Culture Note 04 — Politeness timing: bonjour, merci, excusez‐moi

What to know (practical points) • In France, ‘bonjour’ is often a social contract: it opens interaction. • Skipping it can feel abrupt even if your French is correct. • ‘Excusez‐moi’ is frequently used before requests and when entering personal space. Micro-dialogue (French → English) • A: Bonjour. — Hello. • B: Bonjour, excusez‐moi... vous avez une minute ? — Hello, excuse me... do you have a minute? • A: Oui, bien sûr. — Yes, of course. What to do as a learner • Default sequence: Bonjour → request → Merci → Bonne journée. • In shops: greet first, then ask; it changes the whole interaction. Pronunciation and delivery tie‐in • Tone and meaning live in intonation and rhythm groups, not only vocabulary. • If you sound too flat or too English-stressed, the message changes.