Dismantling the Stereotype of “Rude” French People

When you think of France, certain images come to mind: the Eiffel Tower, delicious pastries, and beautiful historic cities. Unfortunately, the stereotype of the French being rude is often present in many people’s minds, and I’ve heard people discuss the “rude French people” cliché many times.

Having traveled extensively across France—ten times, including seven visits to Paris—I’ve had a huge number of encounters with French people in many situations. And while I do speak French quite well, I’ve also traveled frequently with exclusively English speakers.

The goal of this article is to dismantle the myth of the rude French person. While it’s true that cultural differences can sometimes be mistaken for rudeness, I believe this stereotype is massively overblown and, at the end of the day, very undeserved.

Let’s explore why this perception exists and how, in reality, French people are often polite and helpful, especially when cultural norms are respected.

Differences in Culture

I think one of the biggest reasons why the “rude French person” cliché exists is that French people tend to be more reserved with strangers, especially compared to Americans.

French people don’t tend to smile at people as they walk down the street, chat with strangers in the grocery store, or be best friends with someone they’ve just met. They’re perfectly pleasant, but overall just tend to be more formal. It’s not being mean, and it’s not good or bad; it’s just different.

Parisians vs the Rest of France

It’s also worth noting the difference between Parisians and non-Parisians, because not every part of France has the same culture. To relate it to the USA, think of the difference in cultures (and stereotypes) between the cowboys of Texas, the hippies of Washington State, and the “Florida Man” of Florida.

Parisians definitely can be more brusque than French citizens in other regions of France, and since most tourists’ interactions occur in Paris, their mannerisms dominate our perceptions.

I don’t think this is unique to France, though. In general, people in large cities tend to be a bit sharper – think of the stereotypical New Yorker vs the “typical” US Midwesterner.

I will say, though, that I’ve rarely encountered someone truly rude in Paris.

French People Are Actually Very Very Polite

French culture actually places a very high emphasis on politeness and respect. For example, when you enter a store, the expectation is that both the shopkeeper and customer immediately say, “Bonjour.” Always.

It is expected that when you leave, you say, “Thank you, goodbye, have a good day.” Always.

Sometimes Foreigners Are the Rude Ones

Sometimes (not always, but sometimes), rude behavior from the French occurs in response to “rude” behavior from tourists. It makes sense – when tourists break with the French culture of politeness, it can come across as rudeness and invite pushback or distance.

One common faux pas in France includes approaching a French person and immediately talking in English. Understandably, many people don’t appreciate this, so make sure you ask if they speak English first – even if you have to ask in English!

Another faux pas behavior is being super loud – French people tend to be quite a bit quieter in public than Americans, in particular. Even as an American (and I’ll admit I’m not totally above this) I have noticed this in France – we are loud!

Taking it down a notch, especially in restaurants, shops, or on the metro, is a polite thing to do in France.

And of course, making an effort to learn the “polite phrases” in French (use “bonjour”, and “merci, au revoir” wherever you can) goes a long way.

Many Interactions with Helpful French People

I want to highlight some of the notable really great interactions I’ve had with French people.

To start, I’ve had loads of very pleasant interactions with shopkeepers, ticket takers at attractions, and hotel staff, where people were very helpful and nice.

There was one shop owner in Nice who was selling beautiful ceramics and was very friendly, talking with me and helping me pick out the perfect gift.

There was also a young adult on the Paris metro who gave his seat to my mom (and she’s not elderly – she was in her early 50’s at the time).

I had a very fun interaction chitchatting with a French couple I met in Lake Como, Italy as we were waiting for the ferry.

Finally, when we were visiting the Colmar Christmas Market, we had parked in a city parking lot, not realizing that a market is set up there every Saturday morning, and returned to find our car towed. The market vendors were SO nice and went above and beyond to help us figure out where and how to collect our car.

There Are Rude People Everywhere

Finally, remember that there are legitimately rude people everywhere. And likely you will run into some rude people in France. Unfortunately, those negative interactions tend to linger more in our minds and obscure the many positive and neutral interactions we may have had.

Conclusion

Ultimately, while the stereotype of the rude French person persists, my extensive experience throughout France has shown a different story. Cultural differences can sometimes be misinterpreted, but the French are often polite and helpful, especially when their customs are respected.

Rudeness can be found anywhere, but don’t let a few negative experiences overshadow the warmth and friendliness you’ll likely encounter in France.