Crash Course to Paris Survival

French culture, ah what could be more sophisticated and glamorous? J’adore Paris let me tell you. Pardon my franglais, it’s what got me by in this city. Although Paris is one of the easiest French cities to get around in as an American, some cultural awareness is still necessary for everyday living. If a trip to Paris is in your future or you’d just like some tips on how to blend in better with the local Parisians read on!

First up is some language/ slang tips. Now I’ve taken French on and off for about four years. Does this mean I know how to function with basic French? Kind of but not really, although it did help! When I arrived in Paris, there were six essential phrases that I used in basically every encounter: Bonjour, bonne journée, bonsoir, bonne soirée, merci, and s’il vous plaît. So two of these are greetings, bonjour and bonsoir, and they both basically function as hello. But the difference is bonjour is for the daytime and bonsoir is used at night or anytime after 5 or 6 PM. The past tense of these, bon journée and bon soirée, are used in farewell like have a good day or have a good night. These phrases are used anytime you go anywhere in public, going grocery shopping, greeting your neighbors, and entering literally any building ever. Of course, s’il vous plaît and merci are your pleases and thank yous so use them liberally! Politeness is key when conversing with Parisians or really anyone you meet. Another tip to follow is when ordering in French restaurants, don’t just ask for water, ask explicitly for tap water or une carafe d'eau. If not, you may find yourself paying an extra 6€ for a bottle of water.

If you are planning on traveling internationally, try to pick up at least a couple phrases in the native language. Even if you butcher it, I believe the intent carries weight and it’s nice not to assume that everyone will be able to respond to your English if that is what you use as a conversation starter.

Next up is the fashion scene in true Paris, well, fashion. Overall, the people of Paris are always outwardly put together and public appearance is held to a much higher standard than here in the US. You could never get by in sweatpants and flip flops that is for sure. In a tank top and cutoff shorts, you can spot the foreigners from a mile away. The Parisian credo seems to be sophisticated and groomed, but not over the top. Generally speaking, when putting together an outfit for a day out in Paris, the more polished the better. When staying in Paris, I noticed that I was putting a lot more effort into my appearance than I normally would and honestly it made a world of difference. Even the little things like wearing a quality pair of hoop earrings with my t-shirt and jeans or taking a minute to do my brows changed the game. I liked the fact that I could put effort into my appearance and not have it feel like I was “trying too hard” as that’s how I would feel in the US. Dresses and skirts are commonplace and minimal but well-executed makeup is the norm.

Last but certainly not least is the Paris metro. How can I begin to describe this thing that I had such a love/hate relationship with. On one hand, it never let me down and it got me where I needed to go, no matter how far. On the other hand, there were many an eventful experience in the metro. There were pickpockets, fines, and electrical shutdowns oh my! Honestly, when the metro stops mid-transit and the lights flicker a bit it’s normal, don’t worry about it. The cars will start in a couple minutes and it’s usually not a big deal. It is incredibly crowded during rush hours and cramming into the metro cars when you honestly cannot fathom another person fitting is something of an art in Paris, truly. Overall though, the metro was safe, got me home on late nights and has that magical Paris feel like no other underground system.