Bonjour! Salut! Faire connaissance , to make someone's acquaintance, often involves 2 important choices. Should we use " tu " or " vous "? Should we give a kiss ( faire la bise ), or shake someone's hand ( serrer la main )?

Faire connaissance

Choosing between the formal " vous " form and the informal " tu " form is sometimes a delicate choice. These two ways of addressing someone have a name: tutoyer and vouvoyer . In general, the " tu " form is used among friends, within a family, among young people and children. The " vous " form expresses politeness, formality or distance. It is often safer to when you don't know the other person's feelings about it. When you feel it is time to break the ice, use the following expressions:

On peut se tutoyer ?

On peut se dire tu ?

Vous pouvez me tutoyer !

Two Frenchmen meeting each other for the first time are likely to shake hands. Learn: se serrer la main , or, serrer la main à quelqu'un .

Ex: Jacques Duchemin et Dominique Legrand se serrent la main .

When men and women meet for the first time, they sometimes kiss each other on the cheek. At a party, or in any informal environment, men and women kiss each other twice, three times or four times, according to habits or regional traditions . Faire la bise deux fois , to kiss twice , is the most common rule.

Faire la bise