American Reacts Why American Tourists Annoy The French
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- Опубліковано 2 січ 2024
- 👉Original Video: • Why American Tourists ...
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In France, politeness is a social basis.
A rude person will immediately be classified in the lowest strata of society.
A simple little smile is always much appreciated.
I thought smiling was not a French thing and will often be misinterpreted as "fakeness?"
@@knucklehoagies The smile is universal.
In any human community a smile is considered a warm act.
@@olivierpuyou3621 i have been told countless times that "Americans smile more than the French. Americans are more superficially nice whereas the French are more stoic and private and only smile to those they know personally"
So much conflicting information I don't know what to believe.
@@knucklehoagies Without wanting to be rude, it is completely bizarre and strange to think that the people of a country are "monolithic" there are smiling people, intelligent people, idiots and all facets of the human character.
It is true that in general the French are more reserved and that the use of " Bonnes manières " is perhaps more anchored.
We believe (in general) that behaving with restraint, not speaking too loudly in society, not making grand gestures and using language free of profanity is proof of education.
But I think it must be pretty much the same everywhere, well more or less.
@@olivierpuyou3621 of course I was not insinuating that the French are monolithic. Literally every country has it's own share of diversity and "exceptions to the rule." I am speaking moreso in terms of general social norms that apply across the board within that country. Whether you like it or not, they do exist.
For instance, Americans don't do faire les bises in greetings. It's interpreted as too intimate or "something only rich socialites do." Does that mean there isn't one single American in the USA that greets their friends that way? Of course not. But generally, the norm is either a "side hug" or simple wave.
I was taught (by other French people mind you) that smiling works the same way. In the US, smiling to a stranger is normal whereas in France, it's Generally not done as it is more likely to be interpreted as flirting or something else.
I'm not educated on the nuances of French social norms and it would be bizarre to assume that every foreign tourists knows about them too.
An american Karen i had an argument with once mocked my accent. And i just fired up this amazing quote i read on the internet : _"You speak english because thats the only language you know. I speak english because thats the only language you know. We are not the same"_ It was orgasmic 😂
bim bam
Sure, but you also speak English because that's the language everyone else knows, not just Karens, american or not.
As an American who's been to France half a dozen times, the main things to know:
1. "Customer is always right" culture is completely non existent in France. It's not them that needs your money. It's YOU who needs their service. That's the mindset they have.
2. Formal greetings are taken seriously. Just going up to somebody and talking without first greeting them with a "Bonjour" is interpreted as "I want something from you and I order you to respond to me." Yeah... you're either gonna get ignored or be given the worst attitude ever.
The rest is just little things that don't really matter that much. The French live in their own little bubble similar to how Americans do. So you're bound to have misunderstandings but overall the French are good people and easy to get along with. Just gtfo of Paris. Paris does not represent the average French person.
It's funny you mention the greetings, I'm Australian and I have seen a video where an American woman, who had married an Australian and immigrated here, mentioned to her husband that when she went into a shop and ordered something the person serving her always would give her a strange look. She had no idea why, one day she went shopping with her husband and it happened again. Her husband spotted what was wrong immediately. She, like many Americans would walk up to the counter and the person working there would say something like "G'day, how are you, how can I help you?" She would replie with " Let me have" or "Can I get"
In Australia it is expected that you at least return a greeting, just saying "Can I get" is considered rude. After her husband pointed this out, she was fine.
@@Ozvideo1959 I should also point out it also depends WHERE in the US people are from because someone from the South or California might be accustomed to taking the time greet someone and exchange pleasantries before proceeding with what they want. I lived in Northern California for 5 years and this is pretty common.
However someone from New Jersey or New York City might be used to the more brash "skip the formalities and let's just get down to business" attitude that might rub some Europeans the wrong way.
@@knucklehoagies This particular lady was from Philly, but I get your point. There are cultural differences even within a country, so it should be no surprise there are differences between countries. For example, here in Australia, if you have a piece of furniture or some other item that you no longer need and can't be bothered selling, it's customary to just put it on your nature strip (the grassy area between sidewalk and the curbside. If someone wants it, it's free to take. People from other countries think that's crazy, I've heard Americans say, you'd get shot, grabbing something from in front of someone's property in the US.
Not so here, most people take the attitude that at least they're rid off it, and someone is making use of it, so everyone wins.
The condescendence of your comment, based on "having been to France half a dozen times"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are tourist, i believe that's you who are in your bubble because a lot of people are doing an incredible thing : they work (and not for tourists). You can add 'speak louder' and 'a lot of french people don't speak english'.
My favourite moment in France was in Paris. I was lost, I approached a woman and said Bonjour Madam, pardon moi, parle vous Anglaise? She looked at me sternly and said, Sir, please speak English. I smiled and said ‘that bad eh?’ She smiled back and said ‘Oui’. I have always found in France, if you make the effort to at least try and speak French , ie not just assume everyone can speak English, they will thank you and go out of their way to help. One person I asked the same question to responded Non but held their finger up indicating I should wait. They went off and returned about 30 seconds later with a person who could speak English. France is brilliant.😊
Even if your French is terrible, making the effort to approach someone in his own language is a sign of respect for the country you're in. And it will always be a magic key to getting what you want.
Just good manners
The woman was not rude. We have a different type of humor like 2nd degree jokes 😂
@@Hypersonic-es6vh yes it's rude for you because you dont have humour
this woman made humor or was an ass. you cant tell! :D french humour is often super offensive that the main cultural differences we have. this contribute a lot to our snobish or arrogant reputation, and people of paris dont realy help with this lol
@@niaraa8378The French who understand French humour can tell. The French like irony and sarcasm. The fact that you consider irony and sarcasm rude doesn't mean that it is rude. Politeness and rudeness are contextual. Same goes with being blunt. Some people consider it rude others consider passive aggressiveness as being rude. You don't hold the truth. While you find the French humour rude and super offensive, others find it witty and refreshing. There are super sensitive people who get offended by all and everything everywhere including in France.
I'm a Brit who moved to SW France 4 years ago. I don't speak French very well but I always try (God only knows some of the things I must have said in error) and I have always been warmly welcomed.
Too many fellow Brits here simply talk English AT local shopkeepers, with not even a "Bonjour" or "Merci". It's just painful and embarrassing. I can't imagine what these same people would think, if a foreigner in the UK just talked at them in their native language.
Bonjour, comment allez vous ? j'espère que votre séjour en France se passe bien. je suis moi -meme dans le sud ouest. il y a beaucoup beaucoup d'anglais dans le sud ouest ! on se demande si vous n'etes pas venu ici pour le vin , hahaha ! (je préfère la bière!)
The French in the South are lovely, very forgiving of errors if people make an effort to speak French. That's not the case in Paris.
@@heliotropezzz333 People in the North (above paris) are very very Kind and nice.
@@heliotropezzz333
Mes voisins, ici en sixième arrondissement, sont tout à fait agréables. C'est un joli mélange de gens : des vauriens comme moi, des vétérans de 68, des artisans, des jeunes ambitieux...
Paris n'est pas pire que n'importe quelle autre capitale et elle est meilleure que la plupart.
@@robertcottam8824 Je suis heureuse d'entrendre c'est ainsi pour vous.
It's not a French thing. Whatever the country you'll visit, you just have to learn few mandatory polite words. They're keys to magically open every door.
This. In much every country and culture you'll found nice, smiling and welcoming people, and more restrained, maybe shy, reserved folks. It's just our individual persona, not a thing you can generalize upon and apply to a whole country already made up of different identities, or it will be a rather fake cliché. As for rudeness, I'm not aware of a single place anywhere where it would be held as an exemple.
I'm french and what he said is true in every regards. I need to put an amphasis on the loud/noise. We french like to party like anybody. But managing your loudness is suuuuper important here. People really hate it when others from the next table or nex to you anywere are loud.
It is true hardouin, though i think it is different in the south of France, and on this one the rest of the french should take exemple on them.. In my opinion
If you want to know why we french dont like to speech english is because :
1. school only teach you writing/reading english with boring rules and grammar. we have almost no oral lessons.
2. French like to discuss/debate but not mastering the oral language puts us in a position of inferiority to argue our speech or simply answer a trivial question.
Merci, Arnot. I am English and feel the same about my school French. That was 40 years ago! I have forgotten most words but remembered many rules.
When I travel in continental Europe I have a problem: how much language do I learn? I know English is spoken in most cities. Since maybe 25 countries speak English, I feel guilty that I cannot speak 25 foreign languages.
When you travel, do you use English (or something else) as a go-between language or do you learn the local language?
@@lumpyfishgravy
As a rule of thumb:
You’ll get by in Scandinavia, Holland, (Flemish) Belgium with English. Most speak it better than the English.) You’ll definitely need German in eastern Germany (in particular), Austria and Switzerland.
The further east you go, the harder it gets. A lot of younger Slovenes, Croats and Czechs speak English.
Good luck in Hungary. 😩
NB: A lot of French people speak English. But you have to try in French, first.
@@robertcottam8824 I visited Hungary last September. What a lovely place! You are correct: the young are confident and outgoing. Also, language boils down to manners - so I suppose my question is about those. We are humans and we get embarrassed!
@@lumpyfishgravy
I’m a reasonably-confident linguist. But I was completely out of my league in Hungary.
As you know, it’s a completely different language group: less similar to English than, say Hindi or even Bengali. NOTHING in the language is the same. Politeness and courtesy are pretty much the same the world over, though.
Like you, I love it there. Such a beautiful country. It’s been eight years since I was there, I think. Far too long.
Best wishes.
It’s exactly the same - or worse in the U.K. I had a great evening back in the 90’s discussing with the local French the words I had been taught by my old French teacher - he probably hadn’t visited France since the 1930’s!
As a Brit, I’m a big Francophile. Have a good crack at speaking French even if it’s not good, your efforts will be appreciated. It’s a great country and people and food.
Right, we appreciate the effort. You are welcome here mate
yeah, and no pb if you don't speak French, just smile and be nice, don't yell at us because we don't speak English, or our English is bad. Don't make fun of our English accent when we try to help, don't act like you own France and we are your slave and you should be fine ^^
(I really witnessed violence from American people, even 2 times physical violence and once we needed to call the police, because we didn't speak good English enough... or it wasn't allowed to pay in dollars...
The violence came from the fact that this American guy didn't belive the owner of the shop didn't speak English and thought he was lying to not help him...)
I once got from a young American guy some "really you can't keep speaking English that bad, you need to work on it, this is too ridiculous, not possible" from a guy who spoke no word of French... I was like "guy, you don't speak French and you are insulting me because I am too bad speaking your language to communicate with you ?")
So, this is the real issue, I saw that in China too, was chocked.
But if you are just nice and respect that you are in foreign country, even if you are rude by accident, we will guess that is because you don't know and you will be fine.
@@mimosal3767 Only Muricans get anywhere in the world and expect everyone to speak fluent English. Especially in France where this country helped theirs to be something, out of the English Empire.
and as French, I’m a big Anglophile. We should consider a Club ;-)
I'm baffled how so few French speak English well... Look at the Nordics. You do have mandatory English at school from what I've heard from my friends
As a Brit I realise the French are a great military power and are highly capable of winning wars. I’m just glad to have them part of NATO. The last time I visited France was 2014, when my family drove two cars onto the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle train at Folkestone, heading towards Calais. We then drove further towards Brittany. A beautiful part of France. I found the french people there polite and welcoming. I couldn’t speak french but I made an effort to say a few words in their language to show respect. 🇫🇷
Love to our Brit friends from a French man ❤Now you got out from EU, we feel so lonely in bearing the highest military spendings among EU countries🤣 (thankfully Germany is increasing their effort)
UK has for sure a comparable military power and that is one of the many things I admire in your country. Great history, great diplomacy, great music (but shitty food lmao, the worst) .
Hello ! British people are always welcome in France. I have always enjoyed their culture, their sense of humour, their music, their movies, their TV series (you brought to us a lot of great series). Talking about military, I'm highly interested in the WWI era Royal Navy and WWII British Army and RAF.
Unfortunately, I visited England only twice, but I loved it, especially the lovely countryside 😊
Hello!
As an ancient of the French navy, I adore/hate brits...
You are the best beloved ennemies that could be. We missed you since you left the UE. I was many times in UK (England, Scotland, Ireland) so beautiful lands and nice people.
Best love from France
Hello from the south west of France (Toulouse). For me American tourists doesn't ennoy French people. The only thing i can say after watching this video is that eveything that is explained is just common sense and good manners. And all this is valid whatever the country visited.
And I can also tell you that we French do not have a good reputation as tourists. Sometimes it's justified, others not. Again, it's all about behavior. Thanks for the video
I don't know about that. I just spent 1 year travelling the world and I can say that french tourists were always welcomed in every countries especially compared to others. Why ? Because we tend to speak in their native language (or at least try a few words), try the local food, speak to the local, mend with them and we don't stay at the hotel getting drunk (it is unfortunately something I have seen a looooot).
But I guess it depends what kind of tourism we are talking about.
Well at least I’m doing my part to ensure all French tourist are not seen as all bad.
Before going to any country I do a little exam to memorize basic greetings, thanks and polite speech.
And also how to ask if they speak english.
Of course it’s easier if they speak French but I try to order in their language too if I can.
not al of them ! we speak about "bad behaviour" but most of the American tourists are, I think, really nice, and welcomed.
As French person, I saw a few American people that chocked me, but not by accident. I mean, this is about yellng at people and behaving as if it was their country :
A few times I saw American yelling at us/a seller in the market because our English was not good enough... I got some "you really need to work your English you can't speak English that bad" but guy, you are in a foreign country, we have our own langage you know, we do a big effort speaking the best English we can to understand what you say"
One of the guy was speaking very very fast, with some US regional accent, I am not that bad in English but understood nothing. The seller on the market was older than me and didn't speak English.
This guy couldn't believe it was true and was sure we spoke bad English on purpose because we didn't like him... he even wanted to call the police !
Since then, many young American asked me "why do French people don't want to speak English to us in France ?" and they all think it was because we don't like Americans... They were certain of it ! None of them had the idea that it was just because we were bad in English. Most of people (not young) don't speak English at all. Other speak bad English.
And, when you do you best to help someone and get yelled at, well... I mean, you could also learn French right ?
I even saw one wanting to hit a seller because he couldnt pay in dollars...
So, really, if you don't speak French, or don't know the way we do thing here, this is not really such a big deal : we see you are foreigner, we will guess that maybe you are rude just because you don't know, and we will try our best to help you.
But DON'T yell at us because we don't speak good English enough, or make fun of our accent when we try, when we are kind enough to try our best to help why you didn't even try to speak French.
DON'T consider you own France, be aware this is an other country, we are not inferior to you, we don't have to speak perfect English we have our own langage, and please respect that.
(Also nobody wears a beret anymore, this is not 1920 anymore...)
J'aurais tellement aimé qu'il appelle la police qui n'aurait rien compris non plus et se serait foutue de sa gueule en l'insultant de cliché sur pattes 😂
ah mais clairement le vendeur était en mode "mais oui, qu'ils viennent !" car il se faisait agresser (ils en sont venus aux mains...)
Dans cet exemple de la police (car sinon j'ai vu ce genre de truc ailleurs aussi), ça part d'un malentendu :
On est sur un marché, au poissonnier, la femme du mec a un chien, qui vient de pisser sur l'étal (enfin, au pied de l'étal).
Le tout sous un panneau qui indique que c'est interdit exprès (ben oui, c pas hygiénique quoi....)
Le mec essaye de le dire à la femme. Comme son anglais est mauvais et que la femme parle pas français, il veut lui montrer le panneau, et la prend donc par le bras pour l'emmener au panneau/la tourner vers le panneau, tout en pointant le panneau avec l'autre bras (je sais pas si vous voyez le truc, son idée était pas d'être violent mais "viens je vais te montrer")
Le mari voit que le mec touche sa femme (il sera en boucle là dessus tout le long), que c'est une agression, etc...
Il parle très très vite avec un accent régional américain et beaucoup d'argot. Je veux dire, mon oral est pourri, mais ma compréhension est pas si mauvaise en anglais, mais je trouve ça extremement difficile pour certains accents américaines + argot, moins clair pour moi que de l'anglais britannique.
Je n'arrive pas à faire interface, et le poissonnier lui parle pas vraiment anglais (enfin, le français moyen qui n'est pas super jeune, quelques mots quoi).
Sauf que, le mari ne croit pas qu'on le comprend pas, ni que le mec est si mauvais en anglais. Il pense qu'il fait semblant/qu'on fait pas d'effort, exprès. Genre "je parle pas anglais" pour éviter de répondre et entuber le mec.
Nous, on fait de notre mieux et on pige rien (enfin si, quelques trucs, genre "on touche pas à ma femme") pendant que le pauvre poissonnier essaye d'expliquer qu'il a juste voulu lui montrer le panneau.
En plus, le poissonnier est bien enervé aussi qu'on ait pissé sur son etal, quand meme.
Au final, ça s'est arrangé car il y a beaucoup d'anglophones résidents ici (côte d'azur) et une anglaise (mais qui vit ici) est arrivée faire traductrice, a parlé avec le mec, ça s'est arrangé avant que la police n'arrive.
@@XOXO-eo5vu
Dans un autre pays, j'ai vu un américian agresser le vendeur (genre je crie très fort penché par dessus le compteur pour atteindre le mec) car le mec refusait les dollars (pas la monnaie du pays, en fait) et que c'était honteux qu'il parle si mal anglais, mauvais service client etc (pareil, pas la langue du pays, en fait... C'était en chine, à une époque où ils parlaient pas en anglais. Je veux dire, malgré mon mauvais chinois, clairement c'était plus facile en chinois :D)
Autre incompréhension qui créé le mépris en Chine : le côté "je vais te payer plus cher que ce que tu demandes car t'es un pauvre de pays sous-developpé je vais t'aider" : ça part d'un bon sentiment, mais c très insultant, en fait (en vrai, ils l'exploitaient pas mal... tout en méprisant ça)
Et sinon, beaucoup de jeunes américains que j'entends/vois dire sur les réseaux que les français aiment tellement pas les américains qu'ils refusent de leur parler un anglais correct quand ils viennent en France... Aucun n'envisage que peut-être c'est juste leur meilleur anglais...
Et un mec à qui je parle full en anglais (le mec parle pas un mot de français) et se moque, mais violemment, que franchement c'est pas possible d'avoir un accent anglais si pété, que je peux pas rester ainsi, que je dois bosser mon anglais pour pas être si ridicule (mais mec, je viens t'aider en anglais car tu parles pas un mot de français, en fait (wtf))
après ça reste anecdotique, à côté t'as des tonnes d'américains (la grande majorité, je pense, et de loin) qui sont absolument adorables.
les vieux portent de temps en temps le béret mais c'est rare
@@lapinmalin8626 Exact ! Surtout dans le Sud d'ailleurs. Mon grand-père porte même béret + bretelles 😁
Il aurait fallu appeler les flics. Ça leur aurait fait un souvenir.
As a Brit who has been to Paris many times, I think the French are wonderful. I'm a bit in awe as they appear stylish, multi-lingual, attractive and proud. If I wasn't English, I'd want to be French as they are so reserved and cool. Yes, I'm generalising.
The only interaction I have with French people is on apex legends an online game and they have a reputation for being the most arrogant rude and annoying people. I do like the bread they make st Pierre.
So kind from you ! Welcome back anytime !
Wow ! Are you really a Brit ?
thank you so much ! so sad that so many French people keep saying Trash about France, not realizing all beautfiul things they have. It feel good to here positive things thanks ! (I hear many French saying to foreigneres "France is the worst country in the world" (what ???)
I suppose I could be called a "local", although a Brit who has lived in Paris for 50 odd years. I was going shopping one day and was literally stopped by a couple (US by their accent). No "bonjour", no hello, no could you please helps us (even in English). They just assumed I spoke English : they said : where is (name of a road) and how do we get there? I gave them the info and without even a thank you, let alone a smile, they just turned on their heels and walked away - not even surprised I spoke such perfect English. I must admit I was pretty mad and wished I had sent them in the wrong direction!!!!!
wow ! I was about to say "if you are a foreigner you will understand that you don't have every code (especially tu/vous thing), but here... This is not really about social code only, but thinking you own the other who has to be at their service ? Is that really not rude even for an American ?
the main issue I encounter is the "They just assumed I spoke English" and then, if we don't, they assume we don't WANT to speak English. Like it is not even a possibility in their brain that maybe we simply don't speak English (because everyone HAS to speak English, or it is rude/being a bad person...)
You shoud have, sanctionning such impolitesse ^^ (and it's half a joke in my French mind)
@@mimosal3767 Thank you for understanding - your comment is top on !
@@nicolasaubertin4949Thank you for your comment !!!!
Many of the french that you think don't speak english actually understand you pretty well, and could even awnser with decent english. Don't take their refusal to speak english as a feeling of superiority, on the contrary.
In France from the youngest age your french teacher will point out every mistake, and it's something that carries later in life. That annoying habit that most of us have to say "actually that's not how you say this". Now transfer that in english and you have a bunch of french people who are scared to talk to you because they're ashamed at their unperfect english. That's the same for the overly french accent aswell. If you're afraid you'll be made fun of for trying at a decent accent, don't try at all and be as french as you can.
As a French person, and as an international student that kinda had to deal with those "clichés" abroad, everything that was said in the video is spot on. I would say the most important thing to remember is to say "Bonjour" and to try at least to engage the conversation in French. This goes for everyone, but when we're travelling we need to keep in mind that the locals are living there and that we are the one disrupting their lives.
Having spent probably a total of 3 years of my life holidaying in France my personal experience: yes, you’ll meet grumpy people, probably at the same rate as the U.K. Many more now speak English than when I first went 46 years ago but always start your conversation in French - however bad it is, just try to learn some basics. More often than not you’ll receive a response in English by a French person who is proud to show their English vocabulary .
Yes, you're right. This is just basic psychology: just take the first step. Just by hearing the accent, people won't expect you to speak or behave like a French resident. And the fact of having tried directs the atmosphere positively. It makes things smoother, for the "cost" of a very modest effort ("bonjour", "bonsoir", "s'il vous plaît", "merci", "pardon, je ne parle pas très bien Français" is enough). La vie n'est pas si compliquée, finalement.🙂
Not necessarily proud to show the vocabulary, because we not we are not great in english, but happy to practice with a native speaker 👍.
Vous avez raison
On appréciera d'autant plus un anglophone essayer de parler notre langue, qu'un américain qui se croit tout permis et qui ne sait pas dire des mots basiques comme "bonjour", au revoir, merci, excusez moi (et non je m'excuse qui est une faute en français ! ).
As a Brit, I can confirm that the French and the British annoying each other is business as usual. We go back a long way, to Joan of Arc at least.
But maybe I should have said English, not British . Never forget the Auld Alliance: Scotland and France United against England.
To Joan of Arc? Oh no, much much longer before that. All eventually got forgiven when both countries fought together on the same side in WWI.
That isn't true of the educated of either nation.
Les Anglais admirent beaucoup la philosophie, la musique, la gastronomie, le vin et le rythme de la vie français. Nous apprecions particulairement leur capacité à se remettre des revers.
In turn the French love our beer, our literature, our sense of humour, our doggedness and - up until the present Brexidiocy - our 'fairplay' and level-headedness.
I spend approximately half my time in each country and have always been made welcome. This may be because I don't spend my time there being rude.
Please don't speak, "As a Brit." You don't represent us.
Pip pip.
@@robertcottam8824 Thank you for putting the record straight. Though French, I've always been a true anglophile for all the reasons - traits of the Brits' character - that you mention.
I've lived in London for a decade and those were far from being the worst years of my life!
The British humour has me in hysterics with laughter, your pragmatism is admirable, your culture is as rich and fascinating as the French's.
And what you - rightly - call the "Brexidiocy" has truly and sincerely made me sad: I feel as if one of our siblings had left the family ... for no reason.
@@micade2518
D’accord. C’est ce que je ressens aussi. L'Angleterre est désormais une ochlocratie. Le Brexit a soulevé un rocher plat dans un étang. De nombreuses créatures désagréables rampaient en dessous.
Hahaha! Je peux être aussi impoli que je le souhaite à leur sujet : Très peu d’entre eux parlent très bien l’anglais - encore moins le français !
À bientôt.
Even longer than Jeanne d'Arc
As a french, my favorite answer to the "surrender" joke is "Bold words from someone from a baby country"
(USA exist since 240 years with the declaration of its independance while France starts with Clovis reign in 481, so almost 1550 years)
What you should say is: "Well we in France have not massacred the original inhabitants of our country," (The native Americans were largely wiped out by European settlers).
@@nevillemason6791 Indeed, and even there the french didnt massacred the natives, as opposed to spanish and english.
So i live in the eastern France near Verdun , you can't imagine how many times some anglo speaking peoples have laugh at how hard it is for us to pronouce some words (especially words with a "R") it's so fucking annoying especially when it's some ignorants people who disrepect where they are , i had some who i had to lead out of the "Fort de Douaumont" because they were screaming, making disgusting comments (hon hon hon french soldiers surrender ww1 we won both wars (nope) ...) so please if you visit , try a bit to understand us, we are not just npc walking around , we are humans with a strong history that we are attached to and this work for all of europe
And for the local keeper that understood you were american , it's not against you , but you American really do look american and we spot you from miles away rofl
One more thing about WW2, France had one of the biggest resistance to being occupied (either internal or external), so, even if the military failed, a decent portion of the people did not give up (even if the internal resistance started small).
A few words about English. Most French people take English lessons at school for around 6 years. Most of them will have forgotten it pretty quickly, mainly due to lack of practice. It's exactly the same phenomenon in the USA, where many students learn Spanish and are unable to say a complete sentence. Yet many Americans arrive in France and as soon as someone says two words of English to them, they conclude that the person speaks the language. They then start speaking at normal speed, as if saying "hello" implied that the person in front of them is bilingual.
I had the good fortune to live in England where I learned English, but I can say that in the first few weeks, I had a very hard time, I really suffered. Words escaped me and making a sentence of more than 5 words took a lot of effort. Worst of all, I couldn't understand a word people were saying... It took me 2 months to start feeling at ease, despite more than 9 years of studying the language.
It's pretty simple actually : We French expect tourists to act like guests. Do like you were meeting your spouse's family and in response we'll make high efforts so that you have a good experience. French are rude only if you come in like you own the place and think people are here to serve you. No "customer is king" culture here, it's mutual self-reinforcing best behaviour.
Just think of us as Tolkien's Dwarves 😂Be impolite/dismissive and we get annoyed quick, be good and you'll be surprised how far people will go to help.
When it comes to language, I always learn at least the basics of politeness for the country I am visiting. I was once unexpectedly delayed in Brussels where I had to kill some time in cafés and restaurants, but I had failed to brush up on my absolutely terrible basic French - in addition to which, I hadn't needed to speak any French for well over a decade! Thankfully, I remembered that in the years since I last had to speak any French, Google translate had been invented! It was so reassuring to be able to double-check that what I wanted to say was correct, and/or find out how to say slightly more advanced phrases with a quick tap on my phone. There really is no excuse nowadays for not learning the 'holiday basics' of a language, particularly when we have so many wonderful free language learning resources at our disposal, such as UA-cam, Duolingo, and even on Instagram etc
Isn't it basic politeness to learn a few words of the local language when you travel ? I' m french and love speaking English ( and learning it) but I always learn Hello, thank you and good bye when I travel abroad.
Not even about negating previous history. The real problem with the joke of France surrendering (which can be funny) is that sometimes it is done in absolute poor taste. This isn't far off and we got people that lived it or whose parents or grandparents lived it and to be clear this isn't an isolated case.
Any country that experienced world war 2 and more so countries that experienced Nazi Germany rules didn't have the most pleasant experience and the leader of France at the time that signed the reddition was seen as a traitor to the nation by many. But the global community is rubbing it in their faces, people can make fun of a lot of things about other countries in good spirit, like Napoléon being small which as no risk of offending anyone but you gotta be careful with WW2.
Also I don't know a lot of countries that get made fun off from a defeat and a dictatorship imposed upon them, (at least not after everything has ended) I wonder why...
On se moque de la France et on la rabaisse car elle a toujours fait peur aux autres pays surtout depuis le premier empire ou même en infériorité numérique elle peut conquérir l'Europe
Ce genre de blague vient surtout de 2003 quand Jacques Chirac a refusé te prendre par à la guerre d'Irak car il ne voyait pas les intérêts de la France dans cette guerre (la meilleur chose qu'il ai fait d'ailleurs)
Respect another country's traditions, history, people and practices.
Most people like to welcome a respectful and interesting guest. Nobody likes to be trampled by a brute.
You can go in the most remote little town in France, with barely a few dozen houses, and it probably has a war memorial ("Monuments aux Morts"), with the names of the french men who died in WW1 or after.
i don't care about the memes and the jokes, but the people who seriously believes that are dented.
Well, rule n°1 when you're visiting any country, not just for France, any country : don't be a jerk.
You will probably be the 1000th tourist people will see during the day, but try your best to speak a little bit of local language, be polite, and that will make a huge difference ;)
When I moved to France over 20 years ago, 'service' wasn't great but the French have come on leaps and bounds since then. The old, surly waiters seem to have become a thing of the past and now you tend to be greeted with a friendly smile and definitely 'bonjour' as soon as the server gets round to you (it can take a while, patience is useful). Yes, you'll still get the odd waiter who isn't that pleasant but, on the whole, the French are actually quite friendly, as was said, especially if you make the effort to speak just a few words of French.
To be polite is France is to show respect and not to be overly casual and friendly
Maybe I've been lucky but as a French, every American I ever encountered was super friendly and interesting
Same for our UK neighbours, as a former hotel receptionnist the rare surprisingly bad experiences I've encountered were with dutch people and germans...
Hey man fellow french watching your video, just gonna say your view on France and visiting it is really good so congrats.
I'm a French person from Alsace. Let me start by saying I’ve seen this guy's videos before and I don’t fancy him. He’s like Eureka talking about human objects to the Little Mermaid. He doesn’t really know what’s going on. That video is stupid because he means to tell you how not to offend with racist clichés, but still reinforces the same clichés.
1. Smoking isn’t « the thing » in France. That’s a cliché, a fake cliché that Americans are only too happy to perpetuate. The cliché existed way before America stopped smoking, and it wasn't true as specifically French then either.
2. Most of this advice about not being a Karen isn’t specific to France, but the behaviour described is really typical of Americans. Criticizing everything and calling everything rude or stupid is the very American thing to do, and rude everywhere.
3. "Garçon" was OK until about the 1960s. Now you call workers monsieur and madame. And no, it's not like saying "boy", which has a racist connotation in American English. "Un garçon de café" is a gendered and obsolete term for a waiter (serveur/serveuse).
4. Picky eaters… You can’t rule over taste. If you don’t like cheese, don’t eat it. Don’t make a fuss or call it disgusting, though. That's rude everywhere on Earth. Being a fussy eater won't change because you are polite. Maybe don't set foot in France if you don't like variety.
5. There are no « frog legs » on the menu here, anywhere. That’s mostly a myth. Stop. Saying. Stupid. Shit.
6. Don’t call it « flômkoocken », it’s flammekueche or, better « tarte flambée ». And stop with the « it’s like pizza » nonsense, especially when you claim « marinera sauce » belongs on pizza : it doesn’t. JESUS that was a lot.
7. Americans ACTUALLY wear berets and blue striped shirts in France like it's Disneyland. It’s a thing that Americans do. You can clearly see that idiot is STILL perpetuating the cliché that the French wear berets. He's literally saying that French people wear berets. Why is he saying that. He supposedly lives in France. WE DON’T WEAR BERETS. NO ONE IN THAT VIDEO IS WEARING A BERET. And also, we don't care about your cultural appropriation bullshit complex either. One stupid thing to do in France is live there for decades and still believe the bullshit inside your head happens in real life.
8. "The tour guides are BAD in France." The man just started by saying « don’t diss the French ways ». The tour guides are part of the package.
9. Loudness is never appreciated, and Americans do it ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. I've been with an American at the Louvre and he was yelling at me across hallways. If you spend time in France as an American someone is BOUND to tell you to shut the fuck up, that's how loud and obnoxious Americans are.
10. Hey don’t insult people while showing how ignorant you are. That’s a hot tip.
It's not just France that people from the Ununited States of America annoy.
Hi Connor, it sounds like you were trying to translate 'bathroom' while in France 'bathroom' is 'salle de bain'. Toilets are 'toilettes'.
Unless you wanted a bath!
Damn! im a french-canadian living in france and everytime you tried to say the sentence in french i was shocked! You either have a rly good ear or a predisposition for the oral part of languages. Right on!
I like always to visit your channel time to time especially when you react about french things (I'm french) ^^
Hello, everything he says is true ;) I am French from the North not from Calais and not from Paris but he explains very well the preferred behavior to follow and throughout France thank you for this video, have a good evening or day: )
I am French and was a waiter, and I served a lot of American customers.
I can tell that 90% of Americans have very nice and cute behavior. Most of them probably even feel guilty for the 10% others.
These 10% usually act like this is their own territory, expect you to speak their language straight away, are very loud, and make jokes like you guys do. But we don't have the same sense of humor here. We are more sarcastic, I would say. But when we see that, yes, we feel unrespected.
We know that you guys are not going to learn the local language, but it is true that just starting with a Bonjour/Bonsoir, est-ce que vous parlez anglais (do you speak English) is well appreciated. Speaking English is not a common thing that everyone should know everywhere in the world. Especially when French people are not so good as speaking English honnestly.
Now, when it comes to tipping... We know how it works in your country. Here, it's a bit different. You don't have to tip. But people traditionally give a few coins (1 or 2 €) if they appreciated the service and the waiter/waitress kindness.
Now, what about waiters kindness. Parisians waiters are famous to be the worst waiters in the whole country. Even for French. In the countryside, you'll probably have a totally different experience. But also, don't forget that this is a hard job where the staff is usually under pressure, getting the lowest salary and if they are not tough with customers, then customer can sometimes be way too demanding. This is probably why you can see some grumpy waiters. But overall, what you feel is true: they don't like their job 😂 (I can tell, I've been part of them).
He is pretty good at catching cultural norms of a country. There might be some inaccuracies and exaggerations here and here but he is oddly very good overall for a foreigner !
Another important thing is that even though french are relatively friendly (at least outside Paris), we do not appreciate when someone we don't know is acting too familiar with us. In France, you don't come up to someone and touch them (i'm talking about a pat on the shoulder or grabbing the hand to shake it without being offered first). We are polite-friendly, not familiar-friendly like the americans tend to be. Therefore, if you're being too familiar with someone you just met, they're likely to consider that you are being rude to them and they won't like you very much.
Also, cutsomer service in french does NOT go with the "customer's always right" kind of spirit. Workers will help you and be polite to you, but they won't say yes to everything just to please you, and if you are rude or agressive to them, you will be asked to leave, and the manager will most likely back up the employee rather than you. In France, customer service workers are way less considered as replaceable than in America. If they do the job asked of them, then the boss will always place them before the customer as they are more valuable to the shop. You can have another customer in 30 seconds but you can't replace a good worker easily.
Hello! I'm French. Mostly good advice in my opinion; but come on, do people really need to be told not to come to a country and call its people cowards and losers? I hope you mates have figured that by yourself lol
Your comments are kind and intelligent. Thanks.
One phrase that is overlooked is "C'est pas grave." "It's not serious." That is very useful to diffuse a situation where you might have a difference of opinion or another disagreement with someone.
ohhh colmar...been there and its a very nice place
I knew the 'THIS ISNT DISNEYLAND' story hadda come up somwhere during this vid.
As French who knows some german and english, if someone doesn't try to speak french to get an info, or at least a "bonjour" I'll only speak french. Why do I have to do an effort for someone who doesn't ?
Also if someone try to speak french, I'll correct the words answering with the correct pronunciation "ah, you're looking for ... restaurant? Ok, it's this way..."
I can also answer in french when french is very good and congratulate, cause french is clearly not the simpliest language.
I can't imagine going to US without knowing a bit of english or in Spain without a bit of spanish.
And yes, I'm sure there is some mistakes in this text, excuse my english ^^
As brits we enjoy taking the mick out our cousins across the water (english channel) we enjoy also taking the mick out of everyone and ourselves. My sister was born on the isle of wight and my other sister and i enjoy letting her know shes more french than we are being born in Portsmouth 😂😂😂😂
French are absolutely not English's cousins.
@XOXO-eo5vu well since the king of England was Norman (french) and defeated most of England, and we have a bit of French in our language and dna I would be bold as to say they are cousins but not in a literal term. You are funny 🤣
@@XOXO-eo5vu britain were a French colony ! Thanks William the conquer!
Thank you for pointing the respect of cultural differences, it's such an evidence ! I've been abroad in several countries (Northern or Southern America, Africa and Europe of course) and never in my mind could I imagine telling people how to live in THEIR country...
French used to be the dominant language. And thr French have never forgot this!
Forgotten* How about you dominate yours to begin with :) Bisous
oh yes, definitely don't act like a jacka**, act as if you're invited to someone's home. unfortunately there are people who don't even know how to be respectful of other people's homes. i've had at least 2 cases where i honestly was hard put to not kick a guest out of my home, they were so disrespectful and continuously turned their nose up at my taste, decoration, furniture, food, etc!
I think only Americans call the toilet a bathroom. Maybe that's one reason why he guessed your nationality.
For the little sentences around 5:00 :
- "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi" literally mean "Do you want to sleep/fuck with me?" Most younger people would know it but older people probably won't. Just, don't. This sentence has zero romantic connotations in France and is at best silly, at worst creepy.
- While we do says "Oh la la" it's more used as a surprised expression, and rarely, if never, in a "sexy" way. Avoid using it randomly?
- Sacrebleu will definitively land you into the "dumb tourist" category. It's a swear that fell out of fashion more than 200 years ago.
One he forgot but that bugs me personnally given how common it is on Internet is "Omelette du Fromage". Just don't. It may not seems obvious, but almost everything we watch, especially content for kids, is translated. And Dexter's Laboratory was no exception. The number of French people who would be aware of the meme is quite small; for the other, you're just spouting broken French. Imagine a tourist in America just coming to you and saying "Burger of the cheese". It would be strange.
You're on the right mindset tho so you should be fine if you come again :)
Juste pour dire, "coucher" n'est vraiment pas "dormir", non? Reste donc la seconde traduction, qui en effet me paraît TRES pertinente...🙂
@@Josian-ps7fb C'est un petit piège de l'anglais argotique (cause de beaucoup de confusions et peut-être un peu du stéréotype de chaud lapin)
to sleep with : coucher
Si tu veut dire que tu as dormi, sans connotation sexuelle, il faut au minimum dire «sleep at» ou alors «spent the night at» en tout cas pour l'anglais Américain.
@@LeSarthois Je vois (et en l'occurence, j'apprends...🙂). Intéressant à savoir, en effet.
J'avoue que si un touriste me fais le coup de "l'omelette de fromage" ou "le fish aux chocolat" je me tire avant de finir la conversation
Tbh don’t treat France differently than other countries you visit.
All the thing he said apply to any destination you visit.
It’s always goes a lot smoother if you learn some things before traveling to the country. Keywords, customs.
And it’s more fun when try new things !
As a french person, I had a blast watching your reactions. Your reactions were so pure especially when you were repeating the french words in a low voice.
I also laughed quite a bit knowing there's a video to not "annoy French people" as an Americain tourist. xD
But I think that, like any other countries, it's the basics that counts : Being respectful of the culture in the country and the people/country.
9:23 pretty sure is in Colmar, in Alsace, after it's Strasbourg.
Hi McJibbin, hi everybody
From my french point of you: Nowadays most of people around 20 and 40 speaks minimum english, in big city you'll be surprise :D. We all have watched shows on Netflix, Amazon prime, Apple TV or HBO max in OST. Maybe we lost something on the way, who knows XD.
On the matter of speaking french on introduction of a communication, I think it can be generalize in every coutry, To be on a journey doesn't stop on a "oh! That's nice" while staring up to the Joconde or another typical thing. It's about mixing with people and figuring how they live. I saw some videos of girls saying we didn't eat vegetables after few restaurants... and no, a three days trip is not enough (so don't cry)
By the way and to be honest, the réputation of american tourists is very good. Smiley faces, good mood, less problems. Its nice. Brits are our bros and are very similar in way of life and state of mind.
French are good people like every place in the world, but we are latins, people need to scratch the surface to figure the whole thing.
Did you know that the French tanks were the first arrived in Utah Beach during the débarquement?
Yes, French said "this is our country, we go first".
Second DB General Leclerc.
Proud French 🙌
I am not French but I have lived in France for many years. It's as simple as knowing the difference between "offering a service" and "being a servant." That subtle difference is demonstrated by the use of "la Politesse." A series of rules that make you a civilized being. We do not need to be clairvoyants to use these rules. Every French lesson includes "la politesse", and when you learn this you simply have a little golden key in your pocket. As for the people who make the difference between "Paris" vs "The rest of France", this is true in all the major metropolises of the world. And this is because it is difficult to deal with masses of tourists who act like a herd of stampeding buffalo. The truth is that in Paris, you will come across fewer Parisians than Romanian pickpockets. However, there is a positive aspect of the French that no one ever recognizes. A French person is a person who will talk and exchange ideas with you without having an economic interest behind them or thinking that he is wasting his time. And this is because for them, time is not always money.
when i was in paris some tourists were pratically screaming while talking to eachothers across the metro, the amount of side-eyes they were getting
Ask the French. They will tell you. We Americans gave no manners or style. Refuse to speak French too ;-(
As a french man, I have never seen someone actually wear a beret. I don't know how to wear a beret. Will it just automatically adapt to my head?
Les étrangers voient le béret comme un symbole de Paris et des parisiens, alors qu'en réalité tu as intérêt à sacrément t'éloigner des grandes villes pour voir des gens le porter
Bah disons que lorsque tu es une femme tu as beaucoup plus de chance d’en avoir dans ta garde robe qu’un homme mais tu en portes rarement. (J’en ai quelques uns et je connais pas mal de potes qui en ont mais si je le porte une fois l’an c’est beau)
Quand tu vas à Paris, à moins d’être en heure de pointe le matin, 100% des personnes que tu croises avec un béret sont des touristes.
@@BB-un2ts Jamais vu une femme le porter mais je vais jamais en ville et encore moins à Paris
@@calixte12 ou alors peut-être que tu t’en fous et lorsque tu en vois et tu ne remarques pas et tu oublies.
@@BB-un2ts pas vraiment mais pas grave
2 words are essential, everything else is optional.
"Bonjour" and "Merci".
The more the better, but just use these two words and you'll have a great day in France.
As soon as you greet someone with a "Bonjour", any normal French person who speaks a little English will be more than happy to try and speak to you in English or Frenchglish as much as necessary to help you.
Don't, and you'll learn that despite the warm climate (at least in the south), we can be very cold people indeed.
4:43 Excusez moi,je ne parle pas Français (Excuse me ,i don't speak french)
For the waiters, there is a respect to be had, because they are not our butlers. If you want to ask something when he passes, an “excusez moi” is enough, he will come as quickly as possible.
A French person who sees that you are trying to say something in French, even with an accent, will answer you in English as best he can (and many French people know the basics of English) or even in the native language of the requester.
When we go to others, we adapt a little to their habits and customs. Especially for language, there are many applications for this.
To put it simply, put the preconceptions and preconceived ideas aside, and ENJOY...
since like 20years we cannot smoke inside btw.
and you can pass cheese if you want :D
Someone smoking just by your table at a terrasse can definitely be considered as rude too for a french
In Portuguese waiter is “garçom”, at least in Brazilian Portuguese, I’m not sure about the other Lusophone Countries
Have you seen the new Napoleon movie yet?
And if so, did it disappoint you as much as it did me?
Honestly folks when traveling to another country where English isn't spoken by most, it's very wise and important to learn around 10 to 15 sentences this will get you in the door with respect right away. Things such as, Excuse me, hello, can you help me?, please, thank you, where is?, yes, no, I don't speak (whatever language), how much is this? My name is, what's your name? easy stuff when you might have a 6 hour flight to a country you have never been before. You can study on the way and pick up most of these phrases. It shows locals your trying. Most foreigner recognize your a tourist and will more than likely go out of their way to help in some small way.
I'm pushing the bonjour rule to the next level personnaly xD.
I have this weird habit (i'm french) when i cross someone in an empty street of my village, of, if i make eye contacts, i have to say "bonjour" otherwise i found it rude to look at someone and just don't adress him. I always did that but i'm maybe the only one. ^^'''
I'll never understand why yanks always make fun of other people's accents when they have that accent.
American accent is horrible for French people ! They prefer british accent learned at school!😮😮😮
" it's a match made in hell " you got me so hard , i laughing my ass off. i'm french btw. and i like you.
J'habite dans le sud-ouest et partout où j'ai pu croiser des touristes, que ce soit des américains, des anglais, des allemands, des hollandais, absolument tous se sont comportés de manière très positive et ont été d'une gentillesse exquise.
In France, loud is considered rude, that is a rule. We don't like loud people in public transports or in shops, restaurants etc... because it is rude to disturb people around you. Of course they are a lot of rude and noisy people in France ; they get glowers or even annoyed "ssshhhhhh !!". When travelling in another country, always try to speak a few words of that country to show you're trying, that is common sense, don't assume everybody speaks or understands english, they don't especially outside Paris, so just assume they don't and make the effort to try to speak their language, as a tourist it's up to you to make the effort. Another thing in France, customer is king but to a certain extend only : money is not ruling, curtesy is, you will feel that if you are considered rude.And find out about the country before visiting it! An American tiktoker woman recently cried because she wanted to share the New Year's Eve at a restaurant in Lyon and everything was closed everywhere : yes, in France everything is pretty much closed on New Year's Eve's night, she would have avoided a lot of disappointment if she had known a little about the country she was visiting!
Even here in Italy when you enter you greet those present even when you go out
The trick for beret is how you match it with your other clothes.
About the smoking part, I'd like to clarify, as a smoker, that it is not THAT cool anymore actually. It is still very very common but smokers also tend to understand people who don't like it.
Take for example you're on a "terrasse" of a restaurant, it is perfectly understandable that you don't want smoke in your face while you eat or just chill. I personnally ask people next to me if it bothers them or observe if they smoke to avoid making them unconfortable, which I think people do more and more, and which I think should be generalized.
We actually have a law that's passed where you're not supposed to be smoking in parks and around public buildings.
And yes, as an american just say "Bonjour" "Merci" "Au revoir" and you'll be good to go, it's how we roll and it's the exact same thing for us, if a french doesn't use that in a store for example, we won't like them either ahah
Here in France if you use mots magiques ( magic wards) 1. Bonjour(hello) 2.s’il vous plaît(please) 3.merci (thank you) 4. Avec plaisir or je vous en prie ( it’s my pleasure or it’s ok) 5.excusez-moi( excuse me) 6. Au revoir Bonn journée ( see you and have a nice day) if you say these with a smile you’ll be sure to be treated with warmth. Politeness and respect for others will get you anywhere.
Only an American would say "don't annoy the French" lol
lol... That reminds me on something: "Don't mention the war..."
I know! Annoying France is Britain's favourite pastime for goodness sake!
@@irene3196 Let this do it the cracks. And in this case, the Germans are the cracks...
@@irene3196 I think we accept it as a challenge 😂
@@irene3196Only when they fight bravely until the last drop of blood of their buddies of course.
Another thing that more than annoys Parisian me, is the tourists' obsession with the Metro. Thanks, Volker, for mentioning that Paris (or any city) is not Disneyland: there are people who need to go to work and live their lives in what dumb tourists treat as an attraction!
I used to live in Montmartre and pest no end against the tourists clogging the metro's ticket gates, the doors, ... whilst I was rushing to get to work on time! The Metro is no pleasant experience; it's a fast and convenient way to go from point A to point B, but, as a visitor, you get to "see" the city you came to visit from a dark underground tunnel??????????????????????
Besides, Paris is a relatively small city (e.g., compared to London) and a highly walkable one. PLUS, we enjoy an extremely good bus network, i.e., a very inexpensive sightseeing tour.
So, yes, these do annoy me. The others are perfectly welcome and there is nothing that I enjoy more than sharing my "must-see/do" off-the-beaten-tracks little gems (very few of them remain; the France-based American YT-ers are giving them all away!) with some I'd have engaged in a conversation with or even to escort them.
I just hate "mass" tourism.
Paris is not small. It is a vast city and certainly not walkable.
@@seansmith445 Oh yeah? I just happen to live there and I said, as compared to (huge) London, for ex.
@@micade2518 I've been to Paris and London and both are huge cities.
@@seansmith445 Paris' surface:105 km²; London's: 1,572 km²
Well that's only in theory, because there are TONS of other towns that literally border Paris that are to be included when talking about Paris , in which case Paris is bigger (it's simply that Feamce likes to have many smaller cities whereas in Britain they decided to have one big city) @micade2518
I have been married to a Frenchman for 23 years. In France do not try and use English, only use it as a last resort. If you try and use English you are just being an arses and will not get any help. Do not be loud, this could be hard for an American, not quite as hard for an Australian. Many do know English in larger cities but in less populated areas they will not know English. They will pretend to not know English to people that do not try or who are arses and have no problem ignoring you and walking away.
or just politely say "monsieur, excusez-moi" ("excuse me sir") in staid of yelling "garçon"
There are a lot of French, and other languages, in the English language. 🇬🇧🌍☮️
Omg, as a French person, JUST the HYPOTHETICAL situation that was described, of even having the audacity, as an American to ask a French person to put their cigarette down.... gave me shivers. Wars started for less than that.
I mean, the ONLY situation I could think (within legal grounds of course) where you could say something is if a child/baby is around and there is somehow issues to make sure the smoke doesn't get in their faces.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I was in Quebec last summer and it was only 2 weeks in that I finally realised why I couldn't spot any ashtrays anywhere. I sat at a terrace and OF COURSE, full French mode activated, I smoke a cigarette, a waiter quickly comes out, very polite, very nice, very handsome, very Canadian basically and tactfully asks me to put it out because it's not allowed.
My instinctive response was white rage, "I'm going to set fire to the Bastille again" vibes, reaching for my pocket travel guillotine etc... , then I quickly snapped out of it, remembered I was abroad and as insane as it was to me at that very moment, "yeah ok fair enough" - I did as I was asked, apologised profusely and once he was out of sight, asked my cousin (who had been there for 6 months as a student) what the flipping fuck was that all about.
She the proceeded to explain local smoking laws, and there too "ok yea fair enough".
I didn't use "Garçon" for a pretty long while as I "Excusez-moi" most of the time but I couldn't draw a line where I stopped saying it. "Garçon" never occured to me as rude. I don't see it as calling someone "Boy" as mentionned in the video, it's just a shortened version of ""Garçon de salle" which basically describe the role as "Chef" would.
McJibbin as a french your french is good 👍🏻
For the smoking part, I agree, you can't ask or tell a person to stop smoking but you can ask them if they can blow the smoke in a different direction. Most smokers don't realize they're smoking in your face but, unless they're assh*le, if you ask them politely (starting with a "bonjour, excusez-moi" of course), they would be careful to not blow the smoke in your direction as best as they can.
We all have a strong accent when we speak a foreign language 🙃
j'ai lu ça avec un accent français
@@ledocteurgonzo Lol.
My husband who is English, but who learnt French for a degree and who spent a year living in France for that qualification, was several times mistaken for a French citizen in France when he spoke French. Even when he told them he was English they did not always believe him.
@@heliotropezzz333some people either lie or have a very bad ear which is not rare.
"Voulez vous coucher avec moi? is not necessarily badly perceived in France😏. Let's say that this is generally considered to be a little too quick to make contact, especially if you don't say hello beforehand... .😇
Bravo ! everything the guy said and all that you commented about France is totally true
Bienvenue
Get some cultural awareness. Colmar in Alsace was a German city for centuries, until the French annexed it. Which explains the traditional local food and the style of the houses at the market place.
The group hogging the sidewalk thing (foreign an native aka non parisian tourists alike) is a pain in the arsee, especially on saturday IDK why. Going to work in the center of Paris became a nightmare on that day. It is like they are living in a VR bubble where you are a NPC! 🤣
About the coward thing here some of us get the joke and won't mind but you gotta understand that still more than 100 000 soldier died and that civilian casualty are even greater saying the french are coward when in fact it was only a part of the chief general staff who surrendered after having put france in losing situation will be felt as a direct attack because a lot french people take a lot pride in the french resistance after the capitulation in addition the other part of the french officers fled to england and continued to fight from there while after the war the officer who surendered where trialed with high treason and executed so people who personally have a familly experience with the war will be really ofended at the joke
11:42 Thanks man !
France has been engaged in countless wars throughout its very long history, and most often on its own soil.
To only talk about the last two. The First World War had already killed more than 4% of our population and a large part of the survivors were women, children, old people and invalids. The second killed 567K again. To go back in time, if today you have a park called Lafayette Square facing the White House, it is because it takes its name in homage to the French personality of the Marquis de Lafayette who participated in the victory of the American Revolution. The French are far from being cowards. Many of our grandfathers appear on the countless war memorials in our cities. The American cemeteries in Normandy are impressive because they bring together everything in one place and we will always thank the intervention of ALL the allies in this Second World War (the Russians for example had 22 million dead or 14% of their population).
Nobody says sacre bleu anymore or call waiter "garçon " either , it is so old fashion that is now obsolete 😅
Fun fact : "bathroom" is an inaccurate word to describe its equivalent in France. That's because in most french houses and older appartments, toilets and showers/bathtubs are in different rooms.
Good video, as a french i can tell you that you are right. And that guy is too. Its funny cause the brits i've seen within comments are the first beeing funny and very kind like "oi mate it's a bit rude of you to put a knife in my chest init!?" On the french side, we basically do the same... We just dont do it tye same way yk :)
I live in Colmar. Coolest city.