AVOID THESE AMERICAN SOCIAL NORMS IN FRANCE!!!

Check out PART 2: MORE U.S. SOCAL NORMS TO AVOID IN FRANCE: https://youtu.be/Yl9eFnY-7Ms

When I first visited France I went into many shops/stores and DID NOT say bonjour to the clerk or salespeople. I remember people seeming rather rude to me. Several years later after reading up on French culture I learned the importance of this social interaction and on my next trip I went out of my way to say bonjour to people in these situations and it made A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. I felt welcomed and people smiled and were helpful. Such an important tip and so very different from how we interact with frontline workers in the USA.

as a french, i'm completely shocked that it's not common everywhere to say Hello when entering a shop !! Really proves your point that it's deeply cultural cause I can't imagine people not doing that and not be considered assholes lol

So true! Exemple : if you skip the 'bonjour' in a french shop and ask directly the vendor (even politely) for information about a product, most probably, she/he'd just answer 'Bonjour!' in a slightly irritated tone then pause and wait; so you know you need to repeat your question starting with 'bonjour' 😅

In Italy “buongiorno” is a little bit less important than in France, but “grazie” is always and absolutely requested.

In France, there is a simple rule I think : Be friendly only with your friends, and polite with others. Being friendly with a stranger is often felt like something rude (it can be ok for people in their 20s or younger)

Even though I live in the US, I've adopted the French habit of always saying hello when I encounter anyone, and it has actually made a positive difference in how I am treated. Maybe we Americans need to adopt more French social norms.

Regarding "Bonjour": Here is an example of how i was raised in France, as a french. This will help you understand. When i was a kid, every morning, when i went downstairs for breakfast and entered the kitchen... If my father was already there, i had to say "bonjour" first thing. He would never let me sit or say anything else unless i complied. This applied not only at breakfast, but the first time we met every day. He would say... "Bonjour?" "Bonjour?" "Get outside, do it again". It was an absolute. As a matter of fact, now, if you come to me and don't say "Bonjour", this sounds as if you were talking to me as if i were your dog. That won't fly. Different french people have had different experiences, but overall, this is how it is.

Très bonne analyse de certaines habitudes françaises. C’est toujours impressionnant de voir quand un étranger a atteint un tel niveau de compréhension de la culture française !

Our U.S. born and raised friend who had been married to a Parisian man, and had lived there for years, told my spouse and I to always say bonjour when entering a business in Paris. We practiced saying bonjour for weeks after that. We followed her advice and said bonjour every time we entered a business. Sometimes they would immediately engage with us by speaking French but, most of the time, they spoke English and were very polite and professional. Best advice we received about visiting Paris.

The "uh-hum" thing for "you're welcome" actually shocked me when I first encountered it. It felt like the person was saying "that's right, you can thank me"😂

That's a truly helpful video. As a French, I can vouch for the "bonjour" part. We're all told to say "bonjour" since we're old enough to talk, so yes, it's mandatory. I once forgot to say "bonjour" in Paris subway to a railroad employee, before asking him a direction. The train was about to leave, I was obviously in a hurry, but he refused to answer my question and just told me "BONJOUR" in a very cold way, as a manner to remind me "why the hell aren't you saying it, you jerk?" And while this was Paris, full of tourist and in a hurry, litterally a minute before that train leave, politeness DO still applies. By french standards: that railroad employee wasn't rude to me, and I was rude to him by not saying "bonjour", none of the special circomstances were an acceptable excuse. By the way: it's not widely known, but in France the only people who never say "bonjour" during work hours are funeral house employees. Because "bonjour" litterally means "good day", and it's not a good day. So they're trained not to say "bonjour" and "au revoir" (which means "I'll see you again") to people they visit for work, and it's a hard habit to break. Just so you know, if you have to visit a funeral house in France, if you start by "bonjour", the clerk will not say it back, and simply answer by "monsieur" or "madame". It's not rudeness, it's a kindness: this clerk is fighing the "bonjour" habit to avoid wishing you a "good day" while you're mourning.

As a French I confirm everything you said. Bravo for this accurate explanation of the French informal social codes. Because it also helps to understand what is the norm in the US too. 😅

Bringing your own birthday cake ensures that no one's birthday is missed/overlooked, & saves those who don't wish to celebrate from being sort of obliged to, it's a great way of doing it.

Before I went on my first visit to France I read up on social norms. I went out of my way to make sure I smiled, made eye contact, greeted people with, "Bonjour." before I politely asked if they spoke English. Lol I found everyone to be very friendly and kind with me wherever I went which made my trip even more memorable. 💋 Loved France ❤🗼🇫🇷

In cities in South of France I've noticed customers also greet and say goodbye to bus drivers while getting off. So polite !!

Bonjour! Great explanation, only you've skipped one of the most important, in my opinion: in France (not only, also in Spain, Italy, Greece, etc), time for meals is sacred, meant not just for nourishment but also as a break, a moment for good conversation, a relaxing time. Eating at work in your own desk so that you can keep working along or having your lunch in 10-15 minutes or while walking or standing is considered absolutely uncivilized. Having a meeting with a workmate or subordinate while having your lunch without interrupting it and with your mouth full of food is seen directly rude. In general, not giving meals their own time and space, not having respect for meal time, is considered, I absolutely agree, uncivilized.

What you said about activities after dinner is actually really important. From what I've seen Americans and also a lot of people in the UK or the Netherlands eat early but then keep being active. Like eat dinner and then go to a sports class from 8. For most french (but also Italian, Spanish...) people, dinner is THE END OF THE ACTIVE DAY. Any activities you have (sport, piano lessons, homework or whatever) is done between 6 and 8 and then you eat and after that you just chill watch a film, read, play video games...

Hi ! Frenchie here 👋 saying "mmh mmh" exists in French but it means "yes", "I agree", or it's a sign to show that you're following the conversation when listening to someone speaking. I'd definitely be confused if someone said mmh mmh if I hold a door

The baby shower thing is also true for gender reveal. You'll most likely never see that in France. For the birthday at work, i'd say people don't expect you to bring anything, it's completely fine if you don't want to celebrate, but yeah definitely don't expect your coworkers to bring you cake unless you're friends.