Saying "Hello" in France

I have found that around the world, people will great each other in very different ways. Whether it's a kiss, a hug, a handshake or a wave, saying hello is part of human nature and it varies a lot depending on the country, culture and occasion. I find that greetings in France are quite different so I'm going to share my experience.

Passing someone on the streets

I have found that living in France, the French are much more reluctant to say hello compared to other countries. Being British it's a reflex to say hello when passing someone (who I don't necessarily know) in the streets of my village, however, especially with the older generation I will more often than not get a reluctant hello or a grunt. By now I've gotten used to this, I know it's just in their "Provençal" nature but to tourists, this can be quite puzzling. According to some research I've done, France is one of the least friendly counties along with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Russia to name a few. Here is the full list, some may surprise you! That's why when I go to Britain I love the fact that I can say hello to everybody on my way down to the local supermarket and get a friendly "good morning" and a smile. This, of course, applies to French people you don't know, if you pass a friend or acquaintance it's very different…

Meeting up and the famous "bise"

This, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting things about greeting someone in France. If you meet up with a friend, an acquaintance, co-worker or even meeting someone for the first time the French will almost always give you "la bise". If you're not already familiar with this when visiting France you'll be quite surprised but its basically 2 air kisses on alternate cheeks. However, it gets more confusing because depending on the region, the number of kisses will vary and even some regions require a specific cheak to start on. For example, I live in southern France, and in my region its 3 kisses instead of the 2 you get in most of France. Some regions even go up to 4–5 but that's just ridiculous. Here is a map that I took from a polling site where French people c say how many kisses they do in their region:

Another very important rule when it comes to giving "la bise" to someone is the sound you make. Many tourists will make a "mwah, mwah" sound with their mouths to imitate a kiss but this is a very bad idea. The sound should come from your lips, not your voice.

"La bise" really is a big part of French culture, whether you're a child, an adult, a man or a woman, everybody does it and if you're planning on spending time in France it is something you need to master.

The exceptions

Of course, there are always some exceptions to the rule, the bise can't be used for every occasion (most of them though).

The first is teenagers, it is rare to find teenagers giving each other the bise, I find that boys will stick to a handshake and girls will give each other 2 kisses on each cheek (not air kisses) at least this is my experience in a French school. However this is only between teenagers, you still have to give the bise to adults.

This is also the case for very formal events, by this, I don't mean a fancy dinner party, I'm talking about important meetings where it's more likely that you'll be shaking hands instead of the bise.

There might be a few more that I haven't thought of but I think you get the idea!

So in conclusion, greetings in France are taken very seriously, some rules need to be followed (even if the French themselves sometimes get confused) which may vary depending on where you are in France. The first few times you'll probably embrace yourself but don't worry, it won't take long to get used to.