You have a question about France or the French?
Just ask a Frenchman!
Just ask a Frenchman!
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- Founded:
- 2008
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Ask a Frenchman!
(asked by Michelle from the US)This question starts out sounding like a personal “I met this French guy....” question, but I do have a cultural question at the end. Last autumn, I was in Paris for a week, and one day I was standing on a street corner, map in hand, completely lost. A man stopped t...
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(asked by Linda from Brno, Czech Republic)Ha, ha, Linda! I know why you’re asking this question. You’re still shocked I praised French women in my answer to your last question, so you found the one question that you knew I would find no excuse for French women… You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you?So ...
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A special nepotistic post today (after all nepotism is back in fashion in France) to tell you about two blogs.First of all, let me introduce you the latest born of the growing list of the "Ask a [insert nationality here]" blogs . Today, please welcome about our "community": Ask a Russian...Then, ...
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(asked by Sarah from New York)I'm a huge follower of the French “Ligue 1” and French National Soccer team. But, I'm constantly perplexed by the French fans. They boo their team from the minute they walk onto the field. I've gathered from your previous posts that the French people in general like ...
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(asked by Rachel from Buffalo, NY)Dear Sir,I'm going to France this fall to study French and live with a French family. I was thinking about getting the family something to say, 'thanks for letting me live with you', but I have no idea of what kind of gift would be appropriate. I want to let them...
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(asked by Meghan B. from somewhere)Can you explain the bourgeoisie? Every time I read/hear about it, it seems to have a negative connotation but I'm not sure what exactly makes someone bourgeoisie or not.I don't know if I should be flattered or annoyed by this question?Flattered because of the tr...
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(asked by anonymous from somewhere)What is the general attitude towards religion and spirituality in France -- especially among young people in their 20s - 30s? I get the impression that French people tend to think of religion in a pretty traditional and simplistic way (à la traditional organized...
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(asked by someone from the US)I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about friendships with the opposite sex in France, especially in terms of how guys and girls show affection (both physically and verbally) towards each other. Of course, I realize it is difficult to generalize, but would...
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(asked by anonymous from somewhere)Any advice on how to live in France and work without being an illegal immigrant? It's a pretty straightforward question (the e-mail was actually much longer but didn't contain anything else relevant to this site).So straightforward that the person asking the que...
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(asked by Glass (aka Say Shake) from Chicago, US)Ok, we’re going to do things a little differently today, as Glass was kind enough to not hate me after my not so kind answer and to rewrite his questions to make them more understandable. As such, he has the privilege to get his new questions (whic...
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(asked by Say Shake from the US)What is the French viewpoint on homosexuality? Is gay marriage legal? Are homosexuals in France encouraged to fall in love with a singular other? Whilst speaking to French natives I sense that they are weirded out by the topic of homosexuality and don't seem to thi...
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If you're a regular reader, you know that once in a while, I'll post a bonus post. Usually triggered by ludicrous questions I find in the "search words" that brought people on the site (they're not questions directly asked to me, just stuff they googled and that brought them here)Here is a new ba...
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(asked by Thomas from the US)What is the high school experience like in France? Socially, it's a big big deal in the US. Is that also true in France?And what does the educational picture look like for immigrants and minorities?You have two interesting questions here. One is going to be easy to an...
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For the past two days, the number of visitors to this site has skyrocketed, apparently, I was mentioned in a site (I had never heard of before... sorry...) and it brought a lot of people.So welcome to you all, enjoy the blog as much as you want, but I have a few words of "warning" for those of yo...
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(asked by Kevin B.C. from somewhere)Do you have any tips on asking out and dating a French woman?How do you ask a French woman out?Mmmm... Pretty much like you ask any woman out... You could invite her for a coffee, a movie, a dinner, an exhibit, a cool spot nearby, etc. There are countless possi...
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(asked by Samantha from New York)Without trying to be too vague, I want to know if you think strikes are still effective in France, or more so, do they still have the ability to actually affect those not concerned. Or are they so frequent that there's actually some truth in Sarkozy's whole when-F...
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(asked by Marissa from somewhere)I have met a wonderful French man whom I will spend the month of August with...Is it common that French men invite female friends to spend summer vacation with their parents?What's the etiquette that I should be aware of when I stay with them? What kind of gifts o...
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(asked by Abigail from somewhere)What's the deal with French males (even babies) and those gold religious medals worn around the neck? What are those things? I worked as an au pair for a French family many years ago and their 10 month old baby wore one always -- when he slept, bathed, played -- t...
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(asked by Jeanine G. from Oklahoma)Most Americans love other accents (including me) so I was wondering what French people think of American accents. I know there are many type of American accents, although they actually sound very much alike to me. I am from Oklahoma but I am told I have a Valley...
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(asked by Mary from the US)Hello,I have a male friend who is French, he is currently an English teacher in France. We're Facebook friends, and his updates are constantly about sex-- quizzes relating to sex he's taken, comments about sex, etc. Additionally, in his emails, he never fails to menti...
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Nicky Some interesting perspectives of why the french think what they think and do what they do - fascinating to all francophiles.
(asked by Sue from New England)I have just returned from two-months with my fiancé in Brest and noticed something at his mother’s house and at the apartments of his siblings – the lack of shower curtains.Why is this? When I asked my fiancé if anyone was worried about water damage and he just smil...
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(asked by Dan from somewhere)Recently you were asked what the French thought of the Quebecois and that question triggered a similar one in my mind: what do the French think of another bilingual, quiet country: Belgium? Aside from Tintin and French fries, I'm sorry to say I don't know much about t...
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(asked by Kelly from somewhere)Could you tell us more about the unwritten rules of customer service (or would writing it break the 'unwritten' part of the rule?)That would be very helpful for someone planning on visiting/living in France...Don’t worry Kelly, writing down the rules won’t break any...
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(asked by Céline from Paris)Why do Americans often add an "s" to French city names : Marseilles, Lyons, Pariss (just kidding for that one)?Well, first of all Céline, let's not blame the Americans for everything. They're already guilty of enough things, maybe we could give them some slack on this ...
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(asked by Canubeatme from Glenrothes, UK)Hi posting this thread about a track I heard in France Sept 08. It used the lyrics from Westlife's Flying without Wings(You've got to fight for every dream). It is a hip hop track sung by a male (only French voice that I have found that sounds remotely clo...
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(asked by nobody, I just came up with it a few minutes ago while in the metro)Something that annoys me with tourists sometimes is the fact that because they're abroad and they're tourists their IQ seems to be suddenly half of what it normally is, and they lose all common sense and ability to thin...
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(asked by Claire from the US)If you’re going out in France with friends or on a date, how do you customarily pay? Does each person pay separately? Does someone pay now and someone the next time? Or is the person who invites that pays?First, let’s distinguish date from out with friends.On a date, ...
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(asked by Niall from somewhere)I've noticed for a while now that the French seem to have adopted Ireland and the Irish as the one English-speaking culture they are not threatened by in some way. For example, I recently had a discussion with a French friend in LA about Halloween. He was horrified ...
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(asked by Linda from Brno, Czech Republic, but currently getting a tan in Spain)If you will find this noteworthy reading and commenting on, I would love to read a French MAN's perspective on this article from the Guardian...To put it simply, I totally could not believe it.I thought almost that is...
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(asked by Kim from somewhere)I would like to know a few basic rules on the bisou. Specifically, if one is going to change from handshaking to bisouing who is the one to decide? How do French men in general feel if a woman they barely know goes for the bisou while they're holding out their hand? I...
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