Word up Your French Special Edition: French greetings
A few days ago, the Book Office Team told me about 'Flirting with French', a book about a American man who wants to be French (it's non-fiction; I'm telling you French can trigger real passions). While reading through, I stumble on a passage that made me want to talk about French greetings.
You know the basics of French greetings: 'Bonjour', 'Salut', 'Au revoir'. But when it comes to saying hello, there are other expressions and traditions you might want to take into account, as illustrated in 'Flirting with French'.
"Je m'appelle Guy", I say, shaking hands, before continuing with the typical French greeting.
"Ça va?"
"Ça va. Ça va?"
"Ça va."
This may sound to the unitiated like we're just repeating the same two words over and over, like a stuck record, but in fact we've had quite the chat.
'Ça va'
To understand what's going on in that particular piece of dialogue, you have to know that the 'ça va' expression is easily one of the most common in French. And as any expression that doesn't really mean anything (the literal translation is "it goes"), it can actually mean plenty of things. The good news is, as William Alexander says, “you can Ça va your way quite far into a conversation knowing only two words of French, and two-letter words at that!”, so stay focused!
1) 'Ça va' as a question means "How are you?" or "Are you alright?"
2) 'Ça va' as an answer means "I'm fine". French people often repeat the expression twice to insist on the fact and try and sound relaxed.
-Ça va ?
-Ça va, ça va.
3) 'Ça va' as a question can also mean "Is it alright with you?", to which you will of course answer "Ça va".
-On mange dans une heure, ça va ?
-Ça va.
4) 'Ça va' when nobody asked you anything either means "that's enough" or "okay, dude, calm down" (to express the latter you have to add extra-vowels)
-A cause de toi on va être en retard au cinéma !
-Ça vaaaa.
La bise
As a French person I have to tell you: it kind of hurts our feelings when we try to kiss you hello and you recoil in horror. Now I know I shouldn't try to kiss Britons on the cheeks because they might see it as a sign of aggression and karate-me to the floor. You may think French people just like to kiss, but la bise is quite a sport and you have to ask yourself several questions before attempting it.
1) Who should I kiss/not kiss?
It's all a question of context, of course, but as a general rule, la bise only apply to family and friends or close acquaintances. DO NOT, under any circumstances, try to kiss your boss, your doctor or your landlord.
2) How many times should I kiss them?
This is also tricky because the number of kisses you give someone depends on the region you live in.
If you live somewhere in France where the tradition is to kiss people four times - right cheek, left cheek, right cheek, left cheek - and you come from a large family, you are doomed. When you attend Christmas family reunions, you'll have to give more than 100 kisses on the cheeks. Just to say hello. And then again for goodbyes. Because it's the tradition.
So you see, it's not as easy as it seems. Here's a little map to help you determine how many times you should kiss people on the cheeks.
About the book: Flirting with French, by William Alexander (Duckworth Overlook)
William Alexander is not just a Francophile, he wants to be French. Among the things that stand in his way is the fact that he can't actually speak the language. Setting out to conquer the language he loves (but which, amusingly, does not seem to love him back), Alexander devotes himself to learning French.
I know, it sounds amazing, right? That’s why it’s our Book of the Week!
To have a chance to win the book, go to the Facebook or Twitter of the Institut Français! Otherwise, you can come visit la Médiathèque and read it there., since it's our Book of the Week.