Faux-Pas in France – French Story & Translation

Author: Steve Oswald

French student Steve learned some French etiquette rules the hard way: he candidly shares his experience in this fun bilingual article.

Use the floating blue icon in the bottom right to hide/reveal the English translations below or just click here.

RĂ©cemment, j’ai l’occasion de voyager en France pour profiter d’un merveilleux cours d’immersion au Pays Basque. Avant mon dĂ©part, j’étais dĂ©terminĂ© Ă  Ă©viter les faux pas culturels pendant mon sĂ©jour, mais malgrĂ© ma prĂ©paration, j’ai Ă©chouĂ©, comme on pouvait s’y attendre


Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to France to take advantage of a wonderful  French immersion course in Pays Basque (France). Before my departure, I was determined to avoid cultural missteps during my trip. But despite my preparation, I failed, as one would expect.

Bien que j’aie Ă©tĂ© un peu gĂȘnĂ© aprĂšs chaque erreur, tout le monde autour de moi Ă©tait trĂšs courtois et personne n’a rien dit !

Although I was a little embarrassed after each mistake, everyone around me was very courteous and no one said a thing!

1 – French Drinking Etiquette

Un soir, Myriam et moi sommes allĂ©s chez sa sƓur pour diner. Avant le repas, pendant que nous bavardions, notre hĂŽte nous a proposĂ© un apĂ©ritif. J’ai Ă©tĂ© servi parmi les premiers, aprĂšs les femmes, et alors que je regardais mon verre sur la table devant moi, ma nervositĂ© a Ă©tĂ© plus forte que moi. Donc, j’ai pris mon verre et j’ai commencĂ© Ă  siroter ma boisson.

One evening, Myriam and I went to her sister’s place for dinner. Before the meal, while making small talk, our host offered us an aperitif. I was among the first to be served, after the ladies, and while I was looking at my glass on the table in front of me, my nervousness got the better of me. So, I took my glass and I began to sip my drink.

Une minute ou deux plus tard, lorsque tout le monde Ă©tait servi, un des autres invitĂ©s a levĂ© son verre et il a dit « allez.. tchin, tchin ! ». Ce Ă  quoi, tout le monde a rĂ©pondu la mĂȘme chose, en entrechoquant son verre, y compris moi. J’avais fait une boulette : en France, on est supposĂ© attendre que tout le monde soit servi (et probablement que quelqu’un porte un toast) pour commencer Ă  boire comme Camille l’explique dans son article.

A minute or two later, as soon as everyone was served, one of the other guests lifted his glass and said “cheers!” To which everyone responded the same, while clinking their glass, including me. I had made an error: in France, one is supposed to wait until everyone is served (and probably someone proposes a toast) to start drinking, like Camille explains it in her article on French drinking etiquette.

2 – French Bread Etiquette

J’aime le pain autant que les Français l’aiment et, pendant un des nombreux repas formidables, je me suis rendu compte que, en bon AmĂ©ricain, je croquais dans mon morceau de pain avec les dents, chose qui est considĂ©rĂ©e impolie en France. C’était une de mes habitudes amĂ©ricaines que j’ai trouvĂ©e trĂšs difficile Ă  changer parce que j’ai toujours mangĂ© le pain de cette maniĂšre.

I love bread as much as the French love it and, during one of many great meals, I realized that, like a good American, I was biting into my piece of bread with my teeth, something that is considered impolite in France. This was one of my American habitats that I found very difficult to change because I have always eaten bread this way.

En France, vous ĂȘtes supposĂ© rompre le pain avec les mains, et ne porter Ă  la bouche qu’un petit morceau de pain que vous pouvez manger en une ou deux bouchĂ©es. Heureusement, je n’ai pas oubliĂ© de placer le pain sur la table Ă  cotĂ© de mon assiette, et pas sur mon assiette !

In France, you are supposed to break off the bread with your hands, and only put in your mouth a small piece of bread that you could eat in one or two mouthfuls. Fortunately, I did not forget to place the bread on the table next to my place, and not on my plate!

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3 – French Table Etiquette

Au restaurant, j’essaie de regarder ce qui se passe autour de moi. On peut apprendre beaucoup de choses en observant les autres qui sont tout prĂšs. Si l’on veut vraiment savoir comment on devrait manipuler un couteau pendant un repas en France, tout simplement, on peut observer ce que les Français font autour de nous.

In a restaurant, I try to watch what is happening around me. One can learn a lot of things while observing others who are nearby. If one really wants to know how one should use a knife during a meal in France, one can quite simply observe what the French around you are doing.

La chose la plus difficile pour moi Ă©tait de me souvenir de placer mes deux mains sur la table, de chaque cĂŽtĂ© de mon assiette, et pas sous la table comme il est poli de le faire aux États-Unis. À tous les repas, je faisais une drĂŽle de petite danse : « mains dessous
oups, mains dessus » et ça recommençait Ă  chaque fois que je posais mes couverts ou que je prenais mon verre !

The most difficult thing for me was to remember to place my two hands on the table, on each side of my plate, and not under the table as it is polite to do in the United States. At every meal, I was doing a strange little “dance”: “hands underneath
.oops, hands on top” and that was repeated each time I put down my knife and fork or I picked up my glass!

Et vous ? Avez-vous fait des faux-pas en France ? Partagez-les dans les commentaires !

What about you? Did you ever do faux-pas in France? Share them in the comments!

Author: Steve Oswald

Steve Oswald

Bonjour Ă  tous ! I am a retired American physician with a passion for all things French. I will share with you some of my experiences while traveling in France. My French lessons via Skype have been wonderful and are helping me prepare for my next journey to France.

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