Biggest French ‘faux-pas’ You Can Commit

Just in case you did not know, a faux pas is an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation. Now let us look at some of the biggest faux pas that you can commit when adapting to the French culture.

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1. Eating Dinner before 7 pm: With the French, Dinner seems to be no earlier than 7 p.m. and even that is on the early side of 8 p.m. and that is pretty normal and 9 isn’t too strange. You may have to definitely adjust your habits.
2. Eating your salad before the main course: The French eat their salad to finish the meal, not to start it. I know right? This really varies by the region somewhat but generally, a salad is eaten after the main dish.
3. Friendly conversations getting too friendly: After a simple hi and very small talk about the weather, try to keep the rest of it in your tummy. It might be hard but just try.
4. Being too direct: There are subtle nuances to the French language that you might not notice at first, but they’re there. For example, in regular conversation, skipping the niceties to get the point is too abrupt or even rude to a French person. So you have to play the game and be polite.
5. Going in for a hug:  The French people find hugs extremely intimate and they prefer it to be given to lovers. Instead of hugs, greet friends and family with cheek kisses called bisous (friendly kiss). The French would not only be surprised and find it awkward to hug but they’d be extremely embarrassed and find the whole exchange super uncomfortable due to the physical contact.
6. Addressing someone by their first name: The French do not address someone they are not really friends with by their first name. It really might not seem like a big deal but it is a major gaffe. Basically, anyone you don’t interact with on a daily basis or anyone in a professional context gets a Monsieur or Madame unless they tell you otherwise.
7. Forgetting your manners:  Make sure you say your Bonjour upon arrival and say au revoir upon exiting. That’s good life advice anywhere. It’s a really bad habit to forget simple words like merci and bonne journée.

Do not say I have not done anything for you in this life o. All of you that are visiting France or those french Speaking countries, I have done you well. Very well in fact.

Au revoir.

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