Bonjour

This tip is to anyone that comes to France as a tourist or even to live here! The most important thing you need to know how to say it in french is "Bonjour" which literally means Good Day, but you could translate it as Good Morning. You need to know that if you don't say Bonjour in the beginning of a phrase or conversation, it's just like you never said anything at all. They won't hear you.

When I first arrived in France, I had a problem with my french bank account, so I went to the bank desperate to fix it. I got there and started blabbing about the problem to the recepcionist and when I was almost finished, she looked at me, raised her hand making a "stop" sign and said to me "Bonjour" and nod her head like "Now you can start". And I really had to explain everything all over again! It's like they have a recorder in their heads and "Bonjour" is the start button!


You should know that this is only one of the many particularities of the French, but each one is worth their own post!