Ch 26 · Lesson 25French · Chapter 26 · Lesson 25 · Themed review
La bise et le vouvoiement
Saying hello in French is physical: a kiss on each cheek or a handshake, how many kisses, and the turns into .
Practise this lesson
19-word session
A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.
Worth knowing
One kiss, two or four, and when to say tu
You know , and . What nobody writes down is what your face and hands do while you say them.
La bise
bise is two cheeks touching lightly while you make a small kissing sound in the air. Lips do not touch skin. Friends do it, family does it, and in many offices colleagues do it every morning.
| Who | Usually |
|---|---|
| Two women who know each other | bise |
| A man and a woman who know each other | bise |
| Two men who are friends or family | bise in the south and among the young; a handshake elsewhere |
| Two men at work | a handshake, main |
| Anyone meeting for the first time, formally | a handshake |
How many?
| Where | Kisses |
|---|---|
| and most of France | two |
| Parts of the south-east | three |
| Much of the north and west | four |
| Belgium | one |
| French-speaking Switzerland | three |
The French argue about this happily, and the counts above are what most people report, not rules: Finistère, at the tip of Brittany, often makes do with one. When in doubt, follow the other person, and lean whichever way they lean.
Tu or vous?
| |
|---|---|
| a stranger, a shop assistant | a friend, a |
| an older person you do not know well | family, children |
| your boss, at first | many colleagues, depending on the office |
| a neighbour, for years sometimes | other young people, almost at once |
The switch is offered, not taken, and the older or more senior person offers it: On ? Saying too soon sounds over-familiar; holding on to after the offer sounds cold.
In Québec, comes much sooner, even with people you have just met. Belgium and Switzerland are closer to France.
One bonjour a day
Walk into a shop and say , madame or , before anything else; it is the price of being served with a smile. After about six in the evening it becomes . And you say to the same person only once a day: the second time you meet, a smile does the job.