A rude person is someone ...
Une personne impolie est quelqu'un ...
who acts without considering the needs or feelings of others.
who cuts you off when you are speaking, does not listen to you, and makes fun of you.
who does not put him or herself into the other peoples' shoes.
Who does not say please and thank you or is obviously rude based on their actions.
who doesn't hold the door open and doesn't think of others ever
who doesn't hold the door open as you walk through behind them.
who doesn't respect others and their feelings.
who doesn't wave back at you when you wave at them.
who interrupts all the time,
who takes everyone for granted,
is self-centered all the time
who interrupts conversation or has poor eating habits, among other things.
who is inconsiderate of others and the situation.
who is inconsiderate of others, thinks they are better than others, is impolite
who is inconsiderate.
who lacks basic etiquette such as saying please/thank you, who places their own needs and wants above others, who looks down on other cultures/religions/etc.
who makes others feel badly, disobeys directions and rules, and cares only for himself.
who puts themselves above other people in a way that hurts them, or that hurts someone's feelings as a result of not understanding his/her culture or way of thinking.
who talks behind your back, only does things for their own benefit, and does not respect your belongings or yourself.
yells, vulgar, ill-willed
de vulgaire avec son entourage, ne cherchant pas la communication et l'esprit de groupe
Désagréable, qui met mal à l'aise les autres, qui est irrespectueux.
malhonnête, bruyant
ne respecte pas les autres
qui a un comportement affligeant, ne dit pas bonjour
qui est irrespectueux
qui est irrespectueux.
qui manque de respect à une autre personne, qu'elle la connaisse ou non.
qui mériterait de se faire remettre à sa place
qui n'a pas été éduqué correctement
qui n'a pas reçu une bonne éducation.
qui ne dit aucun mot de politesse (pardon, s'il vous plait...), qui n'a aucune gêne, qui se permet tout ce qu'elle veut
qui ne dit pas bonjour, qui fuit les personnes qu'elle connaît, qui ne prévient pas de son abscence
qui ne respecte pas autrui.
qui ne respecte pas les autres verbalement.
qui ne respecte pas les autres,
qui ne pense qu'à sa personne,
qui parle mal
qui ne respecte pas les règles de savoir vivre et de savoir être
qui peut-être est française, qui coupe la parole aux autres, qui ne répond pas aux politesses des autres
qui répond mal
qui répond méchamment aux autres, qui ne sait pas se tenir en société, qui dit constamment des injures
qui utilise un vocabulaire osé, qui ne respecte pas les autres
Discussion
It appears that the French students give more importance to formalities and the use of polite words. However, Americans seem to have a more "emotional" sense of being rude, and mention "putting oneself above other people" or "making others feel bad", which do not appear on the French side. Why is this? Can a person be considered "polite" in France and, at the same time, "to care only ofr himself" and "not to respect the feelings of others"? Do these negative attitudes fall under a different category than being "rude"?
According to the answers, it appears that in France you say "bonjour" to more people than you do here. Do you say "bonjour" when entering an elevator full of strangers? When entering a room full of strangers? To random people in the street on a warm, sunny Sunday? I would say that here you don't, most of the time.
I've noticed that, according to the French students, being rude is somewhat associated with being uneducated. Is that because people with higher education are generally more polite?
Il est vrai que pour nous être poli c'est avant tout dire "bonjour", "merci"... Se sont les règles de politesse. Mais c'est aussi le respect des autres. Dailleur on associe souvent "impoli" au mot "irrespectueux" qui apparait de nombreuses fois. Cependant on ne définirait pas "poli" jusqu'à "faire en sorte que les autres soient heureux, se sentent bien". Dans ce cas, on dirait plutôt qu'il est généreux, ouvert... que "poli".
Nous disons "bonjour" assez facilement. Lorsque l'on rentre dans un ascenseur, pour reprendre ton exemple, cela dépend des personnes qui s'y trouvent en fait. Si se sont des personnes de ton immeuble même si tu ne les connait pa vrément, tu peut dire bonjour. si c'est un ascenseur dans un grand magasin rempli d'inconnu on ne dirait pas bonjour... tout dépend des personens et du contexte ! Si tu croise une personne totalement inconnue dans la rue tu ne diras pas bonjour.
Toutes ces règles de politesse nous les apprenons petit par notre éducation. C'est pour cela que l'on dit qu'un enfant bien éduqué c'est un enfant qui est poli
J'espère que j'ai répondu a vos question David et Danielle =)
Pour vous un enfant bien élevé est donc quelqu'un qui se soucie des autres, de leur bien être?
je rectifie ma question ! Est ce que quelqu'un de poli est une personne qui se soucie du bien être des autres ?
For me, and I think many Americans would agree, the manners are not so important as the substance. The polite formalities, like saying "hello" and "thank you", are of course nice, and they are the first thing you see when meeting strangers. However, when you know someone a little more, manners become less important than being considerate (in my opinion). Let's talk, for instance, about having a roommate. For me, a polite roommate is someone who thinks not only of his own needs, but also of yours, who is able to put himself in your shoes and realize what is important for you. A roommate that consistently says "hi", "how are you", and "thank you" can still be very rude if he does not do his share in cleaning the apartment, if he makes noise the day before you have an exam, or even if he obviously does not care when you are having an important personal problem. On the contrary, a roommate who does not say "thank you" and does little small talk, but in contrast is considerate regarding the above issues, is a polite roommate in my definition. And a great roommate too.
How bothered would you be by someone who is "nice" (generous, open) but does not say the "polite words" and is socially ungraceful? Is social grace very important in France?
I would say that someone who is polite is considerate of others. A polite person doesn't necessarily have to care for another's well being. I always imagined people caring for friends and family, and having a somewhat personal stake in their well being.
I'm interested in this connection between being polite and being well-educated. Do you mean to say that you are taught manners in a classroom in elementary school?
I think its interesting that the french do not say hi to each other while walking down the street. I've noticed if you are in the city in America, you would not greet all those who pass you by. However if you are walking down the street in your neighborhood or in a town, it is polite (atleast how I've been taught) to greet the people you pass by. Is this the same in France?
I would actually make a distinction between a polite person and one who is friendly or easy to get along with. For me "polite" can be as David explained as involving consideration, but it can also be detached and formal, depending on the context. In connection with that idea and the point that Beatriz brings up, what is the general reaction to a stranger approaching you--for example, if someone you do not know asks you for directions or help with something, are they generally helped with their request or perhaps given more help than they asked for? Does it depend mostly on the situation and person? I have lived in towns where you are expected to greet people on the streets even if you do not know them and give as much help as you can, as well as places where people are generally so preoccupied that a coworker might not recognize you when walking down the street.
I wonder also if there is some difference in terms of just the vocabulary... If "rude" in English and "inpoli" in French could be a little different in terms of connotation. I know for me that in English, for instance, rude has a different connotation than impolite (rude seems like a stronger word with a broader meaning, whereas impolite just carries the connotation of not saying things like "please" and "thank you", not opening doors for people, etc.)
I agree, Mary. "Rude" also seems more active to me. A rude person is actively engaging in being inconsiderate. "Impolite" seems more passive, like not doing something (like not remembering to say "thank you").
David, pour reprendre ton exemple, il est vrai que c'est important d'avoir un collocataire qui ne pense pas qu'à soit, participe aux tâches ménagères, discute de temps en temps avec toi... Cependant on ne dirai pas simplement qu'il est "poli", ça va au-delà : on dirai qu'il est respecteux, gentil, qu'il a du "savoir-vivre"... Je pense qu'en fait vous avez une définition plus large de la politesse. Pour nous, c'est en quelque sorte le premier stade des bonnes manières lorsque l'on croise ou rencontre quelqu'un.
Danielle, la politesse fait partie de l'éducation et nous l'apprenons plutôt avec nos parents. Cependant les bonnes manières sont aussi exigées à l'école.
Beatriz, lorsque nous nous promenons dans notre quartier ou notre ville (seulement si elle est très petite et que tout le monde se connait) nous pouvons nous saluer.
Yun-Han, si quelqu'un nous demande le chemin, nous faisons de notre miuex pour lui expliquer, sans en faire plus, à mon avis...Mais cela dépend bien sûr de la personne !
Je viens de regarder dans mon dictionnaire Mary, et en effet, "rude" veut dire "être grossier" ce qui est différent de "impoli". Il y a donc, comme vous, une différence. "rude" et "impolite" ont 2 sens différents que je définirai comme toi Chloé.
J'ai également une question ! Nous utilisons en France le vouvoiement lorsque nous nous adressons poliment à quelqu'un que l'on ne connait pas ou à une personne pour qui l'on a du respect. Vous n'utilisez, vous, que le "you". Alors, comment faites-vous la différence entre parler à un amis et parler à un professeur, à quelqu'un que vous ne connaissez pas?
Pauline, we use the same word "you" in both cases. The difference comes from the choice of words (formal/informal register), body language, etc. The fact that we use the same word has indeed repercusions in the way we interact with professors, which I think is closer and less formal than in France. I find that having only one word for "you" is very convenient and makes interactions easier, while the French system appears complicated!
In French, is it generally very clear whether you have to use "tu" or "vous", or are there situations in which the choice is tricky?
I have a question that relates to one above. Like Danielle, I also noticed that the French seemed to consider being rude to be a consequence of bad education. And Pauline responded that being polite is part of the education of children in France. But I was wondering, what is the primary source of one's education in being polite? Does it come mostly from one's parents or is it emphasized a lot in school too?
Pour répondre à David, on peut dire que, la distinction entre le tutoiement et le vouvoiement est facile. Et que le choix que l'on doit effectuer, est presque naturel. Car dès notre plus jeune âge, on nous apprend à faire la différence. Elle est le plus souvent relative à l'âge de la personne, à son statut dans l'entreprise et de manière plus globale aux relations que l'on entretient avec elle. Par exemple :
On ne tutoie jamais quelqu'un de plus vieux que nous.
Dans les relations salariés-patronats, le vouvoiement est de vigueur. Bien que le "you" anglo-saxon, ie le tutoiement général soit parfois usité.
Certains enfants vouvoient leurs parents. (De plus en plus rare).
Quand on connaît mieux quelqu'un on peut lui demander "Est-ce que cela te dérange si nous nous vouvoyons ?"
Rebecca, je pense que le respect s'acquière à la fois par l'école et par la famille. Ces deux agents de socialisation ont tout deux un rôle majeur dans l'apprentissage de la politesse.