Etiquette Of France
Over 100 Destinations
The one rule that matters more than all the others
Say bonjour. Entering a shop, a bakery, a waiting room, a lift, approaching anyone behind a counter: you greet first, then you ask.
In Britain, walking into a shop and going straight to what you want is normal. In France it reads as rude, and it is the single most common reason British newcomers get a frosty reception and never understand why.
Au revoir on the way out, every time.
Never open in English
Do not start a conversation with a French person in English. Even if your French is poor, open in French. Bonjour, excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais? takes five seconds and changes the entire exchange.
The point is not fluency. It is that you tried.
Tu or vous
Use vous with anyone you do not know, anyone older, and everyone at work until you are invited otherwise. Tu is for friends, family, children and close colleagues.
Switching to tu too early is a small rudeness. Staying on vous slightly too long is not. If in doubt, stay formal and let the other person offer.
La bise
Kissing on both cheeks is normal with friends and family. At work it depends on how well you know the person, and you let the woman lead, because she may read it as inappropriate if it is not.
The number of kisses changes by region, which catches out even French people moving within France. When you are new, follow rather than initiate.
At work
Shake hands with everyone, in the morning, and with anyone you pass. Skipping it is read as rudeness rather than efficiency.
Respect the hierarchy. Going over someone’s head or around a line of reporting is taken seriously, and in France it matters as much as what you achieve.
Take your lunch and your coffee breaks. They are close to sacred, and working through them does not read as commitment. It reads as odd.
A note on confidence
None of this is law and none of it is universal, and a Parisian office and a village in the south are not the same place. Treat this as the convention rather than the rule, watch what people around you do, and copy that.
Removals To France
Removals.co.uk has a weekly removal service to France, covering all regions. We can transport anything from a few boxes on our space sharing part load service to an entire house full of items, including furniture, vehicles and pets on our dedicated service.
If finally realising your dream of moving to one of the most romantic countries in the world, then it will be worth your while to know the etiquette of France.
Probably the most important point is to never start a conversation with a French person in English so, even if your grasp of the language isn’t great, try to at least say hello in French and that shows you are being polite.
When working in an office, it is important to say hello and shake hands with everyone you work with and anyone you pass in the hall. If you don’t, you will be seen as rude.
Kissing on the cheeks is another minefield of dos and don’ts in French etiquette. Basically with friends and family, you kiss both cheeks in the office with women you know reasonably well it is the done thing, but let the woman lead as she may see it as rude to kiss if it is not appropriate.
You must respect the hierarchy at work and not cross lines as this is seen as a no-no, and you should always be aware of this as it is as important as what you achieve.
Do take lunch hours and coffee breaks which are seen as almost sacred in France, and you could be seen as slightly strange if you work through them.
So as long as you get your manners and etiquette right, you should have a great time in France once you’ve moved with the help of an excellent removals company like Removals.co.uk!