Mark Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 I feel a bit thick asking this as I feel I've been here (ie France) long enough to know, BUT:Is there any etiquette on the bonjour/bonsoir thing? For ages I felt comfortably safe in the 'knowledge' that at 4pm (at least round here in the Ariege Pyrenees) everyone swapped from one to the other in their greetings. HOWEVER, for the last few days people have responded to my post-4pm bonsoirs with a bonjour as late as 6pm. I have consequently been thrown into a state of high linguistic anxiety. Is there a convention? Does it change when the hot weather arrives? Is everyone in the village being deliberately obtuse, playing a practical joke on the strange English person? [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Avery Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 No Mark, they are not dong anything but replying to you. Normally as you say after 4pm the greeting is bonsoir, the response can be to repeat bonsoir or say bonjour, it really does not matter. What is important is that you are saying one of the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 Thanks Ron, but I think I was leading with a confident post-4pm 'bonsoir', only to be responded to with a seemingly incongruous 'bonjour'. Threw me completely. Oh well, I'll muddle along as best I can with the basics whilst becoming a master of the complexities. [:D][;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Here in southern Morbihan it is definitely after 6pm that you start hearing bonsoir, even as late as 7pm; so perhaps it's a regional thing?Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 I don't think there are any hard and fast rules, but perhaps it makes a difference not so much with the heat but with the longer days? But I agree that nobody cares so long as you say one or the other, the terrible sin would be not saying anything at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 [quote user="Tourangelle"]I don't think there are any hard and fast rules, but perhaps it makes a difference not so much with the heat but with the longer days? But I agree that nobody cares so long as you say one or the other, the terrible sin would be not saying anything at all![/quote]I have found that the worst sin, insult even is to say bonjour to someone in the morning and bonsoir (or bonjour) again later in the day, it was explained to me as the worst kind of faux pas, that if I had forgotten already having met and greeted them then I cannot hold them in any regard.I also used to be concerned at what time to switch between the two B's but have found that for my closest neighbours it is just a game or way to tease and unsettle me, whatever the hour if I greet them (for the first time) late afternoon, evening or late at night if I say one then they will reply with the other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 [quote user="J.R."][quote user="Tourangelle"]I don't think there are any hard and fast rules, but perhaps it makes a difference not so much with the heat but with the longer days? But I agree that nobody cares so long as you say one or the other, the terrible sin would be not saying anything at all![/quote]I have found that the worst sin, insult even is to say bonjour to someone in the morning and bonsoir (or bonjour) again later in the day, it was explained to me as the worst kind of faux pas, that if I had forgotten already having met and greeted them then I cannot hold them in any regard.I also used to be concerned at what time to switch between the two B's but have found that for my closest neighbours it is just a game or way to tease and unsettle me, whatever the hour if I greet them (for the first time) late afternoon, evening or late at night if I say one then they will reply with the other![/quote]Well absolutely, which is why you sometimes hear people saying "re-bonjour", or (horrid in my opinion) just "re" to get around the tricky situation of not saying hello again and yet not walking past without saying something. It is why phrases like bon appetit, near any meal time, bonne soirée, or even bon courage can be useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 We have asked... no, if I'm honest... we have interrogated several people on the magic switch to bonsoir and all have said they've no particular regard for what they say as a greeting but that if there is a cutoff, one elderly gentleman said that before he has his dinner (6pm-ish) it is maybe bonjour, maybe bonsoir but after he's had his dinner, always bonsoir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgy Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 We encounter the same, if we say bonjour the locals say bonsoir, but when we say bonsoir they say bonjour. It is great when we say hello we are waiting with baited breath for their reply. But how do they react in the UK - Eh up, Okay, morning, Good day, Alright, Fine thanks, Champion, Top of the morning (arch) and well there are loads more especially local greetings. It is all good fun, at least in the main people actually greet you in the street in France over here it is hit and miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Coeur de Lion Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I've occasionally as a joke greeted friends with bon tout. There's that many bon things, I made a small joke out of it. Bonjour, bonsoir, bonjournee, bonsoiree, bon apetit, bon voyage etc etc etc etc. I swear bon is the Frenchies favourite word. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Certainly much friendlier than the UK in my experience. Miserable poms! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Janet Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Interesting that you're only in the Ariège which isn't very far (we're in the Tarn) but there appears to be a time difference of 4 hours!Our next door neighbour has her own strict rule for the bonjour/bonsoir switch. Any time after midi, it's bonsoir! Actually she always says "eh, bonsoirrrrr" (always adding on half a dozen extra r's for good measure). Bit disconcerting to begin with as I'd never heard anyone use bonsoir so early and I still tend to greet her with bonjour if I see her over the garden fence in the afternoon. Always makes me check my watch just in case the hours have rolled on and it's later than I think. So, you're not thick at all - it's another case of thinking you've got the rules on something French weighed off and then discovering confusing exceptions. I'm sure as long as your greeting is friendly no-one will take offence at whichever word you use.Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 My husband who is French has looked over my shoulder at this discusion and thinks it is hilarious that we are thinking about it, he reckons nobody cares. [:P] Quite funny as he gets really disconcerted in England when people don't say hello in shops and so on!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I've never worked this one out either but I definitely think it's regional - here in our area (north of Hautes-Pyrenees dept) we very often are greeted with "bonjour" well into the evening - 9pm or later. "bonsoir" seems to be used to mean goodbye/good night when leaving only.Yet 15 km down the road in the supermarket the checkout staff always seem to say "bonsoir" after 5pm. I'm always pleased with myself when I get in first with a different "bon"!!Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I had a couple of "Bon Apres-midi's"said to me last time I was out there-never had that before. TheBBC mixes it's "Good Afternoons" & "Good Evenings" well into most evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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