12 Common French Gestures
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- čas přidán 11. 05. 2014
- Learn common French gestures, so you can avoid mistakes and communicate more clearly with French people.
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=== MORE ABOUT THIS LESSON ===
In this French lesson, we'll explore some common French gestures that you may come across in everyday situations in France. By learning and using these common French gestures, you can save yourself from mistakes and awkward situations -- and even appear more French, even to the French!
Find the free EXTENDED LESSON and ask me questions about this French lesson on the Comme une Française blog. It includes a full written lesson, with all the French expressions, more specific vocabulary you can use, and extra resources.
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=== ABOUT GÉRALDINE ===
Bonjour ! I’m Géraldine Lepère, the founder of Comme une Française (= “Like a French woman”) and your new French best friend. :)
Each Tuesday, I share a fun, fresh and bite-sized lesson on French language and French culture-from how to avoid embarrassing mistakes to must-know pop-cultural references!
Since 2012, with more than 7 million views from students in more than 56 countries, I’ve been helping people just like you gain the confidence to really talk in French. I help you go way beyond your “textbook” French from high school, and learn to speak real, practical everyday French.
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You might want to teach them how to order “1” drink or “1” of anything with a gesture. In English we hold up the index finger but in France we hold up the thumb for “1.” If you hold up your index finger, you’ll get “2” of whatever you’re ordering. You always start counting using your thumb.
French Anne Hathaway
MorliHolect Anne Hathaway must be ugly then.
Dr. Coconut I find her cute just like the lady in this video.
MorliHolect Well, maybe because you like aliens, and she looks like your photo... (I wuv dem predators)
true true
+LuciferDoosje, she actually looks like Anne. Stop being rude .
On peut voir beaucoup plus des joli gestures en conduisant les rues de Paris!
Also, when counting from 1 to 3, we use our thumb. It's important when for example you order 1 or 2 drinks in a loud place, a thumb up means you only want 1 drink, and a thumb and index means 2.
Also shown in the bar scene in the film Inglorious Basterds.
This caught me out when I first moved to France. I would ask for ‘une baguette’ with my index finger raised (in the British way) and would invariable be met with the question, “deux?”. In the end, a kind fromagiste pointed out that ‘one’ in France is signalled with the thumb. Evidently, actions do speak louder than words!
Your're missing the most french gesture of all! When the French relax their lips and blow a puff of air out, as if to say boring, ugh, bof, etc.
I'm french, the new word very popular for "bof" is "meh" in english/US.
YamaRider and I'm American and was trying to think of how to say bof in english :), meh works.
So if I'm not wrong, you're an american knowing the french word "bof" and you're wondering how to tell it in your own language ? I'm lost ^^
Otherwise, your last name sounds reaally reaally frenchie :)
YamaRider I would say only people under 30 use "meh". It sounds very high school teenie
my swiss friend does that too! haha
you forgot the most used gesture in france ... the middle finger XD
ha ha
Jerome Delaunay Definitely my favorite. 😂
HAHA
Y'mean this 👉 (🖕)
Imported from the USA.
Bonjour! Je me permets de rajouter quelques petits gestes qu'en tant que français, moi et mes proches utilisons couramment:
To any English viewer of this channel, I suggest some additional gestures:
-Jouer de la flûte/du pipeau (= lying) : pretend to play the flute with your hands to show that you don't believe what your interlocutor is saying
-J'en sais rien (=I have no idea): puff out your cheeks and do a "Prr!" sound like a deflated balloon (yeah, it's hard to describe...)
-ça vaut rien (=it's worth nothing): puff out ONE cheek and poke it with your finger, letting the air come out of your mouth going "Pr!" "Pr!" "Pr!"
-Laisse tomber (=forget it/it doesn't matter): pretend to throw something over your shoulder with one hand
-Boire un coup (=drink alcohol; either go have a drink or talk about someone drunk): position your hand in the telephone gesture and place your thumb in front of your mouth with your pinkie in the air.
Hope I've been helpful! Bonne journée à tous et encore bravo Géraldine :D
+0lunoire1 Re-bonjour! Voici un autre geste dont je me suis souvenue! / Hi ! Here's another gesture I remember (typical French!):
Ramer ("paddling"= to show you're struggling to find the words) : pretend you have paddles on each side of you and paddle as hard as you can!
It's very common among French speakers to "ramer". For example, when a boy is suddenly asked by his girlfriend if she looks fat in some outfit she bought (and unfortunately does, but shush). Any French witnesses listening to his explanation would just look at each other and paddle while looking at the boy, meaning "good luck, buddy";. Or if a French speaker is trying to explain something and the interlocutor doesn't understand him/her at all. If the French speaker is with a friend, he can look at this friend and paddle discreetly going "Please help me!";.
0lunoire1 a
You a good teacher. Thank you. I knew some of the gestures. Merci
Merci pour toutes ces petites leçons, Géraldine :-)
omg thank you, i 've seen this a lot in France but never had the time to google it. that's so helpful ^^
je découvre vôtre chanel aujourd'hui. Je abonne immédiatement✌ salut de Brésil
Merci beaucoup pour votre video! It was very helpful. :D I am subscribing!
jaime ce tres bien.merci
So great video. You're absolutely GORGEOUS
Merci. I was looking for a video on these.
c parfait. merci bcp
I am French, and to be honest most of these are not used at all. Especially the ones about being drunk or "cassé", if you do that to people now, they would just look at you very weirdly. It wouldn't feel normal at all. :P
The ones to keep in mind for me, are "more or less", "to leave", "great !" or "it's not me ! I didn't do this". The other ones are either bizarre or old-fashioned. :)
***** The "J'ai du nez" is seriously weird ! never seen anybody do it.
AschMu I know right ?! xD
***** I use the drunken one....
+Elvywel Ouais mais ça peut être utile genre si quelqu'un qui ne parle pas français voit un spectacle, un sketch, ou même la télé ou la gestuelle est beaucoup plus présente que dans la vie de tous les jours.
Certes, mais le but de sa vidéo est de présenter les gestes communs, donc de tous les jours ! Après c'est clair que dans les spectacles, ça m'étonnerait pas qu'ils soient utilisés. :P
Merci!
Merci beaucoup encore Géraldine! 😃
We do a lot of these in South Louisiana, and cassé here can also mean drunk in some areas.
I did not know the one about "zero". Great video.
that was very helpful, thank you.
merci beaucoup!
I was surprised at how many of these I know and use in the US. The one for 'zero' can mean 'zero' here or 'okay' depending on context, and facial expression usually gives clues. The only ones I don't see here that oven are the one for 'drunk', touching the nose (sometimes in older movies or used by older people), and casse. All of the others I knew.
C'est super, je trouve ça très intéressant même quand on est français ! ;)
This helped a lot thank you :)
Really helping to learn French.....
Thank you! Learnt alot :-
Merci very much!
Ah, this channel is wonderful! New sub here!
No gesture more French than the shrugging of shoulders!
WITH the raising of the eyebrows for the true Gallic Shrug. .. (I interpret it as "I don't know?' & why are you asking ME?")
This is really interesting. I come from Argentina and we have many of these gestures in common: 1 (more or less), 4 (won't say a word), 8 (great), 11 (I didn't do it)..
Gesture nº 7 in Argentina doesn't mean "I don't believe you", but "Be careful with what you're going to do because I'm watching"
Siiiii! El típico “ojoooo, ojito ojazo, que te estoy mirando” que te daba tu vieja cuando te estabas por mandar una cagada
That one isn't really used in the US. But when we want to use the "I am keeping my eye on you" gesture we take our two fingers that make the peace sign (index and middle finger) and point to our eyes, then yours.
Tres elegante.Merci.
très bien ,. merci
(French beginner here) 😛
cool videos. I enjoy your teaching, very much. Although I found your channel a couple days ago. I've Joined Comme une Francaise, and I'm Expiring to be on of you greatest students.
You get a thumbs up from me. That's my gesture to you today (and always)!
merci Geraldine
Hey Géraldine!! Love your channel!! I've learned a lot here, Thanks!!;))
Muito bom!!
Merci.
Great!
Merci pour ton vidéo!! J'ai un devoir sûrce thème! merci!!!
LOVE!
Thanks Geraldine! I'm planning my first visit in 20 years and benefitted from this tutorial. Next time please tell us about the "shrug" and slow everything by a couple of seconds so as to better absorb the pronunciation😄😀
I love the Gallic shrug: - shoulders raised, palms raised and facing outwards, bottom lip pouting out and saying "bof".
Jean Gabin did this to perfection.
@@christiank1251, do you know of a video in particular which shows him doing this?
@@Da_Big_G Thanks for asking. My memory was fuzzy at best, so this gave me a reason for digging through some great films again. I now think it must have been “Le Président“ from 1961. In the trailer, he does the shrug at minute 2'10 (czcams.com/video/m87ji_RYvsU/video.html). It is not exactly as you describe it (they are seated during mealtime), but I remember other such scenes from that film too.
Why your comment rang a bell with me: I used to watch the film with my parents some years ago, and my Dad liked the gesture so much he made it a habit of his own, together with the line "c'est normal“ (not “bof“) which is now a family staple. We are Germans.
@@christiank1251 , das Link führt zu etwas anderes ("12 Common French Gestures). Ich glaube, dass die deutsche Äquivalent "Null Bock" ist, z.B. "die Null-Bock Generation" (man sagt "la bof génération auf Französisch).
@@Da_Big_G I changed the IMDb reference to a working CZcams link just now.
Et ouais, la bof génération, je m'en fiche, das ist nicht mein Bier lol
Thanks for the context 😉.
super!
Merci Madammoiselle, very interesting! : )
Dallas, TX
No matter what country you're from, using harmless hand gestures from your country in a different country can get you in a lot of trouble (even arrested in some countries). I avoid hand gestures when traveling abroad.
Thank you for your help, as a pensioner, find that lessons are far to expensive for me to purchase, could you please offer a better deal for the over 70's
I love learning about gestures in other cultures! I did live in France about 20 years ago... I thought the hand wiping the cheek (as you did for boring/raser) was used for emphasis, if something was really extreme, outrageous, intense, something like that... And I also thought shaking one's hand in the air (kind of like what you would do if you were air-drying your hands, but less vigorous) also meant something like "c'est chaud" as in "that's intense/extreme/whoa/wow" is that right? (Am I remembering correctly?)
shaking your hand in the air can indeed mean "it's extreme" I'm french but I don't know the meaning of the hand wipping the cheek. it can mean "it's annoying" but it's quite old fashioned and I doubt you could come across this gesture in France today
Bonjour!
Je suis un prof de français au lycée. On apprécie beaucoup vos vidéos!
Justin
Merci, je savant Beaucoup
Wow ...8 years ago! How time flies. You changed as well. Now you;re married and a mother! Awesome Geraldine!
Je suis Québécois et sauf pour mon oeil, les autres gestes m'étais inconnus. J'enseigne le FLE dans un lycée anglophone (High school) en Ontario et j'invites mes élèves à vous suivre. Merci bien et continue!
Et c'est quoi le FLE ?
That lowering of the lower eye skin is similar in Japan, though the meaning is more like sticking your tongue out at an individual.
Mercie bien! From Dubai
drop the "e" at the end of merci(e) and ya'll be good ;)
c' etait vraiment educatif et aussi amusant! tous les gestes sont nouveaux, sauf "je n'ai rien fait". merci.
Salut Geraldine. Tu as toujour super. Quoique j ai 61 anees j apprend beaucoup des choses avec toi.Je suis une professeur d Anglais donc je sais enseigner. J ai essayer beaucoup des sites en you tube. Je pense que tu es la meiller!( desolee pour mes erreurs). J aime bien que tu explique la culture Française aussi.Je profite de tes leçons parsque tu aimes ton metier .Donc tu es une inspereur .Milles merci..
Salut! I have found you by chance, thanks for all your videos, I will devour them like no other student before I buy your course.
Au revoir!
Super
When gesturing for one of something (i.e. one croissant from the bakery) in the US we use our index finger. In France you use your thumb. In the US, the gesture for two of something is the index and middle finger, in France it’s your thumb and index finger. Because of this difference, if you use your index finger in France to ask for one of something, you might get two.
In Spanish is like in The USA (unless you are obviously counting down units like when you are teaching a chili the numbers)
sont les memes gestes a Venezuela!!! c'est impresionant! avec le exepction de le geste par "zero" ici ca geste ces't ne pas tres politesse, jejejeejje....Ces't un plaisir de regarder tes clases de francais!!!
Hooray !
Très bonne idée cette video. En fait, cela nous renvoie à nous. Mais bien sûr qu,on a tous ces gestuels..... on ne se voie pas, on ne se rend compte de rien...... Marie......
I love your soul !
ty
Juste pour information "cassé" c'est passé de mode depuis quelques années.
+Yuki Content de l'apprendre. Je hais les modes forcées.
on dit"flop bricedenice 3" maintenant
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Thanks for this! Now i know what Adele's gesture means after she left Cesar
Charmante!
Thanks for the video! One expression I see often in French movies (and only in them) is something as follows (can't find it now): move chin forward, raise eyebrows, make a "conical" shape with lips (sorry don't know a better word). From what I can see, it can mean anything from "I don't know" to "Who cares". Could you explain please?
I'm not sure with what you're saying, but I think you're speaking about someone surprised... do they open up them eyes like... really opened? I'm french so I'm not sure about my english
Très intérressant! J''habite au Canada vraiment très proche de la frontière du Québec et beaucoup de gestes sont le même choses ici (5, 6 et 12 sont des nouveaux). Numero 9 est peut-être "super" ou "zero" et en Anglais on dit "My eye" aussi. SVP Excusez, mon Français n'est pas le meilleur. :)
Merci @jennyhesperus !
Tu écris mieux que la plupart d'entre nous ! :)
Et puis "casser".. ça date de l'an 2000 looll et pour dire qu'on est bourré on ne fait pas ça non plus.. mais bon après ça doit dépendre de la région dans laquelle tu vie ou bien si tu es partie au États Unis en 2002 et que tu penses que ça n'a pas changé depuis :D (c'est pour rire)
I am currently watching Master Chef France to help improve my French. I remember you said you spent some time in Leeds, so you'll know English and British TV; is there any TV series like Coronation St., or Eastenders, or anything you think represents the drama of daily life (as opposed to a cooking show)?
Aaaaah! :D Brice de Nice! Bon film!
J'adore les boucles d'oreilles!
Celui pour je m'ennuie je le connaissais pas X)
My french teacher (originally from France) taught us one where you make a thumbs up and put it under your chin. You flick out your thumb as in "ha ha"
WorldOfRetail absolutely!
I knew some because of my french teacher has a poster about french postures
Some people say "My foot," but "My eye" certainly means the same thing ^_^ And Bart Simspon is famous for saying "My butt" for the same connotation
my school is using this for non-verbal communication lesson
Very well done - how about the shrug between: I don't care and "Ce n'est pas moi"?
I feel like a majority of these are common across the world. Although, not exactly the same, but highly similar, and quite common.
Bonjour Géraldine! Je suis du Canada et je suis déjà allé en Europe plus d'une fois. C'est un détail mais j'ai remarqué souvent que les gens pour indiquer au Mc Do ou dans un bar qu'ils veulent DEUX items ils sortent deux doigts soit le pouces et l'index. Je ne suis pas sûr que *tous* les européens font ça mais je l'ai remarqué très souvent. Mais ici, c'est très rare. On va prendre l'index et le majeur pour dire deux. Ce n'est pas si drôle que ça comme ça mais ce qui est drôle, je l'ai déjà vu deux fois et c'est pour ça que c'est une anecdote, c'est le Canadien en visite à Barcelone ou Paris qui va indiquer qu'il veut DEUX Big Mac et qui n'est pas top point de vue dextérité et qu'en sortant son majeur et son index lpour dire "2", bien le pouce est un peu ouvert et pas demeuré fermé. Là, la personne européenne à l'arrière du comptoir est confuse. Elle dit "bien là 2 ou 3???". :-) Ici il ne viendrait pas à l'idée de vouloir compter le pouce à moins qu'il soit franchement très très ouvert. Voilà. C'est ma looooooooooongue anecdote pas très rigolote. :-)
Parfait.....
Very cute while explaining it. By the way your accent is very typically French !!!
I learned the shaving gesture watching animated Snoopy drive une voiture à Paris 🤣❤️
Most of these are pretty common where I come from too
Most of these are also used in Germany. But the drunk thing is new to me, pretty funny!
Oh! You were so young!
très important de savoir. Merci.
One anecdote that I heard was the time someone encountered a palm held up in their face. In French it means, 'I'll be right with you', in American it means 'talk to the hand' or 'I have no time for you, get outa my face', (very rude in American, not at all in French)
J'ai appris le geste pour qui se soucie est une vague sur l'épaule et un coup de sifflet
Very interesting gestures and explanations. I did not know most of these. Is it a polite gesture in France to point at people during a normal conversation?
Nope, it's considered very rude actually.
Thanks. I was taught not to point at people even at a distance. I know not all cultures are the same though.
Vic Topia tbh we I'm french and i don't use most of these gesture.
"Zero" can cause a lot of confusion, it means "ok" in my country
+Carlitox b In french depending on the context it can have another meaning. For exemple if you are tasting a meal that your friend cooked for you and you want to tell him it is very good you can make this gest. In this context it means "delicious!" or "perfect!".
Hmmm, I think my mother (who is French Canadian mostly) tends to make gesture number 5, to leave...but she's done it on MY hands or my sisters or dads hands in the past, 3 times in a row on a single hand. She then says ''well...we gotta get goin''.
Was hopinf to find the Gallic Shrug demonstrated. . .
Hi! I'm from Colombia and I don't know if anybody told you yet about this. It's funny. In Colombia (I don't know if it applies in other countries as well) you can't do the gesture 6 (To be drunk) because it is very rude, actually it means a very common swearword. xD
What part from Colombia? Because I'm not sure what are you talking about, seriously.
I'd lived in Bogotá, Cali and Ibagué, and in those three places they know that. Where are you from?
Actually, "cassé" is more like the equivalent of "burn" in english!
Actually nowadays the kids are saying 'SNAP !' Or "SNNNAPP !'
I just did a usa ok with my frenchie neighbor of 20 yrs! I suppose that will be the last time I make this mistake. My Frenchie hubby never corrects me, which is not very typical perhaps.
All but the gotcha, the shaving (which is due to similarity of words), to leave, to be drunk, and the eye one would probably be familiar to many English speakers. The nose tapping one might mean to English speakers that something's a secret, or that the nose tapper is 'in the know' about something, which is similar to the French gesture. The eye one's good, implying that one can 'see through your story'. I'd like to know what's behind the drunk one, and also how the 'to leave' one originated, if anyone knows? Looks like there wasn't time to cover the 'OK' symbol? Or did I miss it :D
Put on the captions I'm telling you! It's hilarious