Literal translation
My beautiful (one)
Meaning
madam, miss
Explanation
Addressing a stranger or a barely known shopkeeper this way follows a well established Provençal social rule : people show warmth and familiarity toward whoever they meet, keeping their worries for their intimate circle. A shopkeeper greets you with « Bonjour ma belle ! », an elderly person thanks whoever picks up her cane the same way. Moun bèu exists for men but stays rare in regional French, as does mon bon, now dated. Some market vendors play on it, even calling their regular customers « ma chérie ». Outsiders to the region often misread this contact, taking it either as a lack of reserve or as genuine affection, which leads to disappointment.