Don’t get too hot and bothered about recent reports that France officially has a word for “French kiss.” France has indeed coined a term, “galocher,” for the act — but there’s nothing official about it.

What is a French kiss called in France?

Don’t get too hot and bothered about recent reports that France officially has a word for “French kiss.” France has indeed coined a term, “galocher,” for the act — but there’s nothing official about it.

What is faire la bise?

In France, faire la bise (giving a kiss on the cheek) is a form of greeting. In general, we greet acquaintances, and colleagues (sometimes) with a kiss. In business contexts, when meeting someone for the first time, a handshake will do.

Why do French say bisous?

Why do the French say bisous? This is a friendly greeting that shows that you are acknowledging that you know and like someone. You can also say the word bisous when messaging with someone or when you are saying bye. The community has this tradition from the Roman empire.

What is the difference between Bises and Bisous?

Bises usually means kisses on the cheeks and is the kind of closing you write to someone you precisely kiss that way in real life (family, close / female friends, female colleagues). … Bisous is more friendly and affectionate, and are real kisses where the lips touch the skin.

How do you reply to Bisous?

How do you reply to Bisous? « A bientôt », « Bye », « Gros bisous » are all totally acceptable responses. No need to particularly acknowledge the « bisous » part. No need to particularly acknowledge the « bisous » part.

How do you use bisous?

Bisous can say good-bye to a good friend (A demain! Bisous à toute la famille) as well at the end of a letter: Bisous, Gros bisous, Bisous aux enfants, etc. When saying good-bye on the phone, friends sometimes repeat it several times: Bisous, bisous, bisous!

Why do the French kiss 3 times?

Tradition has it that four kisses are given so that each person can kiss each of the cheeks of the other twice. Which cheek first? The second debate relates to the cheek that should be presented first for a kiss.

Is bisous formal?

Bisous : is less formal, more familiar.

What is the French word for Grandma?

Grand-mère is the formal French term for grandmother. It can be spelled with or without the hyphen. Grand-maman is slightly less formal, and there are several informal terms, including gra-mere, mémère, mémé and mamé.Mamie is also used by modern French families.

What are the different words for Kiss in French?

French has a number of different words for “kiss,” which, though not surprising for such a romantic language, can be confusing for French learners. The most common terms are bise and bisou, and while they are both informal with similar meanings and uses, they’re not exactly the same.

What is a kiss on the cheek called?

Une bise is a kiss on the cheek, a gesture of friendship exchanged while saying hello and good-bye. It’s not romantic, so it can be used between friends and acquaintances of any gender combination, particularly two women and a woman and man.

What is the French term for great-grandmother?

The French term for great-grandmother is arrière-grand-mère, although of course great-grandmothers may be given various nicknames as well. Non-French speakers sometimes adopt French terms as their grandparent names, just because they think they are interesting.