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When they say,โ€œNonโ€, they mean, โ€œConvince me.โ€

When they say,โ€œWe do not take returnsโ€, they mean,โ€œConvince me.โ€

When they say,โ€œItโ€™s not brokenโ€œ, they mean,โ€œConvince me.โ€

When they say, โ€œYou need a prescription for thatโ€, they mean,โ€œConvince me.โ€

When they say,โ€œThe restaurant is completely fullโ€, they mean,โ€œPlease come up with a better story.โ€

When they say,โ€œThe restaurant is completely fullโ€, they mean,โ€œWe already have enough Americans in here.โ€

When they say,โ€œDo you mind if I smoke?โ€, they mean,
โ€œDonโ€™t answer โ€˜yesโ€™, or weโ€™re going to pout and scowl while you try to enjoy your dinner.โ€

When they say,โ€œIt does not existโ€, they mean, โ€œIt does existsโ€ฆjust not for you.โ€

When they walk right into you on the street and say nothing, they mean,โ€œIโ€™m Parisian.โ€

When they say,โ€œI donโ€™t have changeโ€, they mean,โ€œI want a tip.โ€

When they say,โ€œDo you want directions?โ€ they mean, โ€œI look forward to telling you what to do for the next five minutes.โ€

When they say, โ€œIโ€™d like the practice my Englishโ€, they mean,โ€œFor the next 20 minutes, youโ€™ll feel like a complete idiot while I speak perfect English and demonstrate a far better understanding of world affairs than you do.โ€

When they say,โ€œTheyโ€™re up on the seventh floorโ€, they mean,
โ€œTheyโ€™re right around the corner from where youโ€™re standing.โ€

When they say,โ€œWe donโ€™t have any moreโ€, they mean,โ€œWe have lots more, but theyโ€™re in the back.โ€

When they say,โ€œItโ€™s not my faultโ€, they mean,โ€œIt is my faultโ€ฆbut Iโ€™m not taking the blame.โ€

When they say, โ€œThat is not possibleโ€, they mean,โ€œLoser.โ€

When they say, โ€œI am a Socialistโ€, they mean,โ€œIโ€™m not responsible for picking up my dogโ€™s poop.โ€

When they say, โ€œYou package hasnโ€™t arrivedโ€, they mean, โ€œIโ€™m just about to go on break. Come back and wait in line for 30 minutes again tomorrow.โ€

When they say, โ€œThe fatโ€™s the best part!โ€ , they mean, โ€œIโ€™m under 40.โ€

When they say, โ€œThe cheeses in France are the best in the worldโ€, they mean, โ€œWe are indeed a superior culture.โ€

When they say, โ€œAmerica is culturally-deprivedโ€, they mean,โ€œPlease donโ€™t show us Sharon Stoneโ€™s vagina again.โ€

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21 comments

    • John

    Sounds like โ€œsomeoneโ€ needs a little break somewhere warm โ€“ outside Continental Europe?! There, there, Pet, be comforted; you should know by now that the Parisians are sadistsโ€ฆ

    • Alisa

    oh
    my
    godโ€ฆ.
    I canโ€™t breath
    laughing to hard ahhhh

    • Eyal

    LoL.
    David, you gave an interesting point of view to understand why Israelis dislike the French (for some Isrealis, French are all the same โ€“ where ever they live) It seems there are similarities. Israelis like to argue whether being just right, or because of pure laziness, or trying to set a client up). And above all, consciously or unconsciously we think weโ€™re better and clever than any other else (even if the facts are inverted โ€“ donโ€™t worry weโ€™ll argue to convince why weโ€™re right. Thatโ€™s why every good jewish mother wants her child to be a lawyer or a doctor). In two words A BIG EGO.

    • Lucy Vanel

    Hang in there, David!

    • Jeanne

    Hahahaha โ€“ brilliant! There is a similar thought that I could add re. owners of pubs in small rural towns in Englandโ€ฆ when you walk past the big chalkboard sign outside saying โ€œFood served all dayโ€ and enter to find each table laid with knives, forks and condiments, then ask at the bar for a menu, the gentleman behind the bar, usually after a meaningful glance and a wink to his one (local) customer, says โ€œWe donโ€™t serve foodโ€ โ€“ what heโ€™s really saying is โ€œwe only serve locals. Keep walking, stranger.โ€

    • Brett

    Hilarious, David. The things youโ€™ll put up with just so you can live within walking distance of top-notch chocalatiers.

    • holly landry

    heh- thanks for the prep :) but you should do one from the opposite viewโ€ฆUS to their touristsโ€ฆesp in SF, my family always points out when I say 2 blocks its usually 4 blocks over a very large hillโ€ฆ.hehโ€ฆwhen I say italian- its cal-italian and usually involves vegetables with no heavy saucesโ€ฆ.

    • iamchanelle

    i think i will take this guide instead of my French-English dictionary for my first trip to Franceโ€ฆ

    :0)

    • Gladys

    hee heee hee. I really like the cultural parts of this blog, I really get a sense of Paree.

    • carolg@PB

    Wonderful! What about the oneโ€ฆOh the credit card terminal is not working todayโ€ฆHmmmm

    • the stuff the dreams are made of

    โ€œThe credit card terminal is not working today โ€œworks very well in England and when american boys say โ€œis this chair free?โ€they donโ€™t want the chair they mean โ€œcan I sit there next to you and eat with youโ€and if they ask you โ€œcan I help youโ€just say โ€œnoโ€ the last time I said yes I canโ€™t even say what happened
    when they say โ€œI donโ€™t understand your englishโ€it means โ€œcome closer i want to try the french kissโ€ and when english people sayโ€may I ask you a favourโ€run away they mean โ€œyouโ€™re gonna be in troubleโ€,when they say โ€œyouโ€™re rude!โ€they mean โ€œwhy do you behave like me?you dirty foreigner!โ€and when they say โ€œIโ€™m on dutyโ€ most of the time they meanโ€itโ€™s lunch timeโ€

    • Jeff

    Just like Letterman, you saved the best for last. Judging by box office returns, even Americans donโ€™t want to see her taco.

    • elise

    David, you never fail to crack me up! Oo la la.

    • Isis

    Ahh, you should know by now, Paris is for the Parisiens, they even look down upon the rest of France.
    As a non Frenchy I am every time amazed on the comments the French make in the country side on the Parisiens, they are definitely not the most appreciated species. โ€œWhy donโ€™t they stay where they come fromโ€, or โ€œthe holidays are over, good they go back to where they belongโ€

    • Beth

    When they say, โ€œOh, how sad you are leaving us.โ€, they mean, โ€œThank god, youโ€™re finally going back to your godforsaken country!โ€

    Thanks for the laugh, David. After three years living in Dijon, we are headed back to the U.S. Your translations are 100% correct!

    • Shannon

    I have to agree with them on that last one. Is that the only way Sharon Stone knows how to make money? And are we really so stupid as to keep paying her for it?

    • McAuliflower

    Iโ€™m not stupidโ€ฆ :)

    Great listing David. Wouldnโ€™t be surprised if it travels around the e-World a bit!

    • Meg

    Very funny! To add to your post office one:

    When they say โ€œWe canโ€™t put a tracer on a package until itโ€™s been a month since you sent itโ€ they mean โ€œBy then hopefully you will have given up and stopped annoying me.โ€

    • Dan

    My usual experience with the โ€œIโ€™d like to practice my Englishโ€ is that I spend 20 minutes listening to someone butcher the English language with awful pronunciation and even worse grammar while meanwhile claiming every third sentence that my asking them to repeat something I didnโ€™t understand is inexplicable because they know they speak fluent and perfectly accented English, they studied it in school, not like โ€œyou Americans who never bother to learn other languagesโ€. Funny, I remember foreign language requirements in schoolโ€ฆ And I canโ€™t answer for Parisian knowledge of world affairs, but my experiences in travelling other parts of France, Italy, Germany, England, Australia, and now throughout South America has shown a fascinatingly large opinion base about world affairs โ€“ but almost invariably not grounded in any kind of factual basis. For me the difference has always been, folks from back home in the States are willing to just shrug and say โ€œI donโ€™t knowโ€ while folks I meet in other countries seem to feel they have to demonstrate that they have an opinion, even if itโ€™s completely made up about a subject they know nothing about. (All generalizations acknowledgedโ€ฆ)

    • kpgallant

    Oh Davidโ€ฆMethinks you secretly love all the Parisian attitude and interaction..how funny! Iโ€™ll take Parisian attitude anyday compared to the disconnected pods Americans have become[especially in SF]with their ear-wires and their cellphones and the latte in a paper cup always in their hands. Eating in a SF restaurant{Chow}tonight, a young man sat next to me at the counter wolfing down his pork chop and playing solitaire oh his cell phone the whole time. How convivial is that? Parisโ€ฆcโ€™est la vie!! kpgallant

    • Sarah

    Thanks for the huge laugh. You have quite a gift with words. I enjoy your blog very much. :)

A

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