes a verb, adjective, or whole situation and normally does not agree. Un bon professeur means a good teacher; il enseigne bien means he teaches well. Bien can also mean good in fixed judgments such as c'est bien, while bon appears in taste, smell, moral quality, and noun phrases.
bon + noun · verb + bien
Bon is an adjective. It describes a noun and changes form: un bon livre, une bonne idée, de bons amis, de bonnes nouvelles. Bien is usually an adverb. It describes how an action is done or evaluates a whole situation: elle parle bien, tout va bien, c'est bien. If the word directly modifies a noun, bon is usually the answer. If it modifies a verb, bien is usually the answer.
The English shortcut good vs well helps, but it is not perfect. French says c'est bien for that is good as a general judgment, and c'est bon for taste, smell, permission, or enough: c'est bon, j'ai compris. Learn the grammar rule first, then memorize the common fixed expressions.
C'est un bon exemple.
It is a good example.
bon describes exemple
Elle explique bien la règle.
She explains the rule well.
bien describes the verb
Cette soupe est bonne.
This soup is good.
taste → bon/bonne
Tout va bien.
Everything is going well.
c'est bon = taste / enough / OK · c'est bien = good judgment / quality of action
C'est bon often means it tastes good, it smells good, it is enough, or it is OK/settled. C'est bien evaluates a situation, action, idea, or behavior as good, correct, useful, or satisfying. C'est un bon film describes the film as a noun phrase; ce film est bien gives a general evaluation.
In conversation, c'est bon also closes a task: c'est bon, j'ai fini means it's okay/all set, I finished. Saying c'est bien, j'ai fini sounds more like you are judging the fact of finishing as good. Small difference, but it changes tone.
Ce gâteau est bon.
This cake tastes good.
C'est bien de prévenir à l'avance.
It is good to warn people in advance.
C'est bon, vous pouvez entrer.
It's OK, you can come in.
Ce candidat parle bien, mais son vocabulaire reste simple.
This candidate speaks well, but their vocabulary remains simple.
| Use | Choice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adjective before a noun | bon | un bon conseil |
| feminine noun | bonne | une bonne réponse |
| taste / smell | bon | ça sent bon |
| how an action is done | bien | il écrit bien |
| general state | bien | je vais bien |
| judgment of an idea/action | bien | c'est bien de poser des questions |
Do not write un bien étudiant for a good student. Student is a noun, so the adjective is bon: un bon étudiant, une bonne étudiante. Bien cannot normally sit directly before a noun as an adjective.
Do not say je suis bon when you simply mean I am fine. Je suis bon can mean I am good at something, morally good, or even ready/OK in context. For health and general state, say je vais bien.
Remember the comparison forms: bon becomes meilleur, and bien becomes mieux. Un meilleur texte is a better text; il écrit mieux means he writes better. Mixing bon/bien often leads directly to mixing meilleur/mieux.
Bon sticks to nouns like an adjective label; bien floats around verbs and whole situations like an evaluation. If you can put the word directly next to le, la, un, une, mon, or cette plus a noun, choose bon and make it agree. If the word answers how? or how is the situation?, choose bien.
Bon vs bien appears constantly in TEF/TCF speaking because candidates evaluate experiences: un bon travail, une bonne raison, je parle bien français, tout s'est bien passé. The safest high-scoring pattern is to use bon for noun phrases in arguments and bien for performance verbs: c'est une bonne solution parce qu'elle fonctionne bien. Avoid overusing bon as a universal positive word; replacing it with efficace, utile, pertinent, avantageux, or bien organisé makes writing sound more B2.
It depends. Il parle bien français means he speaks French well. Un bon français can mean correct/good French as a noun phrase, but for ability use bien with the verb parler.
Use c'est bon for taste, smell, enough, OK, or settled. Use c'est bien for a general judgment that something is good, useful, correct, or well done.
Yes. Bon is an adjective: bon, bonne, bons, bonnes. Bien is usually an adverb and does not agree.
Meilleur is the comparative of bon and describes a noun. Mieux is the comparative of bien and describes a verb or situation. See the full mieux vs meilleur guide.