Bonjour,
Have you ever ended up stuck in a “Ca va?” “Ca va bien et vous?” conversation?
Where you don’t know how to articulate phrases of more than 3 words?
When you’d really love to connect with the person in front of you?
YES! And you feel like a 5 year-old.
How to go beyond this basic conversation and really connect with a French person?
That’s exactly what we’re talking about today on Comme une Française.
I’ll share 7 ways to go beyond the “ça va?” “ça va.” conversation.
All in a formal and informal form.
How did you meet…?
Comment avez vous rencontré Michel ?
Tu connais Pierre d’où ?
People always like to tell the story of how they met.
The informal form is not grammatically correct. But this is how I’d say it in real life.
Where do you work?
Vous travaillez dans quel domaine ?
Tu fais quoi dans la vie ? / Tu bosses dans quel secteur ?
Bosser means travailler, in an informal way. You could also say “Tu es dans quel secteur?”.
Do you know this place?
C’est la première fois que je viens ici. C”est très agréable comme endroit. Vous connaissiez ?
Tu connais bien la ville ? Je viens d’arriver et je cherche des restos et des petits bars sympas.
Perfect if you wish to go out with someone. With or without dating. 
People love to recommend places.
I love your…
J’aime beaucoup votre manteau. Il vient d’où ?
J’adore tes boucles d’oreilles. Tu les as trouvées où ?
In France, men can compliment a woman without sounding flirtatious. So no worries about misunderstanding.
If you are a girl, the woman you are complimenting could share the name of her favorite “boutique”, which is always good to know. And the conversation can stay on the “where to go shopping in town” topic.
You’ve been to my country! Where? What did you like?
Vous avez déjà voyagé en Angleterre ? Formidable. Quel souvenir en gardez-vous?
Tu es déjà allé aux Etats-Unis ! Super. Où ça ? / Qu’est-ce qui t’a marqué ?
They will easily deduce from your accent that you are a foreigner. But let’s be honest, you’ll have to precise where you are from. As French love to travel abroad, they’ve possibly already visited your country. Or dream to. It’s the easiest conversation topic on Earth.
Explain something to me
Il y a quelque chose que je ne comprends pas bien en France. Peut-être pourrez-vous m’éclairer. Pourquoi [insert your question here]?
Tiens, tu peux peut-être m’expliquer un truc. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire [insert the word you want explained] ?
French love to talk about their own culture and country, so if something is unclear, ask. Often, this will lead others to step in the conversation and give their opinion as well. Play with your “I’m a newbie” status to ask many questions.
Ask for advice
J’ai bien envie d’aller voir le dernier James Bond. Tu l’as vu ? T’en as pensé quoi ?
Nous aimerions aller visiter une exposition ce WE. Vous en avez vu récemment ?
Same as above. French love to give their opinion. And they can discuss cinema for hours.
Did you like these phrases?
Have YOU ever been stuck in a “ça va?” “ça va.” conversation? How did you get out of it?
Tell me in the comments below.
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Bisous bisous,
Géraldine
Géraldine, There is no such word as “flirteous”. The word you need is “flirtatious”.
Also, you can’t say, in English, “Explain me something”. You have to say “Explain something to me”.
I make similar errors in French, but I don’t have anyone to correct them. Once someone understands what is being said, they’re not concerned about correcting the grammar!
Thanks Seamus. I’ve corrected both mistakes.
Thanks again Seamus, I appreciate your help.
You are right, it is very valuable to have people around to correct errors!
I’ve added to my 2013 plan: improve my English.
Geraldine please don’t work too hard on perfecting your English, it’s sooo sexy and endearing when French women speak and write English imperfectly.
An Anglophone Canadian in France
Thanks Gerald. That’s kind.