📺 Video lesson · 12 French Culture Surprises (and How Not to Offend Anyone) · 5 takeaways

12 French Culture Surprises (and How Not to Offend Anyone) — 5 things to know in 20 seconds

💡 The 5 takeaways

• 1. « Bonjour » is not optional — Walk into a shop, a lift, a waiting room — you say bonjour first, THEN speak.
• 2. La bise — Friends greet with light cheek kisses — usually two, but it’s three or four in some regions.
• 3. Meals are long, and cheese comes before dessert — A real French meal is a slow, ordered ritual — see French gastronomy.
• 4. Everything closes on Sunday — and in August — Sundays are quiet; in August, whole cities empty as the French take their holidays.
• 5. Tu or vous — get it wrong and it’s awkward — Default to vous with strangers, elders and at work; tu comes with permission or closeness.