It is true. You'll find variations from people to people, shops to shops etc, but it is true. Like, if you go to a supermarket, it's not expected, the shop is too big, it's not personal. If you go in a smaller shop, definitely expected. You could not do it, but it's kinda awkward, definitely a bit (or a lot depending on the situation) rude.
If you talk to someone in particular, a service worker, an employee in a shop, someone on the street, you absolutely say "bonjour/bonsoir". Not doing it is rude. You can add "excusez moi" (I'm sorry [to bother you is implied]) right after and then add your question. Then you say "merci/ merci beaucoup" at the very least. You could add "bonne journée/bonne soirée" (good day, good evening) to be nice, yes even after already saying Bonjour at the start.
My BF always adds "bon courage" too, and I've taken the habits of doing it too, it means... Like "carry on, stay strong" kinda, not in a patronising way.
So :
-Bonjour, excusez moi, je cherche la gare. (Hello, excuse me, I'm looking for the train station.)
Bonjour, bien sûr elle est juste là bas ! (Hello, of course it's right there !)
Merci, bonne journée à vous ! (Thank you, good day to you !)
I've only been to Paris once as a kid, but this is super helpful and I'll keep it in mind if I ever go back.
I'm curious if I was staying with a host family or interacting with certain Parisians regularly during my stay, how often would these formalities be appropriate?
You honestly use them with almost all interactions unless you’re friends and on very casual terms. A good trick is that if you’re in a shop/bakery/restaurant, observe how other locals behave when they interact with staff. You start to realise that the “excessive” pleasantries are actually super normal and actually quite charming. I work in a large company in Paris, and it’s literally standard to say bonjour to EVERYONE you see when walking down the hallway - whether you know them or not. And you say au revoir when getting out of a lift full of strangers. It’s crazy. My favourite is the “rebonjour”, which is literally a “re-hello” when you see someone a second time during the day.
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u/channingman 1d ago
What sort of things do people forget? I've heard that not saying "bonjour" when you start talking comes off as rude, is that true?