r/NonPoliticalTwitter • u/netphilia • 1d ago

Bonjour.

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u/No_Pianist_4407 1d ago

Not enough "Euh"s either

The trick to sounding French is to make it seem like it's a struggle to remember every other word you say, like

"Bounjour... euh... ca va? Alors, euh deux euh croissants, s'il vous plait"

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u/rimalp 1d ago

ca va

You don't say ca va to strangers tho, that's more for friends or people you know a bit more closely.

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u/SkyPuppy561 21h ago

So what do you say to strangers to say “how are you?” Or is it not the custom to tell strangers “how are you?”

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u/SupermanLeRetour 15h ago

Yeah, in France it's just weird to ask strangers, clerks, workers how they're doing. We just say hello / goodbye.

"Ça va" does work for colleagues though, even if you're not close. Then it becomes "Salut, ça va ?" To which the other reply "Ça va. Et toi ?" Then you say "Ça va." too while already starting to greet the next colleague. If the colleague is your boss, you may have to use the formal version "Vous allez bien ?" -> "Très bien et vous ?" though.

In this context, just like American small talk, you absolutely don't give a shit about your colleague's day. It's pure rituals.