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LIVING IN FRANCE

‘The human connection’ – Why foreigners love France’s bonjour habit

The importance of greetings - especially bonjour - in France is something that often surprises newcomers. But once they're got into the habit, do foreigners in France like it? Or find it annoying? We asked our readers.

Published: 21 July 2023 16:51 CEST

'The human connection' - Why foreigners love France's bonjour habit

Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP

It’s pretty common for foreigners in France to have a story about the time they forgot a bonjour after arriving in France – and were generally either ignored or reprimanded until they offered the correct greeting.

Greetings are hugely important in France, and forgetting your bonjour can mean the difference between good service and bad, or making friends or being ignored.

If you live here, you generally end up accepting this because it will make your life easier – but once they have acclimatised, do foreigners enjoy their new habit? Or is it a chore or even mildly annoying to be constantly greeting people?

We asked our readers and our Twitter poll was extremely conclusive – 93.9 percent of respondents said they like the bonjour tradition.

We all know that 'bonjour' is an important word in France and is vital if you want to make friends or get good service – but do you like this French insistence on a 'bonjour'? Share your views!

— The Local France (@TheLocalFrance) July 20, 2023

Many readers also shared their comments on their new habits.

Ronald G Kirchem said: “I adore the formal politeness of the French. It makes life much more enjoyable.”

Chris Hobday concurred, saying: “Je l’adore ! At a local café I am greeted by the very proper proprietress with a nod of the head and “Bonjour monsieur”, at a nearby resto with a handshake and “Bonjour ! ça va?” from a wisecracking waiter, and from the young serveuse at the wine bar, “Bonjour, Chris”, and “bisous”.

American Diana Chambers told us: “I LOVE French politesse – the human connection.”

The human connection was mentioned a lot when we previously spoke to French people about why bonjour is so important. Especially for people working in retail or service – a greeting acknowledges them as a person, rather than just a machine there to serve your needs.

The friends and family of John MacNeil Allison benefit from excellent advice, as he told us: “I’m a fan. It’s the first tip I give fellow Americans visiting France who, like me, have limited French language skills – it gets every interaction off to right start, shows common courtesy.”

And several respondents said that they wished that their home countries had similar courtesies in place.

Linda H Matthews said: “I love that everyone acknowledges each other, even in the doctor’s waiting room, and the ados who hang around the bus stop. Too much sociability has been lost in my birth country.”

We struggled to find anyone who didn’t like it, but a few people added some caveats to the habit.

Scheenagh Harrington pointed out: “The only time I ever found it mildly irksome was when I briefly tried jogging and people expected me to be able to talk AND breathe at the same time.

“Otherwise it’s excellent. I find it amazing that people fronting shops say it even when they’re hip-deep in customers.”

Gregory Viscusi said: “It’s moderately annoying when you enter a room of 20 people and you’re expected to greet every one individually. But as for when you walk into a shop or to a teller, absolutely the right thing to do. Drives me nuts to see my fellow Americans barge into a place and start bossing.”

Several people also recommended the book The Bonjour Effect: Secret codes of French conversation by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow for further reading.

So there you have it – France, foreigners love your formal greetings.

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Listings: French films with English subtitles during the Olympics

A sporting event gets under way in Paris next month. You might have heard about it. But, if you’re getting fed-up of repeated mentions of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and wondering what you can do instead of watching wall-to-wall sporting events, worry not – the good people of Lost in Frenchlation have you covered.

They have put together a veritable Olympian schedule of French films with English subtitles to give your cultural muscles a bit of a workout – with an emphasis on films about sport and films about Paris.

The cinematic Olympiad includes two screenings of the ever-popular Audrey Tatou movie Amélie (or Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, to use its full titl)e; Le Grand Bain, a film described as Full Monty in Speedos; Jean-Luc Godard’s classic À bout de Souffle; this year’s Oscar-winning Anatomie d’une Chute; and, from the never-less-than-fun Asterix series, the perfectly appropriate Asterix aux JO.

The full Olympics’ programme is here:

La Petite Vadrouille

July 22nd and August 3rd @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €5 to €9.50. You can purchase them HERE.

This French comedy by Bruno Podalydès tells the story of a group of friends who attempt to solve their money problems by organising a fake romantic cruise for their wealthy friend, Franck, who wants to seduce a woman.

Le Genou de Claire

July 23rd @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site. They will range from €5 to €9.90.

Directed by Eric Rohmer, the film follows the story of Jérôme, a diplomat and writer living in Sweden, as he prepares to get married. Before the wedding, he decides to take a trip alone to Annecy in France, where he runs into Aurora, a Romanian novelist he had met while working at the French embassy in Bucharest.

Anatomie d’une Chute

July 24th @ L’Ecran St Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis

Tickets – Ranging from €4 to €7.50. Can be purchased here.

August 8th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20, rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €7 to €11. Purchased here.

The film follows Sandra, a German writer, her French husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel who live a secluded life in the French Alps.

When Samuel dies unexpectedly, Sandra is suspected of having played a role in his death. She tries to prove her innocence, but throughout the trial, the intimate details of the couple’s life together are uncovered.

Les Crevettes Pailletées

July 25th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20, rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

An LGBT comedy, the film follows a homophobic coach who is forced to coach a gay water polo team. Together, they travel to Croatia for the ‘Gay Games,’ the largest LGBT sporting event in the world.

L’Esprit Coubertin

July 27th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

August 4th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – You can purchase them here. Tickets range from €7 to €11.

A comedy by director Jérémie Sein, the film tells the story of the French Olympic delegation 10 days into the competition. Without any gold medals, the delegation places all of their hope on Paul, an exceptional, yet immature sports shooter. As the big day approaches, Paul finds himself forced to share a room with Jacob, a swimmer who is more focused on the extra-curricular temptations at the athletes’ village than his own race.

La Revanche des Crevettes Pailletées

July 28th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – You can purchase them here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

Another LGBT comedy directed by Cédric Le Gallo and Maxime Govare. It will be the sequel to the 2019 film Les crevettes pailletées (The Shiny Shrimps).

This next instalment will follow the team as they try to make their way to a competition in Tokyo, only to be derailed by a missing their connecting flight, forcing the team to pass through a very homophobic region in Russia.

Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain)

July 29th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

August 7th @ L’Ecran Saint-Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €4 to €7.50.

The whimsical romantic comedy follows a shy Parisian waitress who spends most of her time imagining about the people around her. One day, she decides to step in and attempt to discretely help others find happiness.

Pauline à la plage

July 30th, 8pm @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site. Ranging from €5 to €9.90.

The film follows the recent divorcée Marion, and her younger cousin Pauline as they go on vacation to their family home in Normandy. During the trip, they run into Marion’s ex-lover Pierre, who introduces them to Henri. As their love lives become entangled, the situation becomes more complicated.

Le Comte de Monte Cristo

July 31st @ L’Ecran Saint-Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis, France

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €4 to €7.50.

Based on the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, the film follows the story of Edmond Dantès, a French 19-year-old first mate of the merchant ship Pharaon, who is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned at an island fortress off the coast of Marseille. After 14 years he manages to escape, taking on the identity of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ and attempting to take revenge on those who betrayed him.

Le Grand Bain

August 1st @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Purchase tickets here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

August 10th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris, France

Tickets – Purchase tickets here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

Directed by Gilles Lellouche, the film tells the stories of several swimmers who train at their local municipal swimming pool. One day, they decide to take on the challenge of synchronized swimming, which helps them find meaning in their lives.

Cléo de 5 à 7

August 2nd @ L’Entrepôt, 7 rue Francis de Pressensé, Paris

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €5 to €8.50.

Directed by the legendary Agnès Varda, the film follows Cléo for a snippet of her life – just 90 minutes – as she waits for the results of a biopsy in Paris.

Marinette

August 5th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

The film tells the story of a female football player, Marinette Pichon, as she overcomes difficulties in her private life to become a champion and example for girls everywhere.

Conte d’été

August 6th @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site, ranging from €5 to €9.90.

Directed by Eric Rohmer, the film follows Gaspard during the summer holidays, as he tries to decide between three girls he is interested in: Léna, Margot and Solène.

À bout de Souffle (Breathless)

August 9th @ L’Entrepôt, 7 rue Francis de Pressensé, Paris

Tickets – From €5 to €8.50. Purchased here.

The classic film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, it tells the story of a cocky young boy, Michel Poiccard, who steals a car in Marseille and tries to make his way to Paris. Along the road, he is stopped by a policeman and ends up killing him. Once he gets to Paris he meets an American student named Patricia, who he falls in love with, but Patricia eventually learns about Michel’s dealings.

Asterix aux JO

August 11th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €7 to €11. Purchase them here.

Follow France’s favourite heroes, Asterix and Obelix, as they travel to Greece to compete in the Olympic Games. They also face off against Machiavellian Brutus, the son of Caesar.

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