How to Greet People in France

Customs vary from country to country and in order to make sure you don't unintentionally offend someone, it's important to make sure you know the cultural standards and expectations. For instance, in France, meeting and greeting people, though it sounds simple, can get complicated awfully quickly. Fortunately, once you know what you're doing, you'll be able to cross off one cultural faux pas from your list of potential humiliating moments.

Instructions

How to Greet People in France

1. Say HelloIn the United States, when people greet one another, they typically say, "How are you?" out of habit, without wanting or waiting for an answer. In France, that's not the case. Just like you say hello when you're getting together with friends in the United States, you also want to say, "Bonjour" (hello), to your friends in France. However, you don't say it to the group at large, you say it to each individual person with a bisou – a kiss.

2. Give a BisouBisoux are kisses on the cheek, but they're actually air-kisses to the side of the cheek. When women are greeting other women or men are greeting women, you kiss the person right cheek to right cheek and left cheek to left cheek, making a kissing sound into the air beside them, while saying "Bonjour" to friends or, if you're meeting for the first time, your name.

3. Shake HandsWhen men are greeting men, they do not greet one another with a kiss, but with a handshake. Again, if you know the person, you will say "Bonjour" and if you don't, greet them with your name.

4. Greet Without the BisousIf you don't know someone, don't know them well or are not friends with the person, a simple "bonjour" without the bisous is more than sufficient. If, however, you don't to say the same thing all the time, there are other frequently-used greetings. "Salut" is a greeting used between close friends, pronounced "Sal-ooh." "Cuck-oo" is not someone telling you they think you're crazy, but simply a friendly greeting, and it's pronounced in the same way as the Cuck-oo clock.

5. Repeat the Process When You Say GoodbyeWhen you leave, make sure you say good-bye in the same way you said hello – with bisoux and handshakes. Yes, you need to say good-bye to every person, and yes, that can take a long time. Instead of bonjour, when you're leaving you can say, "Salut," "A plus tard", "A bientot", or "au revoir" – basically good-bye or until next time.

Tips & Warnings

• In some parts of France, the bisoux work differently. Some places start with the left cheek instead of the right and some places give three kisses instead of two, ending with the same cheek you started.

• In Paris, you will occasionally find yourself giving four kisses instead of the standard two. Though the reasons vary, if friends are very close, they will give four kisses, if you once dated someone, you will give four kisses or if someone wanted to date you, you will get/receive four kisses.