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Want to converse with French people, but worried about asking the wrong questions? It’s true that ome questions might not come across as you intended, which can lead to awkward and uncomfortable moments. Let’s navigate this together!
In this video, we’ll explore 7 questions you should never ask a French person. These questions might seem harmless, but they can come across as awkward or even rude to cultural differences and perceived stereotypes.
We’ll dive into topics like why French people protest, perceptions of rudeness, and even the complex relationship between France and America. I’ll talk about why these questions can be awkward and, most importantly, what you can ask instead to keep the conversation going.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a better understanding of French culture and know how to start conversations on the right foot. Ready to learn more? C’est parti !
0:00 – Intro
0:24 – Why do French people protest all the time?
2:36 – Why are French people so rude?
6:46 – Do you hate Americans?
10:21 – Do you know Martin from Nantes?
12:30 – Do you really eat snails and frog legs?
15:17 – How do you stay so slim with all those croissants?
18:45 – Can I take this in a doggybag?
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At Comme une Française, we specialize in everyday spoken French. We focus on three unique aspects that are different from school French, self-study books, Duolingo, etc:
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😘 from Grenoble, France.
Géraldine
39 Comments
Get my weekly newsletter full of insights, tips and exercises on spoken French, specially crafted to make learning fun and practical. Join 32,241 learners here: https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?utm_source=youtube
The willingness, nay eagerness, of the French to faire la grève et faire la manifestation are big reasons I moved here. ❤
Merci Geraldine!! TU est LA mailleure!! Your advise is ALWAYS welcomed. Salut de Mexique.
Végan est préférable. Les Italiens sont insultés par le mot végétalian. MDR.
Cette video cible surtout les Americains 😊, et pas tout le monde a les mêmes prejugés Americanisés des Français quand même, 😅 le defaultisme americain n’est donc pas QUE americain 😂😂😂, belle video 😊
Don't ask strangers or newly met friends what they do for a living or what their religion is.
WHAT THE F is Quel est votre age?
(Je déteste seulement la moitié des résidents américains, because they CHOSE to wallow in lies)
And beware slugs!
Like the US President now about to be let to slime the Whitehouse again, slugs have alternative protections to snail shells.
Here, for example, one can pick up a BIG beautiful yellow Banana Slug (NOT like the distasteful foul Orange one infesting the world from DC!) and lick it, your tongue numbing before you set it down in the magnificent Redwood forest.
Neither are recommended for ingestion due to their separate toxicities, although the Banana Slug does NOT spread toxic compounds everywhere, as does the orange one.
Je n’ai pas d’estomac et pourtant, beaucoup de restaurants américains ne me servent même pas une petite portion. Ils pensent que j’essaie d’être radine et de ne pas dépenser trop.
Mai '68 aussi: "le pouvoir est au bout du fusil!"
Merci! Vous avez fait des observations très astucieuses.
The algorithm showed me this excellent content. Subbed.
As an Irish person who constantly has to put up with English and American people assuming I must drink pints of Guinness ( I am teetotal ) I can understand why these clichéd questions can be so annoying and offensive. I visit France regularly and enjoy the French way of life – even though I have little interest in food and am a vegetarian!
As an Irish person who constantly has to put up with English and American people assuming I must drink pints of Guinness ( I am teetotal ) I can understand why these clichéd questions can be so annoying and offensive. I visit France regularly and enjoy the French way of life – even though I have little interest in food and am a vegetarian!
Well you don’t ask those questions to strangers regardless of their nationality or skin color, not just for French people. It’s a common sense.
As an American who's had escargot (here in the states) a few times, they're actually delicious! If you like calamari, you'll probably like escargot.
I think the third question is totally legitimate. All french people are indoctrinated in school to hate Americans. It's just a constant theme that goes beyond politics and economics. Whenever I'm in France I have to deal directly with it, whether from ignorant comments or in formal settings (alliance francaise classes, teachers will always find ways to insult Americans). On the rare occasion that i hear a french person say they like Americans it's shocking.
The solution is to ignore it. The chance that you'll make a french friend is extremely small. Just enjoy the other parts of the culture and language that don't include personal relationships.
I am a Scot. I was once asked by a Frenchwoman if there were civil servants in Scotland.
Sorry. Your channel for learning English or French?
Can we ask, Do French people are mostly racist? Because I work for a restaurant as stock manager in Paris! Most of the people working in the kitchen are Asians but the French owner never let those staff's to present in any of the promotional videos! Even those employees are well versed in the restaurant field! May I know why is this happening? And also this is not only in this French restaurant, even I worked for 3 more French restaurants and 2 French but selling American burgers in their restaurants! So everywhere it's happening! French people are like: You can grow but not above us! ( not every Frenchies whom I came across these years in Paris😂)
Are we married with Children ❤
I thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you.
The main thing I have noticed when chatting with Americans is their reference to the Royal Family as if we all go round for tea.
At the other end of the spectrum believing they know more about them than we do.
And almost everything they do know is propaganda. Most still believe the Fraudulent Interview of Diana was true and the 30 year old hoax that our King and Queen had an affair!
When I was a Nurse on an International Summer camp, during the cattle disaster, we had a BBQ and the French kids kept saying "Nursey, I don't want any of the crazy beef" 😂
The reason why those questions are infuriating is not because they are being asked , but because you know even before answering them that the other person will not understand the explanations — because of the cultural gap which made them ask it in the first place
Thanks to these actions, French employees enjoy much better rights than their US counterparts, as well as more general social benefits.
How to enable my American grandson to subscribe? Most of his life has been in Germany, yet he has studied French and is a real fan of the language.
Don't ask "Did your family collaborated with Nazi Germany ?", ask "How did De Gaulle govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?" (sorry for the dark humour, the title made it too tempting). For foreigners, the cheese quote is from De Gaulle questioning his own ruling, and the joke is about how he built social peace post WW2 through granting the belief all France resisted during the occupation.
On a light hearted note, asking "Where can I learn how to choose the right wine and food pairing ?" is better than "Do you have a drinking problem ?" (we all have)
Un bacio dall'Italia a tutta la Francia!
1:32 That's part of the Entropa by Czech artist David Černý it was very controversial when it was put on display in Bruselles during our (Czech) first presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2009. 😀
Anyway yes, the only part of Europe indescribable as "rude" might the Southern one.
I had a lovely experience in Paris several years ago. (Well, I always have lovely experiences in Paris). This particular one occurred in a post office in the 20e, close to where I was staying. I needed to send a parcel to the UK, but I was unsure how to use the machine. So, I went to the counter to ask the employee, who was a woman most likely in her late 40s or early 50s. I lead with: "Bonjour madame," and then proceeded to ask for her help. I can tell you her eyes lit up, she smiled, walked around the counter and led me to the machine. She then described how to use the machine and the entire process of sending a parcel. (I will add here I am completely fluent in French and have been since I was a teenager decades ago.)
During this whole exchange, my partner – who only speaks rudimentary French – observed everything. Afterwards, he asked me how I got such great service from a post office employee. It was simple: I used what I now call "le protocole français". Because I understand how French politeness works, I use it in all my interactions with French people.
The conclusion here is: French people aren't rude, not in a general sense. They simply have a different communication style from other cultures. I think that's a wonderful thing.
Not all French people like American culture. Some see the "cheval de Troie" at work and the process of colonization. I dare this admiration to survive to Trump era.
When you're in a foreign country, you can decide to show interest in the local culture and habits.
If you do, just ask open question, and closed questions.
That's how people will know, you're interested in the answer.
All those question proves the person asking doesn't give a damn, so the answers will be made of same stuff.
Moi, j'adore les escargots mais les cuisses des grenouilles sont trop petites.
merci pour un excellent épisode !!!
What a bad accent. Where did you learn English? In India or Pakistani?
I'll ask all of them to my French friend! AHAHAHAH
Love it!
MERCI BEAUCOUP FOR YOUR GREAT CONTENT!!!I
I AM SO GLAD THAT I FOUND YOU!!!!
"Avoid Asking These 7 Questions To French People"
The title isn't English, I'm afraid. You cannot ask questions "to" people. To be very formal, you can "avoid asking these seven questions OF French people", but normally you'd say 'avoid asking French people these seven questions'. And don't use the figure '7' when you mean 'seven'; it's not a mathematical equation.
Talk about clichés. It’s the pot calling the kettle black.
What an annoying twat! I’m French and left 20 years ago. This type of video reminds me in part of why I left.
Le droit de grève… mon cul, oui ! Et le droit à la libre circulation ?? La France est le seul pays au monde où les transports (trains, avions, camions, bateau pour la corse et j’en oublie certainement) prennent le pays en otage pour leurs intérêts personnels. Tout ça découle de mai 68, les syndicats, etc… et depuis, le gouvernement laisse faire alors que le reste des français sont pris en otage sans rien pouvoir faire.
« Ah mais il ne faut pas critiquer la grève en France car on peut parler à un employé de la sncf ». C’est quoi cette remarque à la con ?! Et la liberté d’expression alors ? Ça aussi c’est régit par les syndicats ? À chaque fois, je dis bien à chaque fois que je viens en France et ça peu importe le moment, il y a toujours une grève qui m’empêche de voyager normalement et je dois avoir une voiture de loc prête au cas où ou une autre manière de pouvoir aller où je dois aller. Et quand on sait que les syndicats sont financé en grande partie par des fonds publics car ils ne peuvent pas survivre de leur cotisations, on se rend compte que les français se font enfiler deux fois. Mais à part ça, madame la marquise, tout va très bien.