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FriendlyFrench Etiquette - Greetings
Greetings are the quintessential part of the French’s daily life.
When someone greets you, it is important to reciprocate otherwise you
may pass as an antisocial. Learning the few basic words like Bonjour
(Good Morning), Bonsoir (Good Evening) and Merci (thank you) is often
sufficient to get you through most situations.
In a formal context, the greeting should be followed by the title of
the person (i.e. Mr., Mrs. & Miss) Examples of greetings are as follows:
- Bonjour, Monsieur (Good morning, Sir)
- Bonjour, Madame (Good morning, madam)
- Bonjour, Mademoiselle (Good morning miss—i.e. young, unmarried
women)
- Bonjour, Messieurs/Mesdames (to several men/women)
To say goodbye, you just need to replace “bonjour” by “Au revoir”. A
thank you can also be thrown in—“Merci”. A handshake should follow the
greeting.
In an informal setting, the title can be replaced by the forenames,
if the meeting is with friends. Otherwise, surnames could be used.
Handshakes should follow suit.
When meeting with close friends, a kiss
on each cheek can be exchanged. Generally, follow the lead of your
friends in order to know when to kiss and when not to.
From: www.frenchwords.org.uk
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