This document provides an overview of French culture and greetings. It discusses how in France people greet one another differently depending on familiarity - a handshake and "Bonjour" for strangers, kisses on the cheek and "Salut" for friends and family. Popular names for girls often end in "ah" or "ee" sounds, while boys' names often end in "o." French is spoken in parts of Canada, the US, and around the world.

1. Welcome! I hope you believe this
course makes you feel confident
about passing French I!
Just as vocabulary is important,
the culture also has a very crucial
role. In all multimedia slides I
post, I will summarize the French
culture we learn in each lesson.
You may use these as a review.

2. When people greet one another in
France, they do it in different
ways depending on which person
they are greeting.
When they meet someone new or
of higher respect, they’ll often use
a title; Madame, Mademoiselle, or
Monsieur. It’s just as we use Ms,
Mrs, and Mr to address our
teachers.
Saluts!

3. If they do not know one another,
they will use the word Bonjour
(meaning “hello;” Salut also
means hello, but is only used for
people you know) and shake
their hand one time.
“Bonjour, Madame Manon.”

4. For people they do
know, like family or
friends, they will say
Salut and kiss one
another on the cheek.
This kiss is called la
bise.
La bise is a normal greeting in France. It is not
related to anything relationship wise (meaning
there is nothing romantic!)
“Salut, Emma!”

5. Popular Names!
Today’s popular girl
names often end with
the sounds “ah” or “ee,”
like Clara, Emma, Lea,
Amelie, and Lucie.
Today’s popular boy
names often end in
the letter “o,” like
Leo, Theo, and
Hugo.
Many other names are influenced by other
European cultures, as well as North or West
Africa or Asia.
*The image above shows the
differences in words while
addressing a male and female

6. Did You
Know?
From the 18th century to 1993, the
French were only allowed to name
their children after traditional
names (the cultural impact of
surrounding countries changed
this).

7. La Francophonie! (Francophone: someone whose native language is French.)
There are 66 million
residents of France; 5
million of them being
foreign visitors and
immigrants that mainly
come from counties in
North and Sub-Saharan
Africa.
When these
people arrived,
they brought
along all their
cultural traditions
too!
(La Francophonie: a community of French -speaking countries.)

8. French is also widely
spoken in parts of
Canada and the U.S;
Canada’s second
language is actually
French, where the
province Quebec
speaks it the most
frequently.
In the U.S, Louisiana
has many French
speakers as well. The
state was influenced
by Cajuns, who were
previously known as
Acadians who were
forced to leave
Canada in the 18th
century.*Do you speak French?

9. Other French speaking groups in the U.S
consist of immigrants from Haiti who live in
Miami and New York City, as well as the
descendants of Quebecers who worked in
Maine, New Hampshire, and
Massachusetts.

10. Fun Fact
Carte D’identite Francaise
Carte D’identite Francaise is a national identity
card that most French citizens have, although they
are not required to carry it with them. Instead, they
can use it more as a passport to travel between
the European Union.

11. Trivia!
Jambalaya - a spicy rice dish with meat or seafood!
Zydeco - Cajun music with African-American influences!
Mardi Gras - a celebration on the last day of Lent
Le Vieux Carre - the French Quarter in New Orleans
Fais do do - a dance party! the name comes from an expression meaning “go to sleep.”