10 Things about French culture that still confuse me

It’s been a year since I moved to France!! Okay, well yes, I did take some detours during the lockdown but I’m still celebrating! After living here two years, there are still many things about French culture that as an American, I still just don’t get.

How is French culture different than American culture?

Every country and region has its own culture. When we’re talking about completely different sides of the world, the gap in culture can be HUGE. Even though I’ve settled into France, there are still a few things that, as a foreigner, I simply just don’t get.

1. Always say bonjour

In general, the French have a reputation for being a bit rude. They’re just very upfront about how they feel, and don’t care if you don’t like it!

HOWEVER, if you forget to say “Bonjour” when entering a shop, you may as well have insulted their mother. You always have to say hello when entering a shop, whether you see the attendant or not, and it’s best to say “Merci, au revoir!” when leaving. Walking into a shop without saying anything is one of the rudest things you can do!

2. Waiting to cheers

In the US, we receive our drink and that’s that. It’s polite to wait for everyone to receive their food, but we don’t really have a rule with drinks.

In Europe, you have to wait until everyone else receives their drink and then cheers together. I have been caught many times sipping on my glass of wine before realizing that everyone is waiting for the ‘Cheers’. Oops! Sorry guys!

3. Not smiling on the street

At least where I’m from, it’s very polite to give a small smile as you make eye contact on the street. In France, people will think you’re psycho if you do that. You just don’t smile at strangers here! Luckily, I’ve been spared a bit from looking like an idiot thanks to Covid, since my mask covers my smile.

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4. Close proximity

A weirdly specific thing, but I’ve noticed that the French are not bothered by proximity to people. If there are 10 free tables at a restaurant, they have no problem taking the table RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. There have been several times where I’m sitting outside on a bench and I think that someone is coming up to talk to me. NOPE, they just decide that even with the availability of the entire walkway, they will walk right beside your bench. Americans like to distance themselves from others in that sense.

5. Smoking

Some people smoke in the US yes, but not to the European extent. It’s a huge part of the culture in Europe, but France takes it to another level. There are smoking rooms in office buildings. Universities have “smoke breaks.” Even the airports have areas where you can go to smoke. Yesterday I was driving and saw a guy smoking a cigarette on his moped! ON THE MOPED! And you don’t smile at strangers but it’s perfectly fine to ask a random person for a lighter.

6. Elevator situation

In my office building, I’ve noticed that outside of an elevator, you do not say hi to those that are waiting for the elevator with you. Once you enter the elevator though, it’s incredibly rude to not say “bonjour.” You’re also expected to wish them a nice day once they exit. Why did you not acknowledge me before?? What is the difference now that we’re inside the elevator?? Where is the line????

7. Complaining

Oh la la ze French love to complain. You are not French if you don’t complain, especially Parisians. Parisians believe their city is the best in the world, and yet will complain everyday. You can never be truly Parisian if you don’t have a love-hate relationship with Paris.

8. Colored toilet paper

Yes, you read that right folks. They have COLORED toilet paper. There’s blue, there’s pink, and the yellow one is even vanilla scented! I’m not sure how colored toilet paper gained popularity but hey, I’m down for it!

9. Verlan

Verlan is the spawn of the devil for foreigners. Basically in French, to sound cool, they like to switch words around. For example: “Merci” becomes “Cimer”. “Femme” becomes “meuf” and so on. They expect us to learn French and then throw verlan into the equation! Impossible.

10. AZERTY keyboard

The French just LOVE to be different. Instead of using a QWERTY keyboard like, I don’t know, the entire rest of the world, the French keyboard is AZERTY. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you now have to hold down shift if you ever want to type a number. Why why why why why

I love living in France and I love to poke fun at cultural differences! I’m sure the French will have many things to say about American culture as well!