The Frenchreturn

« Being a young person from Britain, I’ve always thought of France as very stylish, the home of fashion and haute couture...»

There are 69 million French people (61 million in mainland France and nearly 2 million overseas). Nearly 80% of the French live in towns, so they are citizens. Over the centuries people from many different countries have been assimilated into the French nation. Today one French person in five has at least one foreigner in their family.

Every year 80 million foreign tourists visit France and thus meet French people. Tourism is the main economic activity in France and the biggest source of employment throughout the country.

Portrait of the French

Here is what some foreign students living in France think about the French:

«The French are polite. I travel by underground every day and, if someone steps on my foot, they say sorry. They even speak English and the announcements are made in various languages.» Marieke

«They talk a lot at mealtimes and like to be up to date with world news.» Saori

«We like having a celebration, like the French do. They’re always having them: on May 1st they give each other lily of the valley for good luck; on midsummer’s day, everyone is out in the street for the “fête de la musique”. You can tell what the French will be doing at the weekend just by reading the paper.» Naïs

«Real French people are not in Paris but in the provinces. Out there, they feel more laidback.» Stan

«When you give them a present, they’re so inquisitive that they open the parcel straight away.» Alex

«They always know whether to call someone tu or vous but they can’t explain it.» Jake

«In my French friend’s family, they have their evening meal at home and the table has to be laid in a certain way. The whole family always eats at the same time, sitting in the same places around the table. It’s like a special occasion, it sometimes goes on a bit, but it’s good.» Jonathan