Français — bon vs bien
bon is an adjective (it describes a noun and agrees with it), while bien is an adverb (it describes a verb and never changes). Un bon repas, but il cuisine bien.
How it works
bon is an adjective of quality: it comes before or with a noun and agrees in gender and number — bon, bonne, bons, bonnes (un bon film, une bonne idée). bien is an invariable adverb of manner: it modifies a verb and keeps one form — il travaille bien, elles chantent bien.
Examples
| French | Explanation |
|---|---|
| un bon café | adjective, masculine singular — a good coffee |
| une bonne question | adjective, feminine singular — a good question |
| de bons résultats | adjective, masculine plural — good results |
| elle parle bien | adverb, invariable — she speaks well |
| ils dorment bien | adverb, invariable — they sleep well |
| C'est bon ! | reaction to a taste / sensation — It's tasty / It's OK, done |
| C'est bien ! | judgment of value / approval — That's good / Well done |
Good to know
After être, both appear but mean different things: c'est bon reacts to a taste or a sensation (this food is tasty; that's enough), while c'est bien judges a quality or an action as good (well done, that's a good thing). Don't say il chante bon for he sings well — the manner of a verb always takes the adverb: il chante bien.