Bon accompanies a noun. It qualifies a person, a thing or an idea: a bon coffee, a good idea, a bon teacher. Bien accompanies a verb or an action. It says how something is done: he speaks well, she works well, we sing well. When in doubt, look at the word being described. If the word being described is a noun, choose bon. If the word being described is an action, choose bien. To review the place of words in the sentence, see Introduction and the references on adjectives and adverbs in Adjectives and Adverbs: Quick Reference.

General distinction between bon and bien

Idea
We use bon to qualify a noun and say that something is of good quality.
We use bien to qualify an action or a verb and say that it is done correctly.

With être, bon is used to say that a person or thing has a positive quality: this cake is bon, this child is bon, this film is bon. Bien with être does not talk about taste or general quality. It mainly describes a state, often in expressions such as I am bien here, everything is bien, it's going well. In a sentence such as the room is bien, the meaning depends on the context, but in common usage, it often means that the place is suitable or pleasing. For basic verbs and their forms, the references in Verbs: Common Tenses help recognize the sentence before choosing the correct word.

Use of bon and bien with être

Usage	Explanation
Quality of something	We use bon with être to talk about the quality of an object, a dish or a situation.
State of a person	We often use bien with être to say that a person is doing well or feels well.
Positive judgment	We choose bon when être is used to give a positive assessment of what we are talking about.

C’est bon is first used to talk about taste: this dish is bon, this chocolate is bon. It is also used to say that something is acceptable, finished or successful: c’est bon, we can leave, c’est bon, I understand, c’est bon for today. C’est bien is used to give a positive assessment of an action, an attitude or a decision: c’est bien to give notice, c’est bien to help, c’est bien, you have finished. With a moral value, c’est bien judges behavior: what he did is bien. The choice therefore depends on the intended meaning, between taste, success, the end of an action, or positive judgment.

Differences in meaning with c est

Usage	Explanation
Taste or food	We say c est bon to talk about a pleasant taste or successful food.
Success or completion	We also say c est bon to indicate that a task is finished or correct.
Positive appreciation	We use c est bien to express a positive opinion about a behavior or an action.
Moral judgment	We use c est bien when we want to praise an attitude or a decision considered correct.

After sentir, paraître and sembler, bon and bien do not perform the same function. Bon often describes an impression linked to quality or taste: this cheese smells bon, this dish seems bon. Bien describes rather the perceived manner or state: she seems bien, he looks bien, you look bien today. With sentir, sentir bon refers to a pleasant smell, whereas sentir bien often means being in good health or feeling comfortable: I don't feel bien. With paraître and sembler, bien is common for general appearance or state, whereas bon appears when the idea concerns the quality of what is perceived.

Choice after perception verbs

Usage	Explanation
Smell or flavor	After sentir, we use bon when talking about a smell or a flavor.
General impression	After paraître, we often choose bien to talk about an impression or a way of being.
Likely appearance	After sembler, bien is used to express an impression or an estimation.
Perceived quality	After these verbs, bon remains possible when describing the perceived quality of something.

After a verb, bon appears when it completes the idea of usefulness, suitability or quality. One says être bon à + infinitive for an aptitude, as in he is bon at repairing, or bon pour + noun for something useful or suitable, such as this vaccine is bon for everyone. In everyday language, bon also follows certain verbs when it expresses an expected quality: that will be bon, that seems bon. The word then does not describe the action itself, but the value of what is produced, offered or obtained. In a conversational setting, this form often comes up when evaluating a dish, an idea, a result or a service.

Bon used after a verb

Usage	Explanation
Practical usefulness	We use bon after a verb when we mean that something is useful for something or that it is suitable.
Adaptation to a situation	We use bon to show that an object or a solution is suited to a specific need.
Satisfactory quality	We choose bon after a verb when talking about something considered correct or satisfactory.

Bien can strengthen an adjective or an adverb. It then retains an intensifying value and generally remains invariable: bien fast, bien more interesting, bien far, bien too expensive. It does not replace very in every context, but it often gives speech a more natural force, especially in sentences such as he is bien tired or she sings bien loudly. With an adjective, bien is placed before it. With an adverb, it is also placed before it: bien better, bien quickly. For differences in form between adjectives and adverbs, the reminder in Adjectives and Adverbs: Quick Reference helps keep the structure clear.

Reinforcement of the adjective or adverb

Usage	Explanation
Reinforcement of an adjective	We use bien to reinforce an adjective and emphasize a high degree.
Reinforcement of an adverb	We use bien to reinforce an adverb and show a stronger intensity.
Invariable value	In this use, bien generally remains invariable because it functions as an intensifying adverb.

Several turns of phrase are almost always said in the same way. Avoir bien du mal means encountering a great deal of difficulty: I have bien du mal to understand. Le bien et le mal contrasts what is morally positive and negative. Bon, we are starting is used to take the floor, launch an activity or mark a transition in conversation. We also find tant bien que mal to say that something is done with difficulty, but nevertheless: he finished tant bien que mal. These expressions are memorized as units, because their meaning does not come only from bon or bien taken separately. In rapid speech, they often recur in everyday exchanges and in Composition and oral expression: Bon vs Bien.

avoir bien du malêtre bienbon travailbon, on commencetout va bienbien sûrle bien et le malfaire bien

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Cette formule sert à marquer le début d une activité ou d une discussionCette expression désigne la différence entre ce qui est moralement juste et ce qui ne l est pasCette expression sert à répondre avec évidence ou accordCette expression peut signifier se sentir à l aise ou dans une bonne situationCette expression sert à féliciter quelqu un pour un effort réussiCette expression sert à dire que la situation est normale ou satisfaisanteCette expression signifie agir d une manière correcte ou appropriéeCette expression signifie éprouver beaucoup de difficulté à faire quelque chose

Fixed expressions with bon and bien

Word	Definition
avoir bien du mal	This expression means to experience a lot of difficulty doing something.
le bien et le mal	This expression refers to the difference between what is morally right and what is not.
bon, on commence	This phrase is used to mark the beginning of an activity or discussion.
tout va bien	This expression is used to say that the situation is normal or satisfactory.
faire bien	This expression means to act in a correct or appropriate manner.
bon travail	This expression is used to congratulate someone on a successful effort.
bien sûr	This expression is used to respond with obviousness or agreement.
être bien	This expression can mean to feel comfortable or to be in a good situation.

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