Hi Pat,
I am 37, single, never married and have no children. I am a graphic designer. I work for an incredibility old and reputable advertising agency here in Los Angeles California.

Currently I am dating a French man who moved to the US 12 months ago and things are not going so well for us because of our cultural differences. I just don't understand him. I love him with my entire heart and our romance is wonderful, but I don't know why he gets angry with me. He doesn't stay angry for very long but still it hurts my feelings.

Besides other things, I think he feels that I lack manners because I try and take care of him by helping him cook and clean up after our romantic dinners alone at his house. He is a wonderful cook but I don't understand why he won't let me help out by slicing and dicing some vegetables or anything.

Wow, I don't know what it is like in France but here people have serious conversations over dinner. Apparently French people talk about less personal issues and won't ask you to change the subject if you are saying something they don’t want to listen to, but they will complain about it the next day. Here in the US we feel that it is best to be open and honest about our feelings, and not dwell on things that happened yesterday, therefore we discuss things at the time they are occurring.

Okay I'm done taking about my personal problems. To answer a few of your questions American's love your cheese and wine. Although, I have to say we do not watch your movies or listen to your music. Yes I have seen a few French movies and they seemed really depressing.

You have a lot to offer like your countrie's history, fine dinning and culture.

People are basically the same regardless from where they come from.

I hope all is well with you. I wish you the best life has to offer.

Marie

I'm Russian and I live in New York. Just one week ago I came from Paris. You city is amaising, very old, clean. I loved the weather. I was surprised that local people are barely speak English but then I understood -you don't need it. You have everything-culture, beautiful language, delicious food, Wine, clean metro. You don't depend on Americans. That is probably bothering us.
American people is different. We are always in rush. We can't have lunch for hours...
We have to run. That make our live is very stressful.
I like France. I would like to come back

Bonjour Pat!

I am an American woman and am currently dating a Frenchman from Brest. We see each other every four to five weeks and spend much time on the phone and online. He may be coming to the US to work soon and that will be wonderful.

So far as differences on the romantic front I have no complaints. Jordane is attentive, persistant, loving and sensitive. I am a few years older than him and the only person that expressed any concern was his mother but after we met all was well.

I would say that the language barrier is the largest issue but I am half French and have a Grandmother who is also Breton and she is thrilled and is working with me on my conversational French. Believe it or not I can read and write French better than speaking it! Tragic!

I should say that I find French men to be more intuitive, more implicit in their actions as opposed to the American up front manner. It is not bad to be that way but perhaps Jordane blends better with me because that is also how I am, not very "in your face", if you take my meaning.

I have heard the "French bashing" and the horrible myths. I can attest to the fact that they are unfounded and I always have a fabulous time while in France. Perhaps it is because I have a personal guide? I do not know. I do know that the moment I am off of the airplane men begin to flirt, it seems a national sport. Jordane always has to whisk me away from the advances of some stranger wanting to have coffee with me. *giggles*

So, I do not know if this answers your question but there is my impression. Friendly, romantic, sensitive and fun loving. This is my exprerience of French culture.

Susan

Bonjour!

Awwwuu! Pat! Thank you!

I worry so about speaking the language correctly and have begun taking lesson here locally in Boston with Madame Chevalier. (www.learnfrenchinboston.com) I hope that I will learn quickly!

No, I do not see French people as being anything other than more patient, more culitivated. Not better than anyone else - I take everyone, no matter where there are from, as they are!

I do worry, very much, about Jordane's family, his mother in particular. They do profess to like me but as I am an American I wonder. I have heard the cruel stories that the "worst thing that can happen to a French man is a French salary and an American wife." Pffft! If this is true, I am doomed!

I do love him and would consider moving to Bretagne if things progress as they are. I just hope that I can learn and be accepted!

Thank you for your kind words and I will continue reading your blog and responding if you like.

Take care!

Susan

I am a SriLankan woman.I read all the comments about French vs American culture, and they are very interesting for me. I want to give my thanks to Pat because I learned many things by reading him and I got to know the answers for some of the questions I've had before. I have a friend in France and I know him since many years.We were penfriends before and now I don't feel so, with the help of the new technology we could keep in touch more closer and we had chances to meet each other.Everytime with him is so wonderful,enjoyable for my family. We had chances to taste the french food as he loved to prepare French meals for us. Until I read those letters I think of Frenchmen in my point of view,and now I have some ideas how other people think of French people.I feel him as a sincere, ploite, kind and optimistic person. I learned from him how to win the life as I failed myself sometimes. And he has a great respect for others.
I think the majority of the French people are sincere, polite and kind as I feel of my friend.

Once again I would like to give my thanks to you all..

Kind regards

GSR

Pat,
I think that the french are more commiting, and generous. I have a question, in France, is there any players? (guys who date and flirt with multiple girls, usually doesn't care about any one of the girls) There are A LOT of them here in America.

salut pat! je m'appelle kate et j'ai 18 ans. j'habite a colorado aux etats-units. je ne parle pas bien francais mais j'essaie :D j'aime bien ton message des gens americains. je suis d'accord avec vous sur tout que vous avez dit. je suis allee en france l'annee prochaine pour voir Paris, Marseille, et Nimes aussi! La france est le plus beau pays dans le monde a mon avis ;) toute la nourriture est delicieuse (l'escargots, le pain, le vin)! la mer et les fruits de la mer sont magnifique! quand beacoup d'americains pensent a la france, ils disent, "c'est la langue d'amour!" les filles croient que les hommes sont tres beau :D et les garcons pensent que les filles ont beacoup de poile haha mais elles sont tres belles! je connais kyo et edith piaf pour la musique francaise et c'est tout :) mais je suis sure qu'il y a beacoup d'artistes tres bien! j'ai vu les films La Vie en Rose, 8 Femmes, et 1 encore mais j'oublie le nom :( mais j'adore les gens francais, la culture, la nourriture, et le pays bien sur! merci pat!
Kate

Firstly, not all Jesus freaks are Republicans, nor are Republicans Jesus freaks. Secondly, there is nothing wrong with belonging to either group. There is nothing good to be gained by going to either extreme of the liberal-conservative scale. Plenty of conservative Americans love and respect other cultures, too. I, personally, love the Oriental culture, probably because Japanese was the first language I formally studied, and I have had Japanese and Chinese roommates. However, I have studied French and now have a friend from France, too.

I have learned from personal experience and other people's wisdom that if you make a genuine effort to learn the local customs and language and attempt to speak it, no matter how badly it may come out, people in most countries will respect and encourage you, and treat you with kindness. The reason many Americans believe the French are stuck up is that most traveling Americans have only been to Paris, and they were treated with some contempt and aloofness there. I have been told that if we follow the above advice, once we leave the city French people are just as nice as can be. And I'm sure many in Paris are nice, too, it's just a few bad encounters give a whole populace a bad rep. It's the same in America; people in small towns and the countryside are more friendly and nice once they get to know you than people in the city.

France is lucky, in that it has an unique ethnic identity. America is made up of so many different cultures, in addition to being so large (France is, what, about the size of Texas, our second largest state, and we have 50 of them!) that we don't have an unique ethnic identity. We have several cultures, which vary by state, county, and even city neighborhood. What's true for one ethnicity may not be true for another, which makes defining an American culture hard, indeed. Sadly, I don't know much about French culture, for while my French teacher was very outgoing, exuberant, and energetic, my French friend is shy, reserved, and difficult to get to know, leaving me with no idea which is closer to the norm. =)

Oh, and you are absolutely right about watching movies and music; it's the best way to learn how to speak a language. Listening to Japanese music is how I learned to pronounce Japanese, much to the disgrace of my French r's; to this day I still cannot pronounce tres correctly. If anyone knows of a good site to pick up some French music, I would appreciate it. Texas stores don't carry French music for some odd reason...Tejano, sure, but not French. ;-P

On a final note, access to birth control doesn't give young girls loose morals; bad parenting and/or bad peer influences do that, which is also what's responsible for much of our younger generation being a "Now" society, sadly.

WOW, thanks a lot Amanda for your message !!!
And congratulations you're french is very good !!! ;)

I am really pleased to read what you've written, because it makes a few days or week, that we hear negative feedbacks about France from the US ( just have a look on youtube (I know it's not a good reference but...) for examples and some comments made about french people, or about the olympic torch when it was in Paris and you will understant what I mean) I can assure you that some americans are really violent and rudes against french people on this website (youtube). I supposed it was certainly a minority but I was somewhat deceived by what I've could read on the internet.

What you've written about being in France for an american is really really interesting, since I agree with all what you've written, when visiting a foreign country the best thing to do is to "make the effort to adapt to the new culture", and the french in general are really attached to their culture that they do want to dissappear, or to look like the american culture with a french touch. They just really like their way of living and they don't like another country to come and impose its own standards. So, when you're in France, if you just try to open your mind to another way of living , of being maybe, you'll just won't have any problems at all, on the contrary, people will really be pleased to see that you're interested in the french culture and they will really take care of you, and be pleased to help you discovering France and its traditions.

I've never been to the US, but if one day I had the opportunity to go there I would really be happy to try to adapt to the american way of life just to try to see how your way of living is or not differnet from the french one. Behaving that way (adapting to one culture) is the best way to open one's mind to something new and different and to learn a lot about the culture of the foreign country you're visiting.

So,Amanda, I totally agree with all what you've written in your message, since I exactly think the same thing , and behaving in the way you described is true when visiting France, but I really think it's true when visiting any other nation on the world.

Another think that is really true since I experienced it a month ago, concerning some americans in France I just want to precise first that I know that I am about to write about a minority of amercian people, since I know some that are just great persons, so I do not at all generalize, since I really love american people and their culture, but as in France there are some persons that are not correct, but it is something universal, if you find a nation where everybody's polite and perfect just tell me, I'd like to visit it right away !)
So I wanted to write that when they are in France some american are just arrogant and rude about french people and culture (it's funny since they usually say that french ARE arrogant :) ) In fact, it sometimes seems that some tourists are just here for Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the museums.... but they really don't care about the people they meet, and they even don't talk to them except if it is a necessity. And at the end of their trip, just before they go back to the US, you ask them what they thing about what they've seen and this kind of stuff, and they just answer "well, the cultural aspects are great and interesting, but the people are really "cold" (Sorry i don't know if it is somehting correct in English to say that some people are cold meaning "distant" and even "arrogant") and unfriendly ". Could you know understand the ambiguity ? They dare not speaking to people, they are not interested in the french people and would even think it is not interesting to take care of them, so facing such people I assure you that even when you love the US and its inhabitants, it is not easy to keep cool and say that some french(a minority) are not right to think that americans are bad people.
And I think that this behaviour of some americans in France is certainly one of the reasons why some people do not feel comfortable when speaking about americans.

I won't write about all what you've written because I would always write "I totally agree" each time ! I am really happy to see an american girl being so much open minded and self-aware of the "differences" between France and the US, that's why when I've read your message I've thought "WOW, that's somebody who's got the same ideas or opinion or "study" about the differences between France and the US, and who just think the same way I would do if I were in a foreign country" !!!!!

So I can add nothing else than " THANKS A LOT AMANDA " !!!!!!!!!!!

A few words in french :

Merci beaucoup Amanda !! ça a été un réel plaisir de lire ton message, car je suis à 100% d'accord avec tout ce que tu as écris. J'avais exactement les même idées que toi concernant ce qui pouvait expliquer que certains américains aient des préjugés contre la France et les français.
J'espère vraiment que tu repasseras sur ce forum pour écrire d'autres messages, car tu sembles être une personne très intéressante et de très cultivée, et ton message est vraiment très très intéressant à lire !
Donc Merci beaucoup. ;)

Well, I hope you'll understand, but I think you will since your french is very good !!! ;)
It was a real real real real pleasure to read your very interesting message, I hope you'll write others !! I am eager to read what you could write about french and France !!

I hope to read you soon !!!
Take care
kind regards from France ;)
Pat

Thanks for your message !

I am happy to read that 15 years teenagers could love France in the US !!
And I have to say that you're right when writing that without France and other european countries the american history would certainly be very different from what it is now, and I am pleased to see that some people are aware of this in the US, because from France we often hear some american people complaining about the fact that the US helped France during both World War and thus do not understand why France was against the war in Irak. It seems that because the US helped us during these two awful wars, we should then always agree with all what the US want us to do or to think, it is strange (and somewhat funny) when we know that France contributed in the "creation" of the US !!

Well, I hope you'll enjoy your trip in France, if you like history you will really enjoy your trip because in France history is in every town and village (about WW II, middle ages with great castles, 18th century......)

Really hope you'll have a great time here in France !

If you need more informations, or details or anything else just ask I'll really be pleased to answer you ;)

take care ;)
pat

Who knows if this site's still alive, but yeah, French culture exists in the US. The United States is made up of different nations, so to speak ... the Northeast, West Coast, the South, the Midwest, etc., so it's hard to think of the United States as having a single, unified opinion of anything.

But, the French fall into two camps: respected for their culture vs. hated for their culture. Then there are the people who can only think of wine, cheese, and that the French are the lovers of Europe! I grew up outside of New York City and live there currently; my mother and aunt lived in France during the 80s, and we have family friends there. It's not terribly uncommon for people who live on the coastal Northeast to have connections to Europe, but it's definitely much different elsewhere in the US thanks to isolation and distance over land (it's funny, people in the US hate the French the same way they hate people from the Northeast; they're both snobs, apparently).

French film, pop music, etc., is definitely known around here. But, from an American perspective, the French seem really intense about accents. A classmate in college had parents born in France and she told a story about her father, who was born and raised in France, who lost his authentic French accent after living in the US for so long. When he visited France, the French shunned him because of his accent. To an American that seems truly bizarre, but I know it's the case in Italy, too ... a girlfriend was from Italy and she recounted similar things happening when she visited there.

I guess the French are also seen as being really stuck up on traditional culture, like families eating at the dinner table at a certain hour, etc. Where I'm from that's pretty much the norm, and so is the politeness and courtesy that's expected on say ... public transportation, etc. The coastal Northeast is still kind-of connected to its European roots. The rest of the country, god knows what it's like over there, but it's probably much different. That's why it's hard to judge anything as being universally American.

Bonjour Pat. I'm an American teenager. I was born in New York but I am now living in the Southeastern region of the U.S. which is home to many prejudice and culturely ignorant Americans. I myself, am not your average everyday American teenager and I love France and the French culture. It really bothers me that because of my government, (Bush ect...) Americans are percieved as war hungry and uncultured (which in many cases tends to be true, unfortunately)I cannot stand how so many Americans feel superior to the rest of the world when in reality my country is backwards at least a hundred years because of stupid politicians. I have visited France once and I absolutely adored it! The food was amazing and the way of life was even more amazing. It appeares to me that Americans live to work while the French and other Europeans work only so they can live and enjoy life. Is this really so? Do the French really enjoy life as much as it seems they do?

I haven't seen as many French movies as I would like but I just recently saw La Vie En Rose, a movie about the life of Edith Piaf. She was a great singer with a very tragic life. I also know of other famous French singers and actors such as Charles Aznavour, Yves Montand, Bridgette Bourdoue, Catherine Denevue, Alain Delon, and Marion Colltiard.

Some Americans think that the French are snobby and stuck up but I didn't find that at all. Using the little French I can speak I was able to cummunicate fine and thought that the people were kind and helpful. I can understand why some French people don't particularly like Americans in general. An example of this, I witnessed at the Charles De Gualle airport in Paris...A rather obese American couple, adorned in sweat pants and flip flops, were so rude to this poor French airport attendent. They were apparently lost and were constanly complaining about how there weren't enough signs written in English (which I myself didn't find at all.) After they finally left the poor man alone I could have sworn he was cursing them in French...which sounded so funny to me never having heard a Frenchman curse before. Anyway I had a fantastic time in Paris and I plan to go back (perhaps permanately)

bonjour pat, ou Bonsoir parce que je sais que mnt il est 00h47 chez toi (ca c'est si tu habites à Paris :])

My name is Jeannette and I found your "blog" post (im not sure really what to call it here, a forum posts?) anyways, very interesting. I recently traveled to France last summer of 2007 and fell in love with the country. I have studied french for 6 years, so far, and have fallen in love with the culture.
Firstly, I had been told that the french do not like the americans, but I have also learned that it is, like you said, mostly our government, form of government, and our president that the french people dislike (I don't blame you for not liking our president lol). Nonetheless, when I was in France, I found them to be extremely nice there! I had no problems with anyone and anyone to whom I would ask a question or directions, they would kindly show me the right way. They were great! the only thing was that when i would start speaking french to certain people, im sure they noticed my accent, and would respond to me in french! This i found to be a little dissappointing because i really wanted to practice my french lol. anways...

Im not sure who is more conservative. I have a couple correspondants in france and they tell me they think the USA is more conservative, which i found awkwards being that I am from here and trust me, I see LITTLE conservation, at least in today's youth population etc lol...not always in a bad way..but for example, we were short skirts because, well, we like to show skin. Not in a skanky way. But its just the way we are used to dressing. we dont mean to imply anything or mislead anyone. When i was going to go to france, i was worried about taking skirts because one of my pen pals said that when girls DO wear skirts they would wear leg warmers under...and i must admit, i hardly saw anyone with skirts such as the ones we wear here, short denim ones etc (keep in mind it was beginning of july).

so yeah. just alittle something i wanted to mention in response to ur post. :)

My thing is, i wonder how difficult it would be to move to france after college. Im in my second year and will graduate hopefully in 2 more years...hopefully studying abroad in france next year! :] ...id like to possibly go to medical school afterwards...but my main goal is to be in france while im still young! =]

gros bis

I am American I am from the south eastern part of the US. I really enjoyed your post. I have never been outside the US. But I dream of learning French and visiting France and other places in the world. I agree with you about our polititicans especially bush who is from a place called Texas in the south western US. people in Texas(especially affluent people) generally seem to think that Texas is the best part of the WORLD and that they are better than others even inside the US so you can imagine the attitude he bought with him to the presidency. I did not vote for him but still he "won" Many people here believe the election was somehow stolen because it was such a close race and so many people so vehemently wanted him to go back to Texas and leave the rest of the world alone. But it is almost over. I do know people who treat their pets like people but most do not. Just a few ecsentrics as you said. It is unfortunate but we don't know a lot of French films, actors, art because the American media is saturated with nonsense and a person like myself who is facinated with other cultures in very much in the minority, at least that is, here in the south east. different parts of the country differ greatly. You want to know what Americans think about French people. Most of them that I know do not. Other peoples, many times do not come up in conversation but when I bring it up I find that people imagine the French to be smart, romantic, many of us admire your health care system . . . artsy. A while ago the media tried to turn us against the French because you would not go to war, but it did not work because we did not want to go to war either. Please keep in mind that I am black and so what we believe is many times very different than what the rest of America believes. We did not believe the ugly pictures the media tried to paint of France because we know how they paint ugly pictures of Black Americans for the rest of the world. There are black men in the army but for many the army is just a way to escape poverty. Once you join you must do as you're told as in any army. I'm sure some agree with bush but I have never met any who do. I see that you made your post long ago but here is my response nontheless. :) oh and one singer I know Madeline Peyroux, I really like her I think she is French.

Hey,

Thanks for your message !!!! I think that your "analysis" or point of view about France and french people do really correspond to the reality . It is true french people prefer having "a small network of friends" but in this case Friend really means what it is suppose to mean !!!

And you're right writing that there are a lot of protests in France, but people often want to get involved in what's happening in the country, and sometimes politicians do "what they want" and people just claim they don't agree and that they'd liked to take part to the reforms that are taking place, it is just a wish to get involved in what's happening in the country (but it is also true that sometimes some people do abuse of contest and strikes, and there are certainly other ways to take part in the transformations of the country but people found this one in France, and it often prouves to be efficient. But it's true it is not always easy to cope with these strikes in everyday life....so thanks the "system D " lol

Anyway thanks a lot for your message!!!
happy new year 2009, I wish you all thebest for this new year !!!

Kind regards

Pat
;-)

Hi Pat,

I found this forum as a result of researching the cultural distinctions between French and American people, and I want to thank you for your openness and willingness to share. The reason I was doing this research is because I unintentionally offended my new French neighbor, due in large part to my ignorance about our differences. As an American, I am a very freindly and outgoing person and one who seizes the day so to speak in life. If I want to achieve something, I just go for it. I was so happy to meet my French neighbor because it has always been one of my dreams to learn your beautiful language and I love meeting people from all over the world and learning of new perspectives on life. Apparently I was too forward and enthusiastic in my approach to asking this person to consider accepting me as a student for private French instruction, as she teaches French in the local high school. Given her profession, I thought it would be o.k. to at least inquire about private tutoring. I must say, she was NOT rude, but was VERY blunt and clear that she had no interest in interacting with me beyond a hello in passing; that she is a very private person who likes her personal space and would prefer I respect that... I apologized profusely for violating her personal space or boundaries, and she sited cultural differences as the reason for our awkward interaction. I respect her, but must admit that I am a bit saddened. She seemed so lovely upon our first interaction in passing. Now, due to my over-enthusiasm and American assertiveness, I fear that I have ruined any future chance of knowing her... I want to learn more from this experience, so that I never, ever distance or repel a French person like this again... What should I do differently next time? Also, I heard that if you offend a French person or upset them by violating a cultural norm that it is the rare occasion that they forgive you and offer you a second chance to interact with them. Is this true? I certainly don't want to risk upsetting or irritating her again... I am curious as to your thoughts and most open to any education you may offer on the matter. Thank you...

Pat,

You appear to be a lovely person. Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response. I find it extremely helpful and re-assuring. I figure that I will just start over with her, doing exactly what you recommend and we will see how things turn out... I continue to study and read about the differences between our cultures and have great faith that all will turn out for the best for both parties. I am so happy to write that I am will be going to London, Paris and Barcelona this September and I can't wait. I am already proficient in speaking Spanish and obviously fluent in English. I will begin private tutoring in French next month so that I will have some basics down before getting to Paris. I certainly want to appear as little foolish as possible when in a restaurant trying to order a meal... :) I enjoy all that you write, so write as much as you want. Fully expressing oneself is most often the best way to go in my opinion! As for my neighbor, I really did get the sense from our first, brief interaction that she is a lovely person. I think I just overwhelmed her with too much too soon...so I will back off, be more casual, be respectful and polite, and go from there... So, if you only had 3 days and nights to visit Paris...what would you be sure to see and do during that time??? Will you be traveling to the States anytime soon? If so, I live very near Washington, DC and would be happy to help you in anyway if you ever find yourself in our Capitol... THANKS again Pat, and I would happy to remain in touch with you...

Great! I'm sorry Pat, I do not know where your email address is listed on this site... Please forward to me and I will be delighted to remain in touch... Thanks again for your support and kindness!
Lorna Michele

Hi Terry !!

Thanks for your message and for the love you seem to have for french people and culture !!

If I understood well your message you'd like me to give you more informations about Paris, and what's interesting to see there ?
In fact there are so much things to see in Paris, and I thing I wrote a message a few days, or weeks ago about this topic : what would be interesting to visit in France and in Paris. In fact, it depends upon the time you'll spend in Paris, because if you just go there for a couple of days you won't have time to visit a lot of things, while if you go there for a month for instance you could try to discover some secret jewels of Paris. But as a start, you should visit the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Ellysés, the Arc de Triomphe, Le Louvres, Versailles, Montmartre, Notre Dame........ and so on, I am sure you've got a lot of information about these places in your cds, and as it is your first trip in Paris you should start your trip with these kind of famous places.
Just an advice, try to visit Paris by day (you'll see it si great) but really try to see it by night it is just amazing and even more romantic. Try to take a boat called "bateau-mouche" on the Seine river by night and you'll see most of the famous place of Paris lighted and if you're lucky you'll come close (very close) to the Eiffel Tower and you'll maybe see it twinkling with its reflection on the water of the Seine river something unique and so great, I did it and I still remember it as on of my best memories of Paris.

If you want some more information or details (I'll do my best since I do not live in Paris) just asked me and as usual I'll be really pleased to help you ;-)

Kind regards
Pat
;-)

Hi Pat,

I am a 65 year young grandmother and have traveled to France as well as Switzerland,Germany, Belgium, Austria and Holland. I love it over there and I agree with most of what you said. Our politicians definitely think they are royalty, we elected them ro represent us and they in turn do exactly what they want only to further their goals. They become very wealthy in "serving" us, and I resent them as do most Americans, but we are so complacent we sit on our bottoms and cry but don't do anything about it. I also agree we think we can tell everyone else how to live, how dare we, when we don't live so well ourselves. So many of us have no mananers as do most of your countrymen, our young women though most are lovely, are too free and don't act in a respectful way. They go around half naked and some act so tough, I feel very sorry for them and how they represent our country to other nations. Don't get me wrong I do love this country, I just think we have gotten way off base with our politics and manners. I love your country and most of Europe and have met so many really nice people when traveling there. I can tell you the attitude a lot of Americans have toward the French is during the war with Germany we liberated France along with most of Europe, so now when we were deciding to go into Iraq we expected you to follow. I must say, I am proud of your president, just because we helped you then, in that war does not mean you should follow us like cattle in all we decide to do. I did not agree with the Iraq invasion and still don't. I want our boys out of there, and we need to stay in our own backyards and mind our own business. A lot of Americans feel this way and a lot of Americans think the French as well as other Europeans are wonderful..........so make no mistake there. It is the news media and our politicians who make all the trouble for all of us. You would enjoy the US, there are so many very nice people and very friendly. The American way is to be very open and friendly, really, and very helpful especially with people from other countries. You would find people everywhere here willing to help you in almost anything you ask. Sometimes that openess is misunderstood and people get the wrong idea. Really most Americans do have decent families and good upbringing. I have an 18 year old granddaughter who is sweet, very pretty of course and very refined and respectful. She has good manners and always a lady.I married A man named Croteau, so you see they have French blood in their veins. If you ever have a chance to come to the US, you would be welcome to stay with us for a visit, we have pleny of room, as in the US almost everyone owns a home and land. It is quite different in that way from Europe, we all own homes and have cars, each child in the family has a car. Too much I think but it is the way it is here. My son is very kind and just a very good man and very gracious host.

Thanks a lot for this message !! I completly agree with what you're writting !!!!! The best places in each country people can visit are not the big and main towns but the smaller ones !! and they are often lovelier than the big ones concerning the way of life, landscapes, people ...........

The valley of the Dordogne is great, isn't it ? (Don't tell it but that's where I live, at the very beginning of the valley, that's just such a lovely and wonderful place !! )

Thanks for sharing your point of view

Best regards from France.

A bientôt ;-)

Hello Pat!,
Your post was well written and easy to read, you are doing fine in that area. Now what do Americans think about the French??
It would depend on who in the United States you were talking to, many people in the US are very superficial, they like one another based on how much money they make, where they live and what kind of car they drive. They have issues with one another over their religion, their music tastes, their political views, lets just say they can find fault over nearly anything. Many of them think they are always right, even when they are wrong. Chances are when they come to your country and they act improper (which I know they do) they still hold on to the idea that they were in the right. Please dont judge all Americans on those with bad manners.

Also they are really funny about people from other countries coming in and taking a job of any kind, they think in America only Americans should be working. Not a very smart way of thinking but it is all the same. And yes they do like to use attorneys and sue each other sorry to say.

Some Americans who are more educated and interested in other cultures are just dazzled by the French culture. This semester I am taking a class comparing the French to the Americans and some of the things like the relationship with food and wine I thought was interesting, not bad but just different, I think driving there would be a challenge, the relaxed attitude over work was definately different than here, your health system I understand is very good compared to ours, your transit system is by far better than what we have here. Education is treated very different with yours being much more demanding, none of these things in my opinion are bad just different!
So not everyone in the United States thinks they are superior, they are warm and inviting and really interested in knowing how our differences make us who we are. Thanks for asking how the United States see the French..........Wishing you peace and joy.

American Student

hello,

I have seen that you (?) were interested in cultural differences between France and USA, and I'd like to answer you but the subject is rather vast, and it would be great if you could precise a little your question (or I will write too much about the subject :) and it might be too boring )

Another thing, that is quite important : are you french, american or english ?
Since I am french I could easily talk about french cuisine and give you a french point of view, but if you are french it won't interest you that much to have such a french point of view since you could have the same.

I would be happy to talk about this subject, since some differences are quite clear and others are not so obvious.

Kind regards
Pat

Hello Karen,

When reading your answer I noticed that where you live people do not talk that much about french people, and it is surprising to notice that in France everybody seems to have an opinion about american citizens, even if there are not a lot of american people in the town and area where I live. But it seems to me that french people are constantly under the influence of the american culture since there are a lot of american films and series on TV, there are also Mcdonalds "restaurants" and US music on radio.... and this is a good way for french people to appreciate the american culture, but as we are sometimes over-flooded with all these american products, some people comes to think that the USA are a threat for the french culture. (that is sometimes a reason why some people have a bad opinion of the USA, since french people are generally really attached to their culture and do not really like when another culture pretends to impose some of its "aspects".)

Concerning what french people think is crazy of american people, I may add all the stupids world records that some people are ready to do just to be "famous" (I do not say that some french people do not do such things, but the USA seem to be the place which has the world record :) of people ready to do stupid things just for fame !)
In addition to this, american people seems to be eccentric person, since we have examples of people disguised in hotdogs just to make advertising, or we have recently seen a man in underwear playing the guitar in the streets of New-York or Los Angeles (I do not remember well) to make money and this would not be possible in France since this man would be arrested for indecent behaviour.
American people are thought to be much more eccentric than french people, meaning that they are ready to do anything in order to be seen, to attract attention while french people are educated in a different way, since french kids often hear : "tiens-toi correctement !" = "behave correctly" or "ne te fais pas remarquer" = "Do not attract attention on you !"

I have to stop here for today, since I no longer have time to write, and you are maybe fed-up with readig me and my Frenglish !!
So I stop here and wait for replies, and I will maybe carry-on later on if you are not too bored with my replies!!

Thanks a lot if you have succeeded in reading till the end :)

To finish, I just wanted to say that when I talk about french or amrican people I just refer to some groups of people, and not to all american or to all french people since I am well aware that everybody do not have the same opinion concerning the same subject, and do not thing that I express or only express my opinion too, it is just a very general description of some thought, idea and opinions.

Here it is truly the END
Bye ;)
Pat

Hi!
Concerning the fact that a lot of countries are influenced by american culture, I think that the main reason why this culture is present all over the world is just a matter of business and money ! Indeed, the USA are the most powerfull country in the world, and it is seen as a chance if an american company is interested in your country to settle new firms and thus encrease the benefits your country can get from these new firms. This is why a lot of governments cannot (or dare not) say(ing) "no" to the USA government (and to all the products they want to sell : Mcdonalds, TV film....) Indded, just take for example what happened with France concerning the war in Irak, when the french government said it was against this war, the USA just kept on reminding us (french people)that they helped us during world war II. It is true that this help was necessary and welcomed (and we still thank americans for this help :) ) but is it a sufficient reason for us to always agree with the USA government ? And it appeared that the USA did not accept and understand this refusal to have the same point of view, and as a result they started making fun of France through some TV show, they stopped importing some french products.... this is the solution they found to make France understand that it did not behave correctly (with having a different point of view : who would accept that the difference of point of view is a kind of threat ?)So, the US government took economic sanctions against France. This is why I think that the fact that the american culture is spreading all over the world is just a matter of economic interests (even if I agree that a lot of people like what the US culture gives them ) I think that it is impossible for a country which wants to have some importance at an international point of view, to forbid this pieces of the US culture. Thus I think that money and business ( and business strategies) are the main reasons why the US culture spread all over the world, since the USA are the "1st economic power" (I don't know if it is correctly written in English ?! sorry !) of the world, and it can be resumed that way, with imaginnig the US government saying to a country wishing to develop "If you want to develop accept our goods and trade contracts, and we will help you. If you do not accept you will never succeed in developping". I do not think that this rapid sum-up is far from reality. And I think that the USA want its culture to develop all around the world to make the biggest amount of benefits it is possible to make, and the other countries which, maybe, do not have this capacity just have to accept this situation which nevertheless has its limits.

Here is my point of view about the reasons why the american culture influences a lot of countries in the world. There are certainly other reasons than economic one (it is obvious) but I cannot develop all of them (I would need several pages ! :) ) but I think that it is the main one. This is just my point of view of french man living out of the USA = an eye seeing the USA from abroad...maybe in a wrong way (not so sure it is the wrong way..)but just tell me what you think about this, since it is a great pleasure to talk to you !!!!!

Bye
have a nice day/evening/night.....
Pat. ;)

Hi Karen,

To answer your question : no, I have never visited the US , I am not rich enough :) I am still a student at university (and thus I do not have enough money to go to the US !But I hope to go and visit the US in the future.) but I "know" more or less some aspects of the US culture, and the US in a more general point of view, since I study anglo-saxons countries and cultures (language, literature, history, politics...) And what about you, have you ever visited France? It is a pity that we cannot put photos on this forum, since we could have shared photos of your countries, as well as of the place where we live !

"I guess the government or the people who do business for America shouldn't be all about money or benefits." I agree with you, but the reality tends to prove that only money and benefits are important nowadays. This is somethings that french people often associate with the US. Indeed, a lot of french people think that US big firms and citizens are ready to do anything for money and benefits, it is another stereotype french people have on the US. It seems that in the US there are no limits when business and money are concerned. Every possible way to earn a lot of money, or make as much benefits as possible seems to be allowed, while in France some would be forbidden or strictly controled to avoid abuses, and to protect the workers and their rights.
It can sometimes appear that the US government or big firms would prefer benefits rather than respecting the rights of their employees.
Money is more or less a taboo in France. Indeed, it is not well percieved for example to publicly say how much you earn-if you earn quite a lot of money-since you would be seen as a pretentious person who would like to make people be aware of the social differences (so that the people in front of this person would feel inferior) and of the fact that some people earn a lot while other are not that way lucky. This is maybe due to the fact that in France people are really concerned with the word "equality" as in the french motto :
"Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité " = Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood.

To carry on the fact that make french people think that americans are (sometimes) crazy, I want to add plastic surgery. Indeed, there are a lot of examples of american people using plastic surgery to look younger, while they just look more unnatural and awfull ! (that's just my point of view !) Just take the example of Mickael Jackson !! Is he not now a kind of alien coming from another planet ?! :)
Plastic surgery can be great for some people, but in the US some people seem to abuse of it, and the results are just......awfull and frightening ! Don't you think so?

Here is the end of my writing today, another big one ... next time I will maybe deal with more positive aspects, because i have just talked about some more or less "negative" (and sometimes funny) things, but french people really like the US and its inhabitants for various reasons.

and what about you ? what do you think about french people, France, its customs...? Just tell me how do you imagine this country and its inhabitants, I am sure you have some idea, or stereotypes (good or/and bad ), it would really be a pleasure for me to read what you have to say about my country.

I'm really happy to talk with you !!
kind regards
Pat.

Hi Karen !
It is a great pleasure to read you! I am really pleased to read a few french words in your last message! (your french seems to be very good !)
You say you are teaching french : it is great, if ever you need help or information about something concerning french do not hesitate to ask me, I would be really happy to help you ;)

Concerning what you said about the fact that in France (and other foreign countries) we only see rich people and celebrities from the US, it is true but we know that they do not represent all american citzens. I am well aware that the US are not a country full of rich people and celebrities. I know that there are "ordinary" people, but I talked about the rich and celebrities, just to point out the fact that these people, who can use plastic surgery (for example),often abuse of it, and thus they look ridiculous and that is what french people think when they see them, but we are well aware that they do not at all represent each and every US inhabitant (fortunatly !!)
I imagine that "ordinary" people are quite like french ordinary ones.

Concerning the way french people generally sees americans, I may add something that you could often hear in France when somebody wants to make fun of US people and it has something to do with foods since a lot of french people, if they were asked to make a caricature of an american woman or man, would say (or draw) that american people are fat because they do not eat correctly (too much hamburgers!) But, as I have just said, it is a caricatural vision of US inhabitants (meaning that we know that all americans are not fat, and do not constantly eat hamburgers, of course !! :) )
How do american people would make a caricature of french people ?
I think I've got the answer : bread, beret, mustache, accordion ! Is it true ? I think it is since we often see US or UK caricatures of french people corresponding to these 4 words.

I have read in your last message that you find that french people are polite. It is true, since people think it is very important to say "bonjour, au revoir, merci ....". You could often meet a mother with her child in a bakery buying bread (for example a typical caricature :) ) and the mother will ask her child to take the bread , and if her kid does not say "thank you" the mother would tell him/her : "et qu'est ce que tu dis à la dame/au monsieur ?" = "what should you tell now to the baker ?" and normally the child would answer "Merci", and then the Baker and the mother would exchange smiles. This is a situation that frequently takes place.
Just an advice : if one day you go in France, people would really be pleased if you tell them "bonjour, merci, au revoir...", even if you do not speak french except these words they will be happy, since they will consider that you are polite first, that you try to make efforts to speak french, and then (for french people) it shows some sort of respect. So, learn these french words first and you will be easily accepted and people will try to make efforts to understand you, to help you.... Be carefull, I do not say that if you do not use these words people would be unfriendly with you, but they can help them to be friendlier.
I am sure that americans are polite too, but maybe they do not think these words to be so important. For french people they correspond to a kind of respect you show to the person who is in front of you.

I have seen that you wanted to ask you clasmates and teachers, what they think about french people, it is a great idea, but do not feel obliged to do it for me! I would feel guilty to "oblige" you to do this (I have read that you are shy, but it may be just to speak french but if you are really shy I would really feel ill at ease)just because I often ask you to tell me what american people think about french.

For the photos it is a great idea to make a website, I will maybe do the same if I have time, because I think it is interesting to share some pictures of our countries because they could show some cultural differences (since we are in the topic "cultural differences"), but simply it is interesting to see how the US really look like (and the same for you concerning France, even if I know that these pictures will show just a town or a more or less big area of each country, and not the whole country with all its specificities and differences)

Have a nice week-end !
Kind regards
Pat

Hi Pat,

I've been reading the posts on this topic because I too have been curious as to the French opinion of Americans. I am 23 years old, and I live in Dallas, Texas. I am traveling to London and Paris this August and wanted to know how the French percieved the American people. I agree with Karen's comments in that I believe the majority of the world believes that Americans are exactly like what the see in American Films and T.V. Most Americans have a great respect for French culture and look in awe at the architectual masterpieces, philosphers and artists that have come from France. I took classes in both high school and college that had a great deal of focus on Descartes, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

While I was in high school we had a French foriegn exchange student named Violette. I'd have to say that the fact she was French made her one of the most popular people at our school. Americans as a whole are very fascinated and interested by European cultures. Everyone wanted to know what it was like to grow up and live in France, French customs, etc., and what the French thought of the American people. I believe what bothered her the most about American culture was gun-ownership. Remember that this is Texas, and Texas prides itself in liberal gun policy. I had to point out to her that this was not what it was like in the rest of the United States. For example- in several states and cities like New York City and Massachusets, it is very difficult to get permission to obtain a firearm. I would elaborate more but I am trying to be consise so you do not get bored reading all this.

My point being that the political viewpoints and social atmosphere differ greatly depending on the geographic region of the United States. There are, however, a few cultural aspects of the American people that tend to be present throughout the greater whole of the United States. In the words of your newly-elected president: "Americans don’t ask about the diplomas or social origins of someone who comes up with a new idea; they just ask whether the idea is good or not. Past failures, if they’re honorable ones, should be seen as an opportunity to learn, and not as a stain on one’s reputation.” American culture holds people who have extreme drive and motivation in the highest regard. In America, if you want something badly enough (admission to a certain college, a job, opportuinity, business venture) then we believe you must work your absolute hardest to attempt to achieve this(moral and ethical restrictions do apply). We believe that to do anything less is to fail yourself.

I know I wrote alot and I deleted several sentences that I hope to elaborate on in this future. I am curious to know more about your opinions of us! I look foward to hearing your reply.

i am a senior in high school and i am currently working on a research paper that is dealing with french/american relations. thank you to both pat and karen for posting your opinions on your own countries. it was very interesting and helpful to read.

one thing i wanted to add, pat, in your first post you asked what french music and movies we know of, my favorites are amelie, the triplets of belleville, and yann tiersen. i am not sure if you know of these, but i like them a lot. :)

Wow, I really enjoy listening to what all of you have to say. Pat, if it's long, that's okay, i like reading all of it.:)

Yes, I live in a city, but not as big as Los Angeles. Where you live are there freeways,and big buildings?

Votre anglais est tres bien(Your english is really good). Anyone would think an american wrote it. Except, this was the only imperfect english.
(Karen is used reading me, and told me it was not that way bad = thanks Karen)

I will add,probably later, more pictures of people and more things. I would be extremely happy to see some pictures of France especially in snow.Here, in the city where I live, it never snows. You would have to go to the mountains to find snow. I've only been to the snow once so you're very fortunate if you live where it snows.

When I go to France, I'll be sure go to Paris and smaller cities around.
Sorry I don't know alot about french people, it would help if t.v. stations here showed more about the rest of the world. But they seem to be people who really enjoy life. i think everyone here thinks the same.The only thing i can think of is that some people say french people don't shower everyday. is that true? and I think that's okay because that's their custom. right?
If they don't shower, do they smell? or is it not noticed because everyone's used to it?
I hope this doesn't offend french people in anyway.

About the stereotype of being shot by a crazy man, that is something that like in any country,it happens but mostly the U.S.is a safe plece like any other country.You could live here your whole life and not ever be in danger of getting shot. It's mostly rare that that would happen unless you live in a dangerous community.

Sorry, I haven't seen any french movies BUT I'm thinking about seeing a movie called Paris, Je t'aime. First I nedd to see what it's about. But also, I might see if i see "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain". I mostly don't know about these because I haven't seen the ads on television for it. Here if you turn on the tv, most commercials and ads are about American movies and products.

May I ask, is Pat short for your name or a nickname? Is it a common name in France? Here, Pat is a name.

Also, I watched on t.v. the The French Open tennis competition in Paris. I saw some of the match between Montanes and Nadal.

De rien. pour les images, I was glad to help you see a bit of what it looks like here.
How's my French? okay?

Bon Soir,
Karen :)

Bonjour! I have a question for Pat19. I'd like to know how the French handle dating and relationships. The reason I ask is because I've been dating a Frenchman for the past two months and I've noticed a lot of cultural differences in how we go about dating. Things have been going great and it seems that we're in a "relationship" but nothing is official. Do the French assume that because a couple goes out on a few dates that they're together? Is there some sort of verbal agreement that's made before a relationship is official, like we do in the US? One of the things that shocked me was that my French "friend" found it strange that I had only been intimate with a few guys. Are French women loose? Are infidelity and open-relationships common in France? I've tried talking to him about these sort of things but he thought it was too early to discuss a relationship yet we act like we're in a relationship already by American standards. I don't know what to expect or to make of our dates or relationship. I'd really appreciate a response from anyone that knows anything about the matter! Merci beaucoup!

Bonjour! Comment ca va ?
Merci for telling me my french was good.

About names: some of the ones you mentioned are used here like:

Matthieu-here it's Matthew,Nicolas= Nicholas or Nick, Sebastien= Sebastian,Paul, Frederick,Georges= George?,Christophe=Christopher,Louis= lewis?,Thomas, Benjamin

girls: Marie or Maria,Catherine or Katherine,Noémie=Noemi(mimi for short),Nathalie=Natalie,Sylvie=Sylvia?,Evelyne,Laura,Emamnuelle is for boys usually here.Simone, Stephanie,Audrey, Vanessa, Julie.

Popular names here for boys: Jacob,Michael,Joshua,Christopher,Andrew, Daniel, Anthony,William,Ryan,David,James,John,Jonathan,Benjamin,Gabriel,Kevin,Anjel,Robert,Jose,Juan,Lucas,Brian,Nathaniel,Carlos,Alex.

For girls:Emily,Ana,Olivia,Samantha,Ashley,Elizabeth,Alexis,Natalie,Lauren,Jessica,Jasmine,Jacqueline,Alexandar,Catherine,Jeniffer, Megan,Michelle,Vanessa,Diana,Amanda.

Common family names or what we call last names are: Garcia, Gonzalez, Martinez,Johnson,Williams,Jones, Brown,Davis, Moore,Anderson,Rodrigues,Lewis,Young,Hernandez,Lopez,Perez,Campbell,Sanchez..

About the not showering...
I was talking to my teacher and she was telling me she had gone to Paris and that she went to the hotel and she had to ask for a shower because she said the people in France don't shower evryday. Also, I had been on the internet looking up stereotypes and I saw one that said french people don't shower everyday and someone on the wbesite explained they don't but something like that cities now follow American customs and shower everyday. something like that...That's why I was asking if it was true. Somewhere I read that some soldiers from a war years ago had reported that french woman smelled and weren't well groomed so maybe that's how it started. I don't know.

About the pictures...
Wow! our freeway is realy nearby.
Where you live, It's not like a city? What are the streets like?
Any pictures that show what France is like will do. You live around castles? You live near old churches and monuments?

About the work thing, My teacher told me that, but I really don't know how she knows.I don't know how much vacation time people take off at work because I'm not old enough to work. But there are days off for people who work in government jobs like banks and schools.Also Christmas and Thanksiving are hvacation for most people but not all, For example, my mom works as a nurse so on Christmas she did have to go to work. Some holidays like Memorial day, only schools and banks and others take that day off.

Yeah, I would like to talk about school, or if you work, what do you work in or what is it like in your job?

a tout a l'heure,
Karen

Hi Dia !

In France, it is true that when you introduce your boyfriend or girlfriend to your family, it does mean that your relationship is a serious one. But concerning your friends it depends on your beloved's caracter, because from some people it is not that way important, while others are reluctant to meet their boyfriend/girlfriend's friends, because it could mean that your remationship is becoming serious, but also because he wants to keep you just for himself, and meeting your friend would mean to "share " you in a certain way. And, as it seems your relationship is quite recent, I think that he prefers being only with you rather than with your friends, because he is interested in you and not yet in your friends.
Another reason could also be the fact that he is a frenchman in a foreign country, and he has to get used to american people, their way of being and thinking, so he may be feared to meet too much people, and have the feeling he does not understand what they are saying ("they are maybe making fun of me and I do not understand", could be what he could think) or many other things like this. It could thus be difficult to face people your beloved like while you could dislike them.
Thus, I think that in your case he prefers being with you and getting used being with you rather than being confronted to people he is not used understanding yet.

Concerning dating, usually people like being with their boy/girlfriend, some cannot stop phoning them and sharing time together. In France it is more often girls who phone their boyfriend than the contrary. In your case, I do not know if he can easily come to see you, since he could have come earlier (if you are waiting since saturday). If he cannot (work a lot, far from you...) I don't think the fact he does not call you or see you means a lot of things, he is maybe and simply a shy man!!

But as I told you some men in France do not call very often their girlfriend, but they are pleased when she calls. ( they "prefer" waiting their girlfriend to phone rather than phoning themselves, since it is well known that it is girls/women who like spending hours phoning their friends, and not men :)

I hope I answer you.
Have a nice day
bye
Pat

Hi Dia !

I am glad if I've answered your dating questions ! But I am sorry, I do not know what you mean when you deal with "facebook" = I do not know this word and I do not know what it means.
I've looked for "facebook" in dictionnaries but I did not find it, and then I've looked on the net and I found it was a kind of website connecting people together : "Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you."
If you talked about that, I can just answer that I am not on Facebook, and I even not knew this website (it is maybe a shame ?! so shame on me ! :) but I've never hear about this facebook, I do not think it is known in France )

Nonetheless I am really happy if I have helped you ;)
If you have other questions DO NOT HESITATE ;)

Have a very nice day !
Pat

Hi Karen,

Here is an article about the French it talks about BO:

http://www.frenchfriends.info/french/culture/stereotype/guide/1

Don't remember if my wife (Americain)  or me (French) wrote it. It's pretty true and funny ;-)

Anyway, thanks everyone (Pat...) for participating. We have been busy (our first Franco-American baby) so we haven't updated the site, with new articles, in a little while.

Here is a site my wife made about our wedding (a few years back already!!). We went to France just for the wedding. Weddings are a lot funner in France, they go on until early morning the next day!
http://www.webpanache.com/wedding/

Again welcome everybody and keep the exchanges flowing!

Chris

hi I am a french I'm 16 years I seek an american correpondant if you are agreement I can talk and why not I can come in usa or you can come in france you can canswer please thanks

Hi AJ,

First, thank you for telling me my English is good ! I hope you will enjoy your trip in Europe (Barcelona and Paris , and it is true that one day in Paris would not be enough to visit everything (Eiffel Tower, Louvres....) but it is better than no days in Paris, as you've said. Nevertheless I really hope you will visit Paris by night, it is really more beautifull by night with all the lights it is quite magical (that was my impression when I visited it by night). Try to visit Paris by night on a "bateau-mouche" (a typical boat of Paris) on the Seine ;)

I do not doubt that Americans do not totally look like celebrities we see on TV films (I would say that a french person would say the same thing concerning french celebrities, since we know that in films reality is more or less distorted) I am well aware that everyday people are certainly more "normal" than those what we see in films(and I do not doubt either that americans are polite and others not= since in France everybody is not polite either, you could find rude people too, being polite is really important in France, but it does not mean that everybody is polite !) and thanks to this website we can share our experience of everyday life in the US and in France to understand (if it was not yet understood) that there are certainly cultural differences, and some similarities too, but also stereotypes that do not exactly show reality. And to my mind, it is really interesting to talk about these stereotypes so that Americans could say if they are true or not, and vice versa with French. Indeed, thanks to this website I've learned that some Americans were fascinated by european countries, while some people in Europe just think that american people do not really feels interested in Europe (often because of what we see through the medias).

Nonetheless, people here really know that what we see, do certainly not represent correctly the reality of the US and its inhabitants!! (Fortunatly !)

As you are from California, I can tell you how people here in France imagine Californians.
For french people California means : sea, sun, surfers, people taking care of their body (muscled men and pretty women), also earthquakes, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Arnold Schwarzenegger... here are some words french people would associate with California (in french California is written "Californie")

I really hope you will have a good time in Paris and in Barcelona, and as you said concerning stereotypes and what we can hear about a country and its inhabitants "seeing is believing", but be carefull Paris is not representative of France as a whole, french people often says "Paris n'est pas la France ! ", since people think differently in the north of France and in the south ! (generally people are somewhat less friendly in big cities than in small ones)
But I hope you will give us your feelings about Paris when you'll be back in the US.

Have a really good time in Europe !
and have a very good day!
kind regards ;)
Pat

Hi slp,

First, I have to tell you that I've never been to Dijon, but some of my friends know this town, so I will do my best to answer you correctly;

You seem to want to know how people in Dijon are, the answer is simple, they are just normal french people (neither ruder nor friendlier than a typical french person). So you shouldn't have problems with Dijon's inhabitants.

Concerning Dijon's university : it is not one of the best known french university, but it is true that it is an international one. If you want to have more informations about the university and the town of Dijon, you could visit the website of the city (indeed, most french towns, and even hamelets, have their website, it is certainly the same in the US) So here is a link to the page concerning Dijon's University :

http://english.dijon.eu/scripts/rubrique.php?id_rub=6&id_sous_rub=51

Concerning the city itself, here is the link to the homepage of the city's website where you could find any kind of information about the town

[URL=http://english.dijon.eu/index.php][/URL]

If you want photos of the town just ask me and I'll put some for you on my website.

"And is Dijon a fun place with any nightlife?" : I would be tempted to answer "yes", because in France cities that have a university make efforts for their students concerning nightlife.
In the city where I study there are quite a lot of things for students in the evening and night, and this is not a very famous town, so I think that there is certainly things to do and to have fun at night in Dijon( but I could not tell you the precise name of a place to go at night (sorry !!) )

"Also, what would be the best method for transportation if I'm only staying for a few months?"
Concerning transportation, if you just stay for a few months in the town you don't have to buy or rent a car since there are buses that could drive you all over the town. But you can use a bicycle if you want (it is good for health ;) )
If you want to go out of the city, there are trains going to the main towns, this is why I think a car is not necessary.

"My last name is Pascal which I know is French but I don't know how common it is there."
Pascal is very common in France as last name, noetheless it is more often use as a first name (Pascal for a man, and Pascale for a woman), so I hope your first name does not correspond to another common first name in France or people will often take your last name for your first one !

So to conclude on Dijon, I can say that it is not the most famous town and university in France, but you should have a good time there, since people are just common french people, and as it is a town with a university thus you shouldn't have problem to have fun at night.To my eyes Dijon is a nice town to study and have fun.

I hope my answer will help you ! If ever you needed more information on Dijon, just ask me and as usual = do not hesitate ! ;)

Have a nice day
Pat

Thank you too for telling me my English is quite good, that's really kind of you ! I will come to believe it is true ;)

I'm French-born, and I am currently living in Australia. I have a cousin who lives in Dijon, and I visited her in 2001. I loved Dijon, and I had never been there before. The center of the town is wonderful. Yes, the people are friendly, but then, I did have a cousin and I am fluent in French so it was fairly easy for me to get by. The center of the town if fairly compact, and you can walk from one side to the other in less than an hour. The town center has wonderful old buildings dating from a few centuries ago. There's a fountain in the middle where young people hang around. There's also a market in the center once a week. It's a lovely town, and of all the cities I visited a few years ago, Dijon was by far one of my favorite. It's also home of the French mustard, and the majority of mustard is made in Dijon.

The name Pascal is very common in France.

Okay, now about French people not showering: that's because they haven't had showers installed for a long time. They used to bath instead or sponge bath. In older French homes, showers are still not available, but that's usually in villages. The majority of cities have dwellings with showers, or a shower head attached to the bathtub. There's also this rumor that French people use less soap that any other head per capita of other westernized countries: might have something to do with more than 50% of them using shower gel instead! That's certainly been my experience when visiting all my French relatives a few years ago. French people are no more dirty than other races -- you can find dirty people in every country, and I have noticed that there was a higher percentage in France than in the USA, the UK or other parts of Europe.

In general, French people tend to be nice. You are always going to get an idiot somewhere, but that's not a French trait; there are idiots everywhere in the world, and the odds are you will come across a few whether you're in France or the USA.

Hope you enjoy your trip. I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it.

Salut,

Laurent

Hi everybody !

I just want to wish all the american people on this website a very nice 4th July !
I hope you will all have fun today !
And I hope you will have good fireworks this evening !!

Have fun and good time today !!

Bye
Pat ;)

Hi Meg !

Thanks for your message !

Concerning universities and general education, I 've written a few words about these subjects in the topic entitled "school" (it is the second subject in the general topic entitled "cultural differences" but nobody seems to be interested in this topic concerning school)

As french universities are concerned, I may write that they more or less look like american ones. There are big lecture theaters and also small rooms for more specific classes.

The year at university is divided into two semesters : the first one from October to December (with exams the week before or/and the week after christmas holidays), then the second semester from January till the end of April (and the exams take place the first week of May). Then you have the results of your exams at the end of may, and if you have succeeded in your exams you are on holiday and can have access to the 2nd year. If you failed to your exams, there is a second cession at the end of June to try to succeed in your exams of the first and second semester.
Concerning the exams, there are no exams during the semester (nothing compulsory to prepare and give to your teachers during the semester, but they can advice you to prepare a give them back a work so that you could be prepared for the exam, they'll give you a mark, but it will be useless for the exam, this mark is just given to you to tell you if you're doing well or not)

Concerning holidays, you have no holidays during the first semester (except the 1st of november), then you have 2 weeks for Christmas, then one week in february, and two weeks in April for Easter (often just before the exams), and if you have your degree you're on holidays till October.

This is true for my university, but there are some differences between universities, some have the 1st semester beginning in september (and in this case you have one week of holidays around the 1st of november) and their 2nd semester ends in june.
This really depends on the university and on what you've chosen to study.

Concerning timetables at university : generally you can make it as you like, you have to choose you're classes (the hour when you want to attend a lecture or a class), the teachers give you between 3 and 5 possibilities (or more) for each class, sometimes the number of students is limited to a certain number for each hour, so the first one to choose his favorite hour is quite sure to be accepted in the class he chooses. (this is true for my university, but other ones just give you your timetable, and you cannot change it)

Concerning the number of classes, it depends on what you study, but for the first three years at university I had 16/18 hours a week (some had 22 once again it depends on what you study, and on the optional courses you can take.) (and the 4th and 5th year there are less lectures, since you'll have to prepare a research paper, thus you'll have lectures during the 1st semester with exams in January, then the 2nd semester is dedicated to the writing of your paper, so there are no lectures or classes during the 2nd semester ) and as you can do your timetable as you like (in some universities) you can thus have classes only on three days, for example from monday to wednesday, and then you're free to do whatever you want !

Concerning the lectures themselves, I think they are quite different from the lectures in the US, because during lectures we are given much more information and details than in the US, so for your exam you "just" have to learn quite by heart your notes and you're quite sure to do well = a mark above 10 but not 20 of course !(nonetheless, you have to work a little bit by yourself after the lectures to complete a little bit the lecture and reach a good mark = from 15 to 20, but I think it is not as a big necessity as in the US)

Here are some informations about university itself, but as I told you this mostly concern the university where I go, since think can differ from a university to another.

If you want to study in france, you may try to get information about the possiblity you could have to have a study grant, and you could also have an appartment or a student's room at a low rent. For these things french student have to contact what we call "le C.R.O.U.S", ther is one in each place where there are universities, and they could help you. There are certainly other things existing for foreigners wishing to study in France, you should try to look for information because all the helps/aides(?! not sure of the vocabulary to choose !? sorry) you can have are really useful.

Her it is if you want more information just ask me ;)
I hope it is quite clear, just tell me if it isn't, and I'll explain it again differently ;)

have a nice day

kind regards
Pat ;)

Well, they're assholes.

Salut Pat,

Ne nous quittes pas a cause de 2 tordues. Y a pas mal de gens qui lisent ce que tu ecris (des milliers ?), c'est vraiment tres sympa de ta part.

For the girls that think a guy from outside Paris is not cool you are totally mistaken. France is a small country and most can get to Paris in 3 hours or less without having to even fly. The country side in France is not like in the US. Most small towns are full of culture, specialties and authentic people. To give you an idea of size of France, Texas is 1.5 times larger. Plus it's got the "bullet train" that covers 90% of the territory.

I've brought back many US friends to France and we had as much fun in Paris, Marseilles then Auvillar (980 residents during the pick Summer season ;-) ). It's all about the people you are with since 90% of French cities are "high" on culture and events. A small town like Auvillar + its neighborings cities probably has more cultural events then a city like Denver.

Take care,
Chris

Pat,
it's Karen. I'm truly sorry for not having written back. I wrote to you a while ago but then you started to talk to someone else and I wasn't sure if you still wanted to talk to me.Then i was extremely busy with things and i hadn't been able to write back. I'm sorry but i never saw your pictures from France. I haven't seen a link.
I'm truly sorry and plesase don't be dissapointed in me,
Karen

While I can't speak for anyone else, I do believe that most will agree with me when I say that we're perfectly happy to speak with you. It was a simple mistunderstanding, at least in the case of Karen, and no one will hold a grudge against you for that.

I hope to speak with everyone soon.

Much love from Florida :-)

Hi everybody,

First of all thanks a lot Kaley for your message !! I hope everybody has the same view on the situation !!

Concerning the person looking for information about cultural differences between France and the US, I'll be happy to help her/him, but I'd like this person to ask precise questions for me to give him/her the best answer I can, since this question of cultural differences is quite a big one, and I could answer some questions quite easily, and others could be more difficult to answer.
So ask precise questions and I'll be really happy to answer you.

Happy to be back :)

Kind regards from France ;)

Hi Brittany !!

First thanks for telling me my English is excellent ;) I will come to think it is true :)

I really hope that no french woman or girl will read what you have written on them!!!! :)

Is that really what american people think about french women ??

If so, I will deceive some american men who think it is true !!!! since, indeed, it is quiet far from reality !!!

French women are not that way easy, and orgys are not at all common occurrence. I think that french women are just like american ones (and it would be in France that people think american women to be more sexual and easy !!! with the example of "sex and the city" picturing american women talking easily about sex and even having a lot of sex parteners !!)

Of course you could find one or two women that could be qualified of easy women, but it is not common place in France.

Nonetheless, people in the USA may think french women to be more "easy" than american ones, because nowadays more and more women seem to talk more easily about sex, but it does not mean at all that they are "easy" women !

So be reassured, french women are not that way easy (a french man would even say the contrary !), it is just a stereotype, a myth or a fantasm, I don't know, but it does not picture the reality. French women like above all romanticism, humour, kindness, delicacy..... but it does not mean that the first woman you will meet in the street will accept to make love with you just because you ask her more or less directly !! (a lot of men french or american may like this, but it is just a kind of utopia !!)

So don't worry, women in France are no more and no less sexuel than in the USA, it is just that nowadays more and more women dare talking more freely about sexuality, but this does not mean that they are easy women !!! Believe me !

I think that easy women would scare most men ( french men)(except maybe those just intereted in sex, but even them would have a particular opinion about "easy" women) because according to a man, the woman you love is just like a kind of goddess, and being too easy would make her be a vulgar person !

So according to me you should not worry too much about that, but being american could be an advantage for him, because a lot of french girls like americans (but they won't fall into his arms just for this reason, it won't be enough but just a good starting point, because he will have to show he is funny, kind, a gentleman (handsome could be a criteria)....

So french women may just look like american ones, I think!

Concerning stereotypes or more precisly what american people thought about french women, I heard in a TV show that they were impressed by french women because : they take care of the house, of their family, of themselves (cloth, make up, sport...) and they have a job and in spite of all these activities they succeed in being happy ! But isn't it the same thing for american women ???

So, don't worry too much about french women, they are not that way easy, the only thing you might fear is that he falls in love with a woman at the first sight , but if his feelings for you are strong why should there be this kind of problem ?? ( of course I know this famous sentence "far from sight, far from the heart" (not sure of the translation sorry !!)

Well, it is a real pleasure to help you ;) and please do not apologize for bringing personal issues to the table, since I was really please to help you, and i'll be very please to help you again and again and again...... So do not hesitate !!!! ;)

I hope this will have helped you, if not ask me !!

Really kind regards !

Bye
Pat ;)

I don't think that American boys are more shy, sensitive, and romantic than any other country. Many American men are outgoing, obnoxious, and shallow, and many of them aren't. Rules for dating Americans vary with the person you're dating, but the one rule you can probably be sure of is no cheating. Are Americans sincere when it comes to feelings? Once again, it depends on the person. I certainly hope we are.

I wish I could help you with your Visa problem, but I honestly have no idea.

Sorry this isn't very informative, but hopefully it will be helpful anyway.

French accents are hot.

Do French people REALLY hate Americans? and do Americans REALLY hate the French? Ive heard they do.

Hello Pat,

I am a student in the US and I have always been extremely interested in all aspects of western European cultures, especially French and German. I have great interest in beautiful architecture and gastronomy.

The American culture is a great one in some respect because it is a mixture of all cultures. The problem is that when you mix so many cultures together you end up with the best and worst of both worlds. For example, we are the most powerful and diverse nation in the world but when you mix so many cultures together you loose the unique aspects that make each individual culture great. McDonalds is a good example of this; shitty food at a cheap price that has no identity other being a money pit for big American business. France avoids this situation by staying true to its culture and providing the most beautiful architecture and fine food the world has to offer.
Any way, I have decided to fill my curiosity for France by studying abroad in Lyon. The problem is that I do not know any French. Due to the fact that all the French classes for next semester are full, I will be traveling to France with out any speaking abilities. I will however be taking extensive language classes once I arrive but I am afraid I will be treated badly for having such bad language skills to begin with. Any advice would be much appreciated.

As far as Americans perception of French people goes, I will be as honest as I can. Some Americans are cultured and open minded who care about the unique differences of those that are not like them, who hate the Bush oil war and care about the environment. Others I’m afraid, who make up a major portion of the US would rather let their religious convictions amongst many other things keep them from voting for a president who is not a complete jerk off.

Sincerely,

Mike

Hi everybody, and Happy New Year !!!!!!!!!!! I wish you all the best for 2008 !

I cannot write too long today because I am quite busy, and I wanted to apologise for my quite long silence ( a few weeks) but I've been busy, and there was christmas and new year days, so I didn't have a lot of time to write again on this forum. I hope you understand. ;)

I won't be able to write too much today but I wanted to wish you all a happy new year and I wanted to tell you I've not forgotten to give you french receipes (thanks a lot Suzan for your offer at converting measurements it will be helpfull ;) )

I will answer you quite rapidly (maybe tomorrow, or before next week I think) I'm not forgetting you !!!!!

Take care ;)

Pat19

Bonjour--

I recently started seeing a French lady here in Boston who is really quite nice. There are so many cultural differences I am discovering and don't know what to make of them all.

I read the earlier postings when a few people stopped emailing you and there were some misunderstandings as to why they may have done this. Once the reasons were clarified all was well and you thankfully decided to post again.

I think Americans tend to be more direct and I personally think the solution to cultural misunderstandings is open communication and clarification but perhaps this sort of directness is not always good in French culture either. It doesn't really seem to be an option when you are first getting to know someone.

I am trying to know what should be avoided, what are good topics of conversation, and how to properly romance a French lady. Any help you or anyone else could give me are much appreciated. Merci.

Hello everyone. Im an American (born in Russia and moved to the US when I was six)...and Im doing a semester abroad in Nice, France. Ive only been here for one week, so I know my assumptions of the French culture could be incorrect. So far, I think French people are a bit arrogant and rude (Like I said, this is just my opinion after a week of being here). I know a little bit of French, but I can't really converse. When I say..vous parlez anglais?, I feel like the get annoyed. French men/boys..are very forward. Every time I have gone out, some French guy hits on me..they stand to close, and touch too much. Im assuming that they have this impression that American girls are easy to pick up? Is this true? For me, that is certainly not the case, and I get very annoyed when I am treated that way. Grocery shopping takes forever because I don't really know what to buy. Is there Ranch dressing in France? I want a cup of coffee on the go! WHYY is everything small?? I knew the portions of food at restaurants would be smaller, but EVERYTHING is smaller. I needed to buy shampoo/conditioner/ and lotion. The bottles are sooo small, and expensive! Is the washing machine always in the kitchen? And do French people always hang dry their clothing? In America, it goes, 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd...and so on. Here, they start with ground floor! That is a bit confusing.
Ok, I know im rambling. There are just sooo many little things that are different. I know I have to adjust, and get used to it, but its just hard at first.
I can't wait to start French class, so I can learn some french. I actually avoid doing things in fear of having to speak to someone, and them not knowing English. I feel like such an outsider here. Totally out of my element. However, Nice is a beautiful city, and I love it.
Can someone please tell me about the French men...the younger ones..in their 20s. What are some typical characteristics? And what do they think about American girls? I was reading through all the blgos but there are so many. Alright, thats all for now.

KSENIYA

I have to agree whole-heartedly with Elisa's post. I am an American currently living in France, and honestly I am not having a very good time. It may be the timing with anti-American sentiment, possibly my woes about the dollar, missing my family and Montana terribly, but it is a struggle every day to realize that I am in the midst of culture shock and this is normal. I really disagree with a lot of the comparisons between France and America, but I am also from a state that is quite different from many other states, particularly a very very liberal city, so that perspective is different as well. I am finding French men to be very overwhelming, I have been called a f*cking bitch more times in the last 2 months than in my entire life, just today some French students heard me and my friends speaking English and my friend overheard them calling us "petites chiens" or "little dogs." However, I have also met many extremely nice French people. French people seem to have a bit of a hard shell, but once you get past that, they are some of the most kind-hearted people you will meet. I agree with the statement that their friendship is deeper than in the US, whereas Americans tend to be open with everyone to about the same extent (except those few, close friends). About being "eccentric," I prefer the word "open-minded," which you really have to be in our country with our mix of cultures and ethnicities. In France, I have noticed that they prefer to have immigrants assimilate, and interestingly enough "beurs" or French-born children of African-immigrants do not identify themselves as French but Algerian or from Senegal or what have you. In most ways, I love how environmentally conscious the French are (bringing bags to grocery store, little fuel-efficient cars, etc), but coming from a state with vast wilderness, I was shocked at the litter in the Picardie city I am currently residing in. I am very much enjoying travelling around France, and I do believe that each city (and region, certainly) has it's own unique charm and personality. Here are some stereotypes about Americans that I have encountered: all Americans come from either New York or California, all Americans are stupid, all Americans are conservative or religious, Americans want to take over the world, Americans want to invade France with our culture, Americans are drunkards. I think the stereotypes about the French have been well-covered, however I think that stereotypes come out of not having visited a country or having met people from that country, therefore they are false assumptions based on very general information. Americans like France on the whole, and while we may often times be loud and obnoxious, we really don't want to take over the world or other people's cultures. We like other people's cultures, we are interested in them, but unfortunately I think we all need to realize that our governments are not necessarily the voice of the people. My current government has never spoken for me, and I'm sorry Bush was reelected, but I did my part and our party failed us.

Hi Pat,
I have another relationship question for you. I dated a french man for about 4 months, and it ended badly. It ended so badly, that I told him that I didn't want to see him or talk to him. However, I work with him in the same company, and little by little, I became ok with seeing him and talking to him. Eventually, I told him that I no longer have feelings for him and that I would like to be friends. We had dinner twice (about once a month), but I now feel like he is ignoring me - or at least doesn't want to continue going out as friends. I realize he has a girlfriend now (and I am dating people as well), but I am confused because I thought that I was clear with my intentions. Is this typical? Please help.
Elly

Hi Pat!

Wow, Thank you so much for all of your insight on this forum. I have found it very helpful especially in regards to culture and dating!

I have been dating a French guy since May and have enjoyed the fact that once we became intimate, we were officially together instead of playing the cat and mouse game that most American men have us go through..just for the grand honor of being called boyfriend?!

Saying that, I'd like to keep my french man happy, so my question is: What are some stereotypes or behaviours in American women that annoy or turn French men off?

Again, thanks for all of your wisdom and hope to hear from you!

Ella

Bonjour Peter !!

Et oui je continue toujours à passer sur ce forum, et franchement ton français est tout à fait correct !
Je ne sais pas si tu veux que je continue en francais ou en anglais, mais je crois que je vais te répondre en anglais car la réponse pourrait intéresser d'autres personnes.

So, don't focus too much on politness and on your phisical appearance !! As long as you will say : "bonjour, merci, au revoir " everything will be OK !!! these 3 words are the most important ! People are pleased hearing somebody saying (for example) "bonjour, comment allez-vous ?" (hello, how are you ? ) and when you leave them "au revoir à bientôt " (goodbye see you soon) Really, if you only says "bonjour, au revoir and merci" the people you will meet will certainly think that you are polite. Of course, in addition to this you should behave in a correct way, that is to say being friendly , and I really think that it will be enough !! Just try to be interested in, or curious about french culture and french people will really appreciate.

My advice would be : be yourself and everything will be OK !! Don't focus too much on politness, even french people are /could be unpolite !!!! :-)

Concerning your clothes : don't change anything, I also wear T-shirts everydays ; I put my hands in my pockets too.......:-)

I think that what you've read about politness mainly deals with aristocrats who are really concerned with these "problems" of clothes, of how you should behave at dinner and so on. Everyday people are not so much concerned with these issues (they are concerned with politness and they like it but not in the same way as aristocrats are), I repeat it once again the most important is to say "bonjour, merci and au revoir " !!!!
In everyday life, french people appreciate people who say these words, but also people who are always ready to help you, who say "thank you" when it is necessary (when they give you something for example)

I think that you should not be so worried about all this stuff, you should just come here in France and have fun with your friends not worrying about this politness, since you will rapidly understand how to behave that is not so complicated, you just need a minimun of politness and everything will be OK. Don't think people will be angry at you if you forget to say "merci" or something else, french people can easily understand that you are a foreigner and that you do not know some of the codes !

All this could really depends on your friends and their social backgrounds, if they are aristocrats it will certainly be different than if they are just "common" french people.

I hope this helps you ;-)

If ever you need more informations just ask it to me on this forum or send me an e-mail, I'll be really happy to help you ;-)

Where will you go ? in Paris ? or in another area (some are really really beautiful since France is not just made of Paris) ?

Have a good time in France !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care

Pat ;-)

Hi Jacqueline (a typical french name ;-) )

Thanks for your message !!! Some parts of your message made me "laugh", since you wrote that "Americans think that French women are all very skinny and rude because they do not eat enough", while french women are just women so they can be rude sometimes but I do not think it is because they do not eat enough (oups I should not say this to a woman :-) ). It is true that some of them just take care not to eat too much to avoid becoming "fat" but I think it is also true in the US. The thing is that in France we mainly eat fresh foods that we cook and this is the reason why there are less fat people in France than in the US because here we think american people just eat hamburgers, or foods that they buy already prepared.So women generally eat enough and are very kind :-)

Another think you wrote made me smile "Americans think all French persons eat with a their dogs at the dinner table" that is what some french also think about american people....so funny, but completly untrue concerning french people !!

"Americans do not smoke cigarettes much anymore and think all the French do is smoke cigarettes". It is maybe true that a lot of people smoke in France (maybe more than in the US) Nonetheless since january 2008 it is now forbidden to smoke in public areas in France (such as cafés restaurants.....) so people start to stop smoking, something great in restaurants !!!! (I do not personnaly smoke)

Thanks a thousand times for your very interesting message !!!
I hope you will have a great time in France and in Perpignan!!

Do not focus too much on your different manners, since we love people with different manners (french people are really more open minded than what american people could imagine) and we love people willing to learn our language and our culture, so everything is going to be alright

Have a nice time in France !!!!!

Kind regards
Pat ;-)

i'm french, my girlfriend is a US girl we know each other since 2003. what and i can say we are very different in many points.
first, the way we think , the way we live, the way people have friends, rise children.
she has been living in france for a year, i used to live in usa too, then now to choose for me USA or france, it's so difficult
if you can read two books from the journalist ted stanger" aUS man) sacré francais et sacres americains it's in french language, sorry
you'll understand more things.
i've been to USA 18 times, and visit many states, my mother in law, etc..... i talk to old american near 95 years old, to rich people who have more than $100 000 to pay for property taxes. and i learned a LOT
to know each other we must talk and explain to your love why you think you do in this way than in another way. vice versa.
talk and talk a lot, it's the way to do.
if you need answers about questions you have my email
i'll be please to respond.
phil
the frenchie
visiteurforum@hotmail.com

Bonjour!

I was just reading through the comments in this forum because I'm really interested in France, in learning the language, in the French people and their culture. I'm also planning to visit France at the end of this year or maybe early next year so I wanted to get familiar with the French culture & customs to prepare myself.

I've noticed that the French culture and the Japanese culture are quite similar. I'm not American nor Japanese nor French but I lived in Japan for a couple of years before. Some of the similarities include the formalities with how you communicate with other people such as using titles (Monsieur/Madamemoiselle, -san/-kun/-chan)depending on age/social status or starting conversations especially with strangers (when asking for directions or something) with "Bonjour" or "Excusez moi" (Ohayou Gozaimasu/Sumimasen in Japanese) as well as the habit of saying "thank you". The French and the Japanese are really polite and I guess more reserved than the Americans. The Japanese also smoke a lot just like the French.

I've only just started taking French lessons at a language school established by the French embassy in my country and I just felt so lost during the first day of class because I've never studied the language and everything was being taught in French, it was difficult to follow which part of the book the teacher was already at. I can honestly say that learning French is more difficult than learning Japanese from my experience because without someone to guide you, if you're studying French by yourself, you can't really be sure of the correct pronunciation of the words. You can't really read the words literally as they are written unlike in Japanese.

I would greatly appreciate it if you can recommend some good links to study French especially ones with audio in it. What is the best way to improve your French? I've also tried joining chat channels to practice my French but everytime I find a French person/s to chat with, once they realize that your French is not good enough to hold up a decent conversation, they lose interest and stop talking to you. :'(

I also read an article about the "not-so-good" side of Paris: the dirty, ugly and smelly side. It was written by an American living in Paris. The author gave a warning about watching where you walk if you don't want to step on dog poop in Paris, that there are frightening hole-in-the-ground toilets (depending where you go) and that some French people don't bathe everyday. She said that on her first day there, the smell of body odor in the shuttle bus hit her like a sledgehammer. It was actually kind of funny. She said that the French are not so obssessed with taking a daily shower compared to Americans. I suppose Americans sweat more than the French but that's just my opinion. :P

Please write more about the French culture and customs especially ones that are particularly useful to a first time visitor in France.

Merci Beaucoup! (^-^)