Why You Should Never Say “Mon Ami” in French

[@Commeunefrancaise]

I show you how to improve your French fluency every Saturday. Subscribe here: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome

[@lous68]

Me, a french speaking person as their first language and saying "salut mon ami" or "salut mes amis" watching this: 👁👄👁

[@helenamondragon8817]

Je suis française aussi et franchement c’est chelou haha, y’a quand même peu de monde qui dit « salut mon ami »

[@monaaa5178]

Moi aussi je peux tout à fait dire mon ami. Elle dit un peu de la merde.

[@saltmomoramora]

@@monaaa5178 Elle a raison, et ça fait juste vraiment pas naturel.

[@amandazerbi]

C'est ok pour elle de dire qu'elle ne trouve pas naturel... mais ces choses sont subjectives.. à mon avis c'est cool de s'approprier quelques fois de certains mots en ayant un spirit plus ouvert et créatif

[@roobookaroo]

@@amandazerbi Too subtle for this crowd. They want only mechanical recommendations, so they don't have to think, only parrot. They don't do nuances. They will never understand the wide world of nuances in French: les nuances infinies de la langue francaise sont trop subtiles pour ce genre d'audience elementaire. Ils veulent le francais d'ecole maternelle, pas celui du lycee ou de l'universite qu'ils ne connaitront jamais. Ils n'en sont qu'a French 101, et ils y resteront toujours.

[@J8n3eyr3]

Got it! Now going to call all of my friends 'Marc'.

[@Commeunefrancaise]

Très bonne idée, Marc.

[@pearlofthedarkage]

LMAO!!!

[@tempusestiocundum3549]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@noeliaibanez4291]

Hahaahahahahhaa

[@PaulasPicks]

😆

[@justagirl1245]

“Mon ami” can also be used by arrogant people that want to be sarcastic with you.

[@MTMF.london]

True. Like members of British Parliament calling each other, or especially those from the opposition bench, 'the honourable gentleman' while meaning anything but.

[@לעזאזלעםגוביידן]

@@MTMF.london it's a rule by the king so the MP will not act like a child in parliament, they will get kick if don't follow that rule

[@enzoqueijao]

Oh, that's great to know! It's another tool that's going into my toolbox for driving people insane!

[@joshuajoshua46]

So it's like "my guy" in english.

[@minervajean9694]

@@joshuajoshua46 that is the perfect comparison lmao

[@dominic20]

Alternatively, we may say "ma pote", "mon mec", "les gars" in similar situations. "Mon ami" I guess is more outdated than anything else.

[@noaccount9985]

It's not outdated. It is used to confirm the friendship between 2 persons.

[@ChrisHutchison]

Ça se dit toujours? "mon pote"? phew! I feared that located me in a far distant past.

[@robertcroft8241]

Arabic Hustlers Say (In English), Hello My Friend ,How are You ? What is your Name ? The reply is , 'Trull Sook Rasach' (Mind your Own Business).

[@samsonwilkinson8090]

'Mon pote' has racist ties.

[@sonnychavezofficial]

Samson wilkinson why

[@AssasC49DT]

Well I'm french and I say "mon ami" sometimes, it's warmer that "mec" which is the equivalent of "bro". It's because I don't really have "copains" or "mates", I just have "amis" or "friends". It's the difference between fooling around in an inconsistent life with people you only care about once in a while, and having people your life depends on. Then you can't have "copains". You only have "amis".

[@khaliah7754]

I like this explanation.

[@AssasC49DT]

@@khaliah7754 Thank you.

[@kumarankush8615]

Merci à votre explication. Comme une étudiant en Français, je trouve cela utile, aussi.

[@AssasC49DT]

@@kumarankush8615 There are as many ways to speak french as there are ways of thinking. Like any language, I guess. I'd recommend you watch movies from different time periods. Because there have been immensely powerful influences that changed most people's ways of thinking and speaking in the past five to seven decades (culture of mass, through TV and radio). But listen to the Nobel prise of litterature speech of Albert Camus in 57 (audio can be found on YT). I myself realised that I still talked like this when reading out loud to someone, for example. That's really rare, but stuff like this occurs. And I assure you, it's not a French you hear often nowadays... It becomes more uniform, poor and bleak by the hour, regional dialects are dying, like all over the world, because of the low form of culture that results of marketing ruling in every layer of life, culture being one of them. We MUST change the way we talk and think, in a way that is not dictated by TV or poor witted song (hit) makers.

[@letsjusthope3099]

Bah le truc c'est qu'on est vraiment vulgaire quand on parle entre nous donc je peux comprendre pourquoi c'est difficile à suivre 😂

[@sophiesoulezlariviere]

I'm french and I say "mon ami" or "mon bel ami" and it not cliché its cute and kinda old fashion, guys love it

[@janelc1843]

@William Baric I'm french and I'm genuinely confused about why 'mon ami' or 'mon bel ami' would make you think of anything more than a relationship ? I personally never ever heard someone nowadays saying this at all. Wouldn't that be like friendzoning that person ? If it's a tradition then I understand but I don't remember ever seeing this anywhere (maybe I just never read it but I'm confused)...

[@morganolfursson2560]

Idem .

[@euskalsama7307]

Tu utilises sérieusement "mon bel ami"? Permet moi de te dire que c'est assez inhabituel.

[@morganolfursson2560]

@@euskalsama7307 Inhabituel certes mais tres correct.

[@melissahuerta8315]

@William Baric what? is that true? :o

[@19NH96]

Actually the rolled R was acceptable in French at one time but it has died out. It was especially common in the South of France. Even if you listen to Edith Piaf she rolls her Rs in her songs.

[@markrae1317]

@Ken Hudson Yes, but that's just a style of singing which was common at the time, and by no means unique to Edith Piaf. cf Charles Aznavour's "Tous les Visages de l'Amour": ♫ pour donneR à ma vie sa Raison d'exister ♫. Edith certainly didn't do that when she was speaking, where her accent was about as pairgot as you could get at the time.

[@Amarcordons]

@@markrae1317 No, some people did roll the Rs when speaking too, but I think it was mostly in the countryside. People of the generation of my grandparents sometimes rolled the Rs a bit. To check this, I looked for a video on the INA website (a goldmine in terms of French culture - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaTVaaSlbMiVbZI ), and if you listen, the voice over doesn't roll the Rs, but the first man interviewed does.

[@sonja7312]

Historically, the French language did have rolled ‘R’s but starting around the 19th century that started to phase out of common usage.

[@8a41jt]

The trilled 'r' is still quite common in Québec, too.

[@johnnyjo-annmatherne6377]

It still exists in Louisiana French and in Nova Scotia

[@JustinCase99999]

In the French version of Beauty and the Beast, Lumière does have a French accent, but a kind of old, "Vieille France" French accent, which perfectly fits the story. That's why he rolls his r's, like some old french people still do. Also, he has kind of a Maurice Chevalier accent, who was hugely popular in the 30s to 60s era in France (he sings the Aristocats song in the opening credits of the 1970 movie, both in English and in French depending on which version you're watching), and in some of his own songs he did kind of roll his r's. In Beauty and the Beast, the song "Be our guest" ("C'est la fête" in the french version) would have been a perfect song for Maurice Chevalier. That's probably why the French translators gave him that accent in French.

[@henrygreen2096]

“And you deserve better in your French” Merci beaucoup 😢

[@hugothebear]

Interesting because people don’t really address a friend as “my friend” in English either ... it sounds odd, so makes perfect sense that mon ami is not used in that way by French speakers

[@robertcroft8241]

This is the same in Arabic . If someone calls you 'My Friend' , Alarm Bells Ring.

[@ernestomonge1848]

tell that to my crush

[@StrangeMeadowLark]

What film was "Say hello to my little friend" from? Lol

[@StrangeMeadowLark]

Scar Face. And then I'm sure Kim Jong Un says it in that epic cinematic classic Team America :)

[@callumsutherland2954]

Depemds where you're from. Here in Scotland, there's plenty of 'mate,' 'pal,' 'mah man,' etc.

[@BernardProfitendieu]

The over the top 'mon ami' thing in American movies is an intentional parody of Maurice Chevalier. Although he was a big star in Hollywood, he was thought to take his French accent to exaggerated levels as if to scream, "I am French! Don't forget it!" Now (sadly) young Americans don't even know who he is, but his parody lives on!!

[@bob48219]

"Elle avait des tout petits petons, Valentine" I still love to hear Maurice sing this song!

[@faithlesshound5621]

Maurice Chevalier's ghost should be glad that the young don't know his signature song: otherwise he would be lumped with Polanski and Woody Allen.

[@TCt83067695]

@@faithlesshound5621 he sexually harassed women too?

[@BernardProfitendieu]

@Nibbler800 pretty sure Maurice Checalier was white, dearie ... nice try. p.s. the principal target of American parody has always been Americans ... go find something else to be faux indignant about!

[@craigramsay53]

@@TCt83067695 Listen to his signature song in the context of today..."Thank Heaven for Little Girls" really hasn't aged well even though there's no bad intent the way we hear it now.

[@EquuleusPictor]

For me "mon ami" sounds like something a carpet seller from Marrakech would say to a tourist, or someone who is trying to be slightly ironic or too familiar.

[@robertcroft8241]

Exactly. ! I would reply in Arabic 'A Zemell Buch',

[@Rita-dj6sg]

@@robertcroft8241 What does that even mean ? Nevermind I got it 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@garmit61]

Mon dieu!

[@jinaeoh9819]

@@robertcroft8241 lmaoooo

[@christelbrowndecolstoun2899]

Racist

[@michelloranger2590]

Sorry, but I'm French and I don't consider these embarrassing mistakes. Pas du tout. I'm actually very happy when anyone tries to speak French to me.

[@noaccount9985]

In France we rolled the Rs until the 1950s depending on the regions. The grésillement of modern R is quite recent. Belle and the Beast can be older that La Fontaine ( the 1600s - 1700s) .. maybe that Disney picked it on purpose.

[@franciscouderq1100]

Yeah you should have heard my grandpa's heavy burgundy "r" of which my Normande grandma made fun of starting early by sending him to buy "cinquante centimètres de gros grin gris" at her best friend's shop in Caen town, or back in time how Henry IV gascon rype' "R" was greated once reaching Paris. I guess in some other French provinces the "r" is heavy rolling out of one''s throat to who wants to hear it.

[@lyneka]

the french rolled R that did exist as you said doesn't sound like the Italian rolled R. Both are quite different.

[@noaccount9985]

@@lyneka Si. Nothing to do with Edith Piaf really. Rolling is rolling with the end of the tongue. The Parisian style in the 1950s was different :)

[@RoxCagla]

Hildegarde Aldetrude d'Anjou Oh! Then maybe that’s why Carmen- Habanera has rolled r’s! I was quite confused with the accent.

[@darukona7218]

Nobody said its like an italien speaking french. But a régional accent yes.

[@coldwinters4973]

Having the written form on the screen is EXTREMELY helpful! Thank you very much!

[@tiffanyxhanyz9457]

These lessons that you give about the mistakes of people that are not French but are learning to speak French are very much indeed helpful. Merci beaucoup!

[@Commeunefrancaise]

Merci Tiffany! (- Arthur, for Comme une Française)

[@faitheverard8868]

A lot of these comments are like “makes sense since we don’t say that in English either” except I’m very confused now because I say it all the time. I say “hello my friend” “this is my friend X” etc

[@catalinap9206]

Is like when in movies they translate into spanish: "vamos amigos" (let's go friends), "siganme amigos" (follow me friends)... It sounds very silly, we never speak like that, and in english they are not saying that either

[@sabrinaaaaaaaaa]

exactly 😂

[@yotubeification]

However, depending on the context English speakers might say "Let's go guys. " with "guys" being a vague way of saying friends or acquaintances.

[@tfalconnapier]

De tous les KZbinrs qui enseignent le français, vous êtes de loin notre préféré! Nos membres du Club français partagent toujours ce qu'ils apprennent de vous ... à quel point vous êtes facile à comprendre ... et à quel point vous êtes belle. Merci beaucoup de nous aider à parler la langue que nous aimons!

[@okayheykae]

The titled stressed me out lol - what I'm understanding is that it's fine to say "mon ami" in a sentence, just not on it's own as part of a greeting?

[@roshee86]

Lol yes that’s what I’m confused about too but I think what you’re saying is correct, you can’t use it alone in a greeting but you can use it as part of a sentence

[@greenthumb373]

She comes across as it's offensive to say. I think she's being pedantic imo. Obviously it's use is reliant on the context in which one uses it. I think she's limiting the French language to certain ways of speaking or expression, which is so French imo lol (I used to live in France).

[@andrewd4890]

It’s not to do with sentences. It’s the context in which it is used. Basically when addressing a person you don’t say “hello my friend”.

[@alexveer338]

For us here in Canada... it simply sounds a bit too informal and poetic. It is not natural for us to say such a thing. Yes the French don't really consider regional expressions because there's some sort of governing body for the language in itself. This entity is called the "Académie Française" and it regulates the language and gives it a standard way of speaking while in English there is no such thing. Standard French is extremely formal and has no use except if you go to school in French as the first language or work in formal environments in French. There are many different levels of French: Literary French (Nobody uses it except writers), Standard (Formal and 100% correct way of speaking where it is not commonly used by people outside of work), Familiar (Informal language but where expressions are accepted as regionalisms and will be correct to use, Example: J'ai stationné mon char derrière le mur) and Vulgar (We see vulgar as a slangish French where many expressions are incorrect to use... an example would be "J'trouve que le football c'est fuckin lit!". There is only one French-Canadian member at the "Académie" and it's Dany Laferrière and it is pretty much self explanatory on why the French are ignorant about how the language is spoken anywhere else in the Francophone world. It sounds like it's some kind of rivalry which is kind of true in terms of the language but... we still love the French for who they are and they do love us in return! DU COUP, EH OUAIS! LA BAGUETTE!

[@j-loosenfout67]

@@alexveer338 Just a clarification because it seems to me today formal French is much more used than before since the advent of social networks and the all-out comments it generates. Of course, there are still many people who don't care too much about how they express themselves in comments on the web. However, one notices over the years more people pay attention to it and one takes much more care in writing comments. How to describe and express yourself, make spelling mistakes, conjugation, grammar, etc. is nevertheless perceived as a cursor which allows you to quickly guess social level of person who comments and says a lot about him or her. Besides, social networks have generated sorts of "monsters", dictators of syntax and language, not hesitating to throw at you an disparaging remark at the slightest sign of punctuation forgotten, and which one call "grammar Nazi". But also, because being often linked to our professional contacts through social networks like FB or Linkedin and the system of friends of friends makes it difficult to know exactly who can read us. It's, I think, why we're now paying much more attention and making more effort. Even if of course, for many people, the practice of commenting on networks remains a difficult exercise, so we can only advise too not to neglect formal language too much when is time to learn French. :)

[@IlyanaFan]

"Mon Ami" was often used by detective Hercule Poirot in the original novels to clients. Is it used more casually in Belgium? Or did Agatha Christie make the same mistake?

[@rafadydkiemmacha7543]

@@martkbanjoboy8853 I'm pretty sure Agatha Christie was just cliché about it, there's not other explanation.

[@timdiggle5090]

I spent a good part of my childhood living near the Belgian border not far from Lille and I can assure you that it is just as much a cliché in Wallonie (French speaking Belgium) though living next to Flandres we tended to use Dutch expressions rather a lot which infuriated my (French) mother and teachers !

[@timdiggle5090]

@@martkbanjoboy8853 If you are Flemish you will be living in northern Belgium (Flandres) and will speak Dutch. Southern Belgium is French speaking Wallonia. If you do not speak Dutch then use English rather than French in Flandres if you want to avoid problems - you are absolutely right about the "cultural differences" ! There is a tiny strip of eastern Wallonia on the German border where low-German is spoken. I was brought up near Lille close to the border and am often mistaken for a Belgian owing to my accent { :-( - standard French is spoken in Wallonia with only the small regional variations such as you find across all of France. (My mother was Basque and hated my northern accent !)

[@kvnsns82]

Oh, maybe it's more historical. Or, maybe he said it to make people feel more at ease.

[@sketchur]

I would bet it was purposely used as a cliché.

[@bikramphookun4948]

Yikes! I had no idea about this, after years of reading and listening to French. Merci, ... -- well, just merci!

[@monmalin]

Merci my friend

[@atomicdancer]

STOP saying 'merci!' French people NEVER say 'merci.' If you use this phrase, you will just sound like a foreigner, and people will point and laugh at you. = my paranoid brain, after watching too many videos like this one

[@fabienmorival669]

I actually use "mon ami" quite a lot, but it's like a personal thing. I like to put the emphasis on dialogue and exagerate things. I like to address friends as 'vous', and may use "mon cher" or "mon brave" au lieu de "mon ami".

[@matcradle]

Can you by mon cheri too? :P

[@NorthernMycophile]

Instead of "mon ami", is there something else we can say if we want to sound friendly and casual? In Canada, adding "my friend" at the end of a statement would simply be a friendly gesture.

[@aksb2482]

In Quebec you can say "Mon chum", I've seen that in a few videos. It was bought over by the British but we don't use the word anymore.

[@lapakburuh5696]

@@aksb2482 ça se prononce comment "chum" ?

[@biggsleezy]

@Lonely Slugcat so they don't say it like "shum"

[@melita3333]

In France girls & women may say "Salut ma poule!", " Salut ma belle!"... not sure about boys/men. It would depend on their age and their social background I'd say (for girls/women too tbh). Young men may say " Salut poteau/poto!" or "Salut gros!", "Wesh gros!" (a bit like "Hey bro!", "Hey buddy!") but I seriously doubt older men would use it. To show appreciation and care, you can hug your friends or tap them on the shoulder.

[@amandaconstanza]

​@@melita3333 in spanish poto is ass. hello ass!

[@williamreymond2669]

Geraldine, aux Etats Unis, on ne dite jamais, "My friend," unless we are speaking with a poetic emphasis or some exaggeration - for instance you haven't seen someone if five years. So when one American says to another, 'My friend,' the other American knows automatically that his friend is speaking with poetic emphasis or exaggerating for some reason - it is not a sin. Is it similar in France?

[@audebattistolo1805]

We don't call ours friends "my friend" we call them by their firstname or a nickname. Sometimmes you could heard "mon frère" or "cousin" but don't use it by yourself. It's familiar and kind of slang. If you feel the need to call a friend ,"my friend" perhaps it means that he is not that much a friend, so that's why it's so weird to us to call someone "mon ami".

[@stanthechanman]

If anyone ever calls you "my friend" in the US, they're going to try to sell you a car or sign you up to a multi-level marketing scheme.

[@thomasgriffin5340]

abbreviatedalex Especially the Middle Eastern Businessmen who speak shitty English and shitty French anyway.

[@calvinquesnel198]

Americans don't speak English properly...

[@pensatoreseneca]

“My friend “ is widely used in the US in all different kinds of connotations but the true one .

[@jimboy419]

I definitely wouldn't say "Hello my friend" to anyone in English and I wouldn't say Hello twice in one day. They would think you were cookoo.

[@minuteman4394]

I do all the time but I am English

[@lydiafife8716]

Yeah it’s okay in English Do it all the time No one cares

[@jaybonn5973]

Yeah you're right. That is a great comparison

[@totally_not_a_bot]

I would if I was feeling silly. Context matters.

[@mellie4174]

Um saying " hello again" in English happens all the time. Also at least in the Midwest if you don't say hi everytime time you see someone even if 3 times in One day it is considered rude. Imagine you wake up and say good morning to your parents before they go to work. Then later they come home and you don't greet them when the come in. So rude! Saying hi when you have been separated from someone for a period even if it occurs more than once in a day is normal and doesn't make you cuckoo.

[@JustinCase99999]

"Mon ami" is also often used by Hercule Poirot in the original english text.

[@NetAndyCz]

He is not French though, he is Belgian.

[@JustinCase99999]

@@NetAndyCz But french is his mother tongue.

[@sadieallen3304]

i don’t know if this is just me, but this makes complete sense because it works the same way in english. if i was greeting someone, it would sound weird to be like ‘hello, my friend!’ - it just sounds weird. you’d just say ‘hello [name]’. Some comments from native french speakers are saying it can sound sarcastic, which is also the same in english! if some guy came up to you saying ‘hello my friend!’ it definitely sounds like a shady salesman or something lol and not someone you’re actually friends with

[@yahyarajaee5883]

Me and my friends use “copain” or “gros” when we see each other. Like: “salut gros” and “ça va copain?”

[@fintanbeirne7261]

how often is petit copain used for boyfriends?

[@yahyarajaee5883]

fintan beirne lose the “petit” and you are good to go.

[@fintanbeirne7261]

Yahya Rajaee merci!!

[@yahyarajaee5883]

fintan beirne de rien

[@thisismelv]

Ça va copain ? That's weird 😂

[@scl1332]

Me who put mon ami in my French homework: 💧0-0💧

[@Nathouuuutheone]

As a native french speaker, I am just about done seeing random videos on my feed get away with clickbait titles that are absolute lies. Along with this one, there's another that keeps popping back up, of which the title claims you should never say "comme ci comme ça". Seriously, who do you think you people are telling learners "You should never use [insert understandable expression that is definitely used by native speakers]". Like, what do you get out of lying like that? This is dumb and irritating. Stop it.

[@andurilan]

As a Canadian speaker ( aka secondary language from school ), I would just say that this is probably youth's certainty coupled with trendiness. Just talked to my wife about the use of the slang "Word?" as in "Oh, word?", you technically could use it in our age group ( sparingly ), but if we were to go to my native Detroit, people under the age of 24 would give you weird looks. Also, I hear people use "mon ami" here all the time, I don't see the problem with it personally. Just my 2 cents.

[@maglunch]

it's also wierd saying "my friend" in daily english conversations, it's also wierd using the translation of it in my native tongue in daily conversations, but i have heard people using both "mon ami" and "my friend", none of them are native french speakers nor native english speakers. maybe it's just a wierd expression for both languages (and my native language)

[@jeffkardosjr.3825]

When I hear "my friend" in English I think of a sarcastic character out of a Clint Eastwood western.

[@julianlord5366]

Whether it's acceptable or not socially to use "mon ami" varies from region to region, and sometimes between social classes or particular social occasions. And yes, it can be used sarcastically with someone you don't really like that much. But generally, "mon ami" is a bit southern and provincial usually, and can be used to either informally let someone know you feel friendly towards them, or if you come across them after a long period without seeing them. Also, French speakers from the Maghreb can use it. The trilled rolled r does survive just about, locally in some heavy regional accents, but I've heard it on only a small handful of occasions in over 40 years -- it used to be a suburban manner of the r of some working classes around some Paris suburbs, and I have personally heard it there (a very long time ago), but it would be quite doubtful if it persists there at all nowadays. It's definitely dying out. hmmmm, the proper pronunciation of "Superdupont" actually uses the trilled r, as that character is depicted (among other things) as a throwback to a bygone era when the working classes more frequently trilled their r. In the musical production of Superdupont as a stage show, by l'Orchestre du Splendid, many of the characters were speaking and singing with the trilled r. It's OK to say "re-bonjour" (literally re-hello) if you come across someone on a second occasion in the same day.

[@sarelito9202]

Merci!

[@thecoffeesloth]

I'm not learning French and I don't know why this was in my recommended but I watched it and found it very interesting.

[@glenm3712]

Geraldine, thank you for your videos. I learned French in Canada and we definitely use a hard rolled 'r' rather than a Continental 'gargled' r. There are a number of pronunciational differences between Canadian and Continental French (which, of course, is more universal - lingua franca). One day I submitted an oral response in an online French lesson. This was reviewed by my peers, and all the comments about my accent were negative, except one from a Lebanese student who was very familiar with French. He said that I had an 'American accent'. In any case, I just thought I would make the point here that a hard 'r' in French is definitely not incorrect. Having said that, I am aware that international communication is eating into the Canadian accent. Meanwhile, I'll stick to the hard, old southern France 'r', because that's the way I learned French and that's the easier form for me, a South African anglophone. 😬

[@bluewings9]

I agree, Lumière’s “rrr” sounds Italian. So “mon ami” doesn’t have the same use as “mate”. Good to know, merci!

[@nikkijubilant]

Hi from Canada, we in the province of Quebec say mon ami, very, very, very often. Pick up a pocket guide to other québécismes, because we do not speak like in France and other parts of ''la francophonie.'' (And in Montreal, we DO roll the rrs.)

[@Commeunefrancaise]

Yes, Québécois is a wonderful language :) (- Arthur, writing for Comme une Française)

[@tatydial12]

Exactly! I mean, been in and met many people from places around the globe and this seems to be a France only problem

[@kurtcouture]

I think, as a British person, it's also really hard to stop yourself from being over familiar. We often say things like "hiya mate" or even sometimes "hello my friend!" (if we are joking around a little bit) so we have to exercise some control to stop at just Bonjour 😂

[@meireleshotmail]

"Oui Oui, mon ami, Je m'apelle Lafayette" is the only thing that came into my mind

[@saritshull3909]

SAME!

[@theoriginaljohnlaurens7039]

😭😭😭no not laff

[@chiroogbo4778]

To be fair Lafayette existed a couple centuries ago

[@chiroogbo4778]

@F A Lafayette was a french military officer in the late 1700s

[@alc8842]

Hamilton!

[@gerberjoanne266]

Another francophone character who says "mon ami" all the time is Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective. But that's a character from a British writer (Agatha Christie), and the TV series is British, as well. To be fair, the series takes place in the 1920s and 1930s. Perhaps the phrase "non ami" wasn't such a cliche back then.

[@StrangeMeadowLark]

God bless Daivd Suchet

[@antoineduchamp4931]

You have such a delightful French accent when you speak English, so please do not lose it. Alas I cannot hear any influence of the Yorkshire accent in your voice, from your time in Leeds. Many thanks for these very precious pieces of information.... I am most grateful.

[@_Maya_Andrea]

What is a natural French translation of the phrase “Hey girl!” Or do you not say that? That is the number one way that I refer to my female friends in English. What would be another warm friendly casual greeting?

[@buckyharris9465]

My thought exactly. Thank you!

[@sarelito9202]

The French tend to be more formal. I'm not sure there would be a standard equivalent, maybe more regional ones. I am English mother tongue and would never dream of calling my friend Hey girl! Just hi or hello and their name.

[@Commeunefrancaise]

💾 Read, save and/or print the full written lesson here (free): www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/mon-ami-french

[@rauldempaire5330]

Thank you so much, Merci Beaucoup!

[@GeographRick]

Disney mess up the origin of the stories.

[@majjitarun7050]

May We say *Bonjour,Ami*

[@morganolfursson2560]

I use "Mon Ami” all the time and i speak french as a first language. Your channel is total BS, don't teach french unless you have a degree to teach it. I do or you are just teaching people bad french. Just because you are french, doesn't qualify you to teach it. J'utilise "mon ami" tout le temps, et je suis aussi francais que toi, en fait davantage puisque ma famille possede trois chateaux du 16, 14 et 12eme siecle et que le nom de jeune fille de ma mere est Rochechouart de Mortemart. Evite d'evite d'enseigner un francais incorrect aux etrangers, ca n'est pas leur rendre service. On ne peut enseigner le francais que si l'on a un diplome pour le faire, et je doute que tu sois prof de francais dans la vie donc evite de t'improviser recteur de l'academie alors que tu parles simplement le francais naturellement, etant francaise. Ca n'est pas du tout une qualification suffisante pour l'enseigner.

[@morganolfursson2560]

I think you never use Mon ami, or Mon amie, because you do not have real friends, just mates or acquaintances. People like us who have true friends, refer to them as Mes amis and it means what it means. Mes amis are the people i can leave my kids, my pets, the keys of my houses, lend my credit cards to and know that nothing bad will happen and that's they'd die rather than cause me wrong, as i would. These are My friends, Mes Amis. I really don't think you have friends, just copains. I never use the word Copains (Mates) because my friends are far more than mates.

[@MrsGarciaf]

I don't see it as a mistake tho. I see it as a cute nickname, a way of connecting with your French friend when you don't have more French vocabulary. Better that than someone telling you "voulez vous couchez avec moi?"

[@kiebr8766]

Oui, Oui!!! couchez avec moi! 😭

[@henrygingercat]

These are really useful and cover issues most foreign language classes never address.

[@jean-cyprienchenberg4500]

Coucou ! Je suis français, je suis tombé par hasard sur ta vidéo. Merci, merci, merci d'avoir clarifié cette histoire de "Mon ami". Mes amis étrangers l'utilisent souvent et je n'ose pas leur dire... de peur de les blesser alors qu'ils sont dans une démarche de "bonne foi", je vais subtilement partager cette vidéo sur Facebook x) PS : en VO, dans la version de 1991 tout comme celle de 2017, Lumière est bourré de clichés linguistiques français qui n'existent pas !

[@jennifermckeithen1498]

That's very interesting. The last time I was in Paris, I took a taxi to the airport early in the morning. The garbage trucks were blocking the road and the driver got out and was trying to talk them into letting us pass, and he said, "Mon ami" to one of them. They shrugged as if to say, "Hey, we're just doing our job." This adds a whole new layer to that conversation. I had no idea!

[@norbertfontaine8524]

The taxi driver was not friendly towards the garbage man by calling him "mon ami". It's condescending. Curious that a simple taxi driver feels so superior to the driver of a garbage truck. Usually it's the people of the upper class who feel entitle to treat the simple employees like dirt.

[@annesimon537]

Le "r" Français de 1755 se roulait, mon amie. En Acadie, il se roule toujours.

[@christelbrowndecolstoun2899]

I just want to apologize. Calling someone racist or passing judgement on how letters, words, ideas are pronounced was not for me to say. The world we live in and I've been living in is very challenging. I'm just a white middle woman wanting to make sense of it. And it's not. I do not want the hate so carry on.

[@mydogdeli]

@Sam Farnsworth En tant que Canadien anglais, je peux confirmer qu'on parle anglais (pas canadien), malgré avec un léger accent, et malgré qq mots de vocabulaire différents qu'on utilise à la mère patrie.

[@jillalexandrarock9217]

Aussi, on dit "chéri(e)", ou "chere" au lieu de "mon ami(e)". 💖

[@darukona7218]

Français si.

[@mydogdeli]

@Sam Farnsworth Et oui, comme Girl Talk constate ci-dessous, l'acadien n'est pas une langue non plus. En Acadie, on parle français avec un bel accent acadien.

[@Adam-tg7qp]

Merci, mon ami!

[@Kerrebrouck]

I have a few French friends who use 'mon ami' constantly as in 'salut mon ami', could there be regional variation or have they just chosen to embrace the stereotype. I also hear 'salut les amis' quite often.

[@QueenXKnit]

I am French and I also use « Mon ami(e) » when I address my dearest friends!

[@annarehbinder7540]

Happens in Bretagne, regional?

[@claiir3bonn3l1709]

I do say "les amis" as well, but never "mon ami" to address one person. I guess everyone speaks in a different way just like in any language

[@CapitaineGMC]

I do believe there are many many instances where we simply embrace the stereotypes even if it's not really natural to us :)

[@sarelito9202]

Possibly unconscious use of stereotypes due to internet, films etc.

[@williamreymond2669]

1:30] The Italian or Spanish trilled R vs the French rolled R, the Italian R is easy, the French rolled R is very difficult. The trilled R is easy for the non-native speaker because you add energy at the front of the mouth - 'facile'. The French rolled R is difficult to learn because it is all about learning to relax the back of the soft palate and then moving that around your mouth as necessary - 'difficile.' In French, the rolled R occurs at the beginning, middle, and end of words, sometimes all three positions in a single word, and they are all formed in the mouth slightly differently - further to the back of the soft palate or more towards the front of the mouth - if you never had to figure this out for yourself as an adult non-native speaker, you might not quite understand. Jerry Orbach, as Lumier, in 1991, simply could not roll an R, consequently he trilled them and sounded Italian - but that could have also sounded Spanish. A native English speaker is not used to relaxing the soft palate to roll an R - it takes about a year of practice [as an adult] listening carefully to native speakers to do so. As an adult non-native speaker of French it takes a year - imitating a native speaker - to develop the neuro-muscular control to roll you R's properly and consistently. A year later - and you will still sound like an American. You don't think the French can tell? Ok, maybe you are 'special.' [everybody thinks they are special] At the moment I 'm learning to pray the rosary in French - it is really difficult - I pray with some here on KZbin - his accent and diction is exquisite, really fantastic - I can only ever hope to approximate, but I never can, 'parce que je suis Américain.' What do you do? How about this one? "Mon ami, tu me manque."

[@psoon04286]

Reciting the Rosary in French!? Wow, and I’m still having difficulty pronouncing correctly ‘road’ in french😳😁

[@iqi616]

I've never been able to roll my R (despite some Scottish ancestry). French R is a lot easier for me.

[@shennaramos3227]

Literally, 5min of her saying not to use “mon ami(e)” anymore. That’s it, folks.

[@sghasas]

Thanks for the tl;dr

[@cooldejan100]

I heard "mon ami" first from a French song called "Magic In The Air" (Red One ft. Chawki)... I thought it's common...

[@annamadnoseeeee]

I love this song! Happy to see it commented under here lol bc i heard it there

[@matcradle]

Geraldine: "No, don't use mon ami. But obviously you can use that in a proper sentence." Me applying it in real life: "Wesh wesh mon poto, bien ou bien ?"

[@LabGecko]

@Comme une Française any time you say something is embarrassing or offensive, it would be very helpful (to me, at least) to say _how_ and _why_ it is offensive. What makes it offensive? Knowing this will help me understand situations better, and be able to estimate when phrases are okay.

[@Lola100289]

I like to use "mon cher" and "ma chère" but sometimes I think these are incorrect for certain people. When is it appropriate to use "mon cher" or "ma chère"?

[@marcmarc8524]

It’s correct. A bit old fashioned, but correct.

[@dominic20]

Its the equivalent of saying "my dear". It's reserved for very specific people in very specific situations.

[@justie9933]

Rather when he adresses to his companion or she to her man " chérie, tu veux prendre une douche avec moi? ..." " chéri..."same prononciation. and most parents to children "chéri, tu veux manger quoi?-(darling you want to eat what?,). or "chéri, t'as fais tes devoirs?"- "darling, have you do your homeworks?"... to clarify what we are asking with sweetness.

[@jacquesmunier1199]

At an exhibition e. g., when you are a socialite. You can say such a phrase for instance. "Mon Cher ou Ma Chère, je suis ravi de faire votre connaissance...." or, " Mon Cher Ami, ne pensez-vous pas que Gainsborough accorde autant d'attention au paysage qu'aux personnes représentées dans ce portrait". In English you would thus say " My Dear, I'm really delighted to make your acquaintance..." or " My Dear Friend, don't you think that Gainsborough paid as much attention to the setting as to the sitters in this portrait....".

[@thierryf67]

@@jacquesmunier1199 that's "snob", really socialy stressed.

[@ComtedeMonteC]

Mon médecin me dit "mon ami" lors d'une consultation dans une phrase complète. Or il ne dit jamais "bonjour mon ami".

[@pompikaushal4604]

Salut! C'est pour la première fois que j'ai regardé votre vidéo et j'oserais dire qu'elle m'a beaucoup plu! Vous parlez de manière très efficace et distinctement! J'ai fait regarder cette vidéo à un de mes copains qui s'entêtait à toujours utiliser "mon ami"! Heuresement il s'est rendu compte de son erreur! Alors, je vous sais gré ! Salut!👍

[@Luboman411]

At 0:22. To be fair, in this clip from "Beauty and the Beast" Clocksworth also says "old friend," which you would never say in English either. It's cliched and super-old-fashioned. You wouldn't even say it with your own friends because it sounds like an English phrase uttered 150 years ago or so. So let's give the Disney writers some credit for keeping things equal here with the use of the French "mon ami."

[@Blublod]

Back in the day we would say "mon vieux" regardless of one's age.

[@ianwrobinson]

I learned that as ‘old chap’

[@rons3634]

Don't know about the French, but your English (despite the heavy accent) is pretty amazing.

[@franckjames9052]

If you want to sound cool and familiar to french people : "Mon gars sûr"

[@phieso160]

Non faut dire mon khey

[@darukona7218]

Mdr mon khey

[@mikichilcutt]

D'ailleures, j'adore votre pull! Il est trop beau

[@TomBartram-b1c]

In English people say hello my love. No it doesn't mean you expect to **** that person. Its just being nice.

[@robertcroft8241]

Only in The North ! And only to someone of the same or lower class than yourself.

[@jaybonn5973]

I love your english and you're not awful to English speakers like some are which is very nice

[@mikisato1881]

A couple of years ago, when I was talking about my vacation in Paris, my French teacher asked me "Ah, c'est bien. Avec qui?" and I literally translated "I went there with my friend." into French...J'y suis allée avec mon amie. I should have said J'y suis allée avec UNE amie. My teacher didn't say anything, but he must have assumed I(female) went there with my boyfriend...

[@lyra993]

It's fine as long as you don't use it as a nickname/pet name for the person you're talking to. "J'y suis allée avec mon amie" sounds perfectly natural, don't worry.

[@MrNxou]

well when spoke we can't discriminate, but if written the 'amie' is enought ;)

[@mikisato1881]

Lyra That’s good to know! Thank you 😊

[@mikisato1881]

nxou True!

[@nizarosoko]

You are correct to a very big extent, HOWEVER, I totally disagree about your claim they there is only one way in France to pronounce the letter R. That’s not true as some French people still pronounce the strong « Italian » R especially older generations

[@tulangkerangka1599]

Well one of the reason i try to learn french is bcs how much i love poirot throwing 'mon ami' left and right at hasting lol

[@sarahwood6956]

The other pitfall with "mon ami/e" is that it means boyfriend or girlfriend - when you are speaking of them in the third person. (Not as a direct address, which I think is more the point of this video.) When speaking of a person who is just a friend, (in English where we would just say "my friend." E.g. "I went out to lunch with my friend.") I was taught to say "un/e ami/e" or "un/e ami/e à moi" e.g "Je suis sortie avec un/e ami/e."

[@anner0730]

I always thought that boyfriend/girlfriend was petit(e) ami(e)? C’est pas correct ?

[@florieazon7080]

@@anner0730 "Petit.e ami.e" is correct, but you will rarely hear it from people over 15 yo. But most teenagers will rather say "mon copain-ma copine" nowadays. People in their mid-twenties and up will use more mature expressions such as "mon ami.e", "mon compagnon/ma compagne" or "mon conjoint/ma conjointe".

[@StrangeMeadowLark]

I suppose this is a rare occasion where my English accent is a help, because they'll know I mean well and I'm just a foreigner lol. I'm embracing speaking the best French I can (and I'm only intermediate anyway) but not striving for perfection - possible but unlikely, at least not for a very long time. I'm just the eccentric Englishman doing his best speaking bad but well-meaning French lol

[@amstreater]

“Bien fait” is also used to describe cheese like Brie or Camembert when it’s well-ripened and even getting a bit stinky.

[@kjaime7030]

Of course, in English, nobody says, "Hello, my friend!" in real life either. (unless we're being some version of playful)

[@jacksoe3530]

But you might definitely say, “Thanks for all your help my friend” after someone does something very kind or helps with something.

[@eb.3764]

i say hey friend

[@CarlosHernandez.RentaHouse]

Exactly, if you're being funny, playful, friendly or you're just a joker you can use Hello my Friend without problem

[@darkseed2k9]

In case someone is interested, in Brazilian Portuguese and Latin America Spanish we use "amigo" in that exact context all the time and it is not cliché/outdated.

[@sarelito9202]

Precisely!

[@KevinKosmoArt]

By the way, I absolutely love how Jean Reno's character Le Frog in Flushed Away said "Bonjour" in his first appearance in the movie.

[@Livinglife595]

I’ve lived in France for 42 years and never heard anything so ridiculous. Of course you can say Mon ami. Of course if it’s a close friend. There’s nothing cliché about it

[@sarelito9202]

If you take her comment out of context, it becomes meaningless.

[@randizimo]

English is my native language....I say "Hello my friend" all the time....so I'll do it in French....(But thanks anyway.....)

[@kathrynhoke4830]

Merci! I always knew it sounded weird on its own.

[@IDontWantThisStupidHandle]

It also depends on where you live. Here in Québec, we say "mon ami" quite a lot. My husband and I have a running gag as he often says "mon ami" (knowing it slightly irks me when he calls me that) and I respond "chui ton MARI!"

[@ermiassamuel179]

Merci pour le leçon This is the best service for all French learners I'm new learner in french language I can't thank you enough

[@renshiwu305]

Next you're going to tell me that Frenchmen don't say "Zut alors!" or "Sacré bleu!"

[@acquaura4404]

From the comments that native French speakers left here, I would say it's similer to English. We don't really say "my friend", but some people still do. I think it's something of the past or just a personality thing. And in Spanish, guys don't use "mi amigo" but girls often say"amiga", without the "my". It all depends on the context and person. (and country of course)

[@nadogrl]

From reading many of the comments from French people, I’ve learned that this woman is wrong.

[@lucieschnellerlorenzoni6697]

No I'm French and she's right, only she's exaggerating. It's just a little formal to say "Bonjour mon ami", we're not in the XIXth century anymore (I think it's the same in English language? You don't say "Hello my friend" to the people you meet do you?). But you can say "I saw my friend Myriam yesterday, she seemed fine", or whatever. But of course if someone greets me by saying "Bonjour mon ami", I'll find him/her cute or a little weird but will have forgotten three minutes later, nobody minds that sort of things.

[@tatydial12]

If you're going to Paris, sure. Go anywhere else, you're good

[@merengue9791]

Ok saying bonjour more than once to a person is rude because it indicates you forgot about meeting him and saying hello to him, but what if I need to go back to a store because I forgot something to buy? Does this rule apply for that situation too?

[@ryanwaughman8492]

What is she talking about? I'm French and it's such a cliché that French people use it. Of course French people would use it.

[@gonfreecss7215]

Euh... si on peut l'utiliser, ça dépend juste du contexte, même dans un débat on peut l'utiliser, par exemple lorsque l'on reprend la parole lors d'un échange on peut lancer un : « Écoutez mon cher ami, vous n'êtes pas sans savoir.... » Néanmoins effectivement on ne l'utilise pas comme un idiomatisme, le « bonjour mon ami » n'est pas utilisé mais ça n'est pas choquant outre mesure

[@MrNeilypops]

Very interesting. However,you are making the assumption that one would care about this detail. I have lived in Europe/Luxembourg for 25 years and I have tried my best to destroy the French language...even with many hours of lessons...lol...nobody really cares here and as soon as I start to speak French everybody speaks English to me...ha ha so true...anyway keep up the great tips...bonne nuit.P.S. I quite like the fun of sounding like a ´rosbif´...

[@hayleycomet8029]

You have such a great vibe, love your channel :)

[@lunatism9714]

I usually use: "Salut les gas. Salut les mecs."

[@oliverpavard8699]

I use quoi de 9 mon pote ou mes potes

[@noaccount9985]

Hmm.. this only works if the person is a true friend ( is special to you). Sentiments can be informal at times. Indeed .. we are not that ' universal'. And yes in Hercule Poirot the detective attempts to get the truth. It's a sort of strategy in the speaking. That means ' I basically trust you so please don't lie to me'

[@auwanho]

Is it weird that I just called everyone mon amour? Lol

[@royjonzejr]

In a French debate between the Canadian prime minister and one of his political rivals, he accidentally called him "mon amour" lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4u9laqFetprbas

[@bemobec4663]

Very good point and thanks to 'comme une française' for this clarification. As a French native, I wholeheartedly agrees with 'comme une française'. knowin the flow of conversation Howeverlanguage, Thanksthis

[@benellis455]

Why to use 'mon ami' as much as possible: it annoys French people

[@trixximoon3498]

Love this!!! I spoke French when I was very young. Lived in France for a time. My mother is from a suburb outside of Paris! I don’t remember much of it I can listen to French, read some My grammar however is terrible I will be enjoying these lessons Thank you Maybe my subconscious will have a breakthrough!!!

[@morganolfursson2560]

I use "Mon Ami” all the time and i speak french as a first language. Your channel is total BS, don't teach french unless you have a degree to teach it. I do or you are just teaching people bad french. Just because you are french, doesn't qualify you to teach it. J'utilise "mon ami" tout le temps, et je suis aussi francais que toi, en fait davantage puisque ma famille possede trois chateaux du 16, 14 et 12eme siecle et que le nom de jeune fille de ma mere est Rochechouart de Mortemart. Evite d'evite d'enseigner un francais incorrect aux etrangers, ca n'est pas leur rendre service. On ne peut enseigner le francais que si l'on a un diplome pour le faire, et je doute que tu sois prof de francais dans la vie donc evite de t'improviser recteur de l'academie alors que tu parles simplement le francais naturellement, etant francaise. Ca n'est pas du tout une qualification suffisante pour l'enseigner.

[@Columbator]

"ma famille possede trois chateaux du 16, 14 et 12eme siecle et que le nom de jeune fille de ma mere est Rochechouart de Mortemart." Ça ne serait pas un petit appel à la tradition ? Et pis un nom français en vaut bien un autre. Donc argument totalement inutile. Quant au reste, je ne peux pas donner totalement tort à la vidéo, car il est vrai que dire "mon ami" peut faire vieillot selon le contexte. Dans la bouche d'un francophone, ça a un certain style, mais dans la bouche d'un non francophone, cela sonnera comme du français scolaire, et ça, c'est à éviter. Du coup, le titre, au lieu de dire « never say » devrait dire « avoid to say ».

[@mbranagan4277]

Last Sept 2019 I stayed in a Dublin Hostel with people of several nationalities in my room. A 20-something girl had come to work in Dublin and we spoke a little. When I finally left for home, early one morning on my last day, she said good bye to me in English. I replied, trying to make it personal: bonne chance mon ami.

[@rickl5596]

After almost every one of these lessons I end up get confused. So I go to my French wife and her French father here in France where I have spent many years and they contradict this woman. Just the other day I heard my father-in-law use the term "comme-ci comme-ca" while on the phone. This woman had a whole lesson about how French people don't use that term. Take with a grain of salt.

[@Commeunefrancaise]

Hi Rick! 1) Of course you should take with a grain of salt everything you heard on the Internet. But popular culture and clichés about French can make some words seem much more commonly used in French than they actually are. 2) I don't remember a lesson about "comme-ci comme-ça," to be honest. 3) Teaching is simplifying. There are endless French variations (and that's even before accounting for clichés being used ironically.) We're only teaching the French we use in our own social circles - not Québec French, not old rural French, not French from the lower-class suburbian youth... Just the kind of French you can use in Paris or Grenoble with your baker or with new friends that you meet for a visit in the Louvre (again, that's simplifying). (-Arthur, writing for Comme une Française)

[@NabaNouki]

On an alternative way, I tend to use "Salut l'ami" to show that I'm open to friendship but I don't IMPOSE the other person to be "MY" friend right away.

[@megahedgehog8649]

Merci, Géraldine. What about "chéri"? Is that something people say, or write in informal emails & messages? Many non-English speakers say "dear", as in "hello, dear" which sounds terrible, it is something your very old-fashioned grandmvther might call you but certainly not used amongst acquaintances in everyday greetings. In fact, it can be a bit sleazy, the sort of thing a creepy old shopkeeper might call you as he tries to touch you in anoverly familiar way.... I steer clear of "chéri/chérie" because I'm afraid it has the same connotations? Does it?

[@ericmilou]

Hello Geraldine, can you make an episode what to say in the elevator ( going up or down, which floor...) thanks

[@chiarifairy6862]

At first, I was like "what?!", but when I started to think about it, it made sense. In English, at least American English, it is very rare to say "my friend" when talking to someone, you would only really use it when talking about someone. I don't think I've ever said hi to a friend by saying "Hello, my friend", I would say "Hey Meg!" or whatever their name is.

[@iamrage3516]

Or maybe wholesome small talk talk with a friend?