You have been waiting in line for ten minutes. Someone cuts the line just in front of you.
Vous faites la queue depuis dix minutes. Quelqu'un passe juste devant vous dans la file d'attente.
"Oh! Sorry, but I was in line."
As politely as possible inform them that "The line starts back there."
Ask him or her to kindly step to the back of the line.
Ask the person to go to the end of the line.
Call them on it.
Don't say anything in order to not start a conflict
Excuse me, the back of the line is to the left.
I ignore them but am upset
I let it happen. It's one person, and it's not worth the argument.
I let my presence be felt.
I may or may not say something to the person; depending on what mood I'm in. Some days it is not worth getting upset over that.
I probably wouldn't say anything and just think how inconsiderate it is.
I will tell them to go to the end of the line.
I would ask them to go back to their true spot and in case they don't I would move them myself and retake my place.
I would complain to the person next to me.
I would say "Excuse me, but I think I was next in line."
I would tell them to go to the end of the line.
I'd direct them politely to the end of the line, pretending that they must have been confused.
I'd let them know that the line is behind me, but if they don't want to move I'd probably just drop it
Internally I would be somewhat frustrated, but I wouldn't make a big deal about it since it happens all the time.
Really annoyed. Certainly say something.
say "excuse me" there is a line - you can't just cut it!
Tell them so.
j'aurais dû faire comme lui 10 min plus tôt ! je lui fais remarquer que c'est un gros con
j'essaie de le doubler discrètement
je dis à haute voix, en essayant de ne pas paraitre trop en colère, qu'il n'a pas à passer devant
Je le lui fais remarquer et lui demande (poliment) d'aller à la queue.
Je le lui fais remarquer gentiment.
je lui demande pourquoi il le fait alors que tout le monde attend
je lui dis quelque chose à voix haute afin de le faire réagir
je lui repasse devant
Je lui reprocherai.
je ne dis rien
Discussion
Les réponses me paraient assez semblable. Mais quand les américains, en sa majorité, tenteront à faire remarquer à cette personne impolie son comportement inadmissible. Il est intéressant de trouver deux réponses de la part française dont les auteurs feraient la même chose.
While the responses are pretty similar, I'd still say the French responses are more polite than those of the Americans. From this and other forums, I can see that Americans, at least according to their talk, are much more amenable to angry thoughts, whether they act on them or not. It seems the French, however, are more likely to actually "walk the talk", as the French side of the forum has less mention of "being upset" but not doing anything, etc. This attitude is much more healthy, as disagreement should be let known immediately, else it grows inside the individual and eventually comes out in a flash of brutality. Does the forum agree that Americans talk too much, and don't act enough?
Je pense que ca se recoupe avec les gens qui font du bruit au cinéma : les francais sont plus pudiques et n'aiment pas se faire remarquer, donc souvent même s'ils n'apprécient pas le geste que l'autre a fait, ils préfereront ne rien dire et subir. Je ne sais vraiment ce qui est le mieux, je pense que ça dépend vraiment de la personne qui nous passe devant. Je préfère la spontanéité des Americains que notre timide hypocrisie.
Viatge, I agree with you. I believe that many people in America say things because they feel they have a right to say it anytime, anyplace, and to anyone. This isn't a good attitude but it is what happens. While I was answering this question I was wondering how rude other people's responses would get. Normally, I think, again, it depends on the situation like some people on the French side pointed out - if the person is much older, if the person says they are in a rush. I think it is necessary to say something so that the same thing doesn't happen again, however, one does not need to be rude to get his point across. That is completely unnecessary.
Je suis d’accord avec Ashley que la réponse à un procédé impoli doit dépendre de la situation et de la personne qui se comporte impoliment. D’abord, on ne connaît pas toutes les circonstances ayant poussé la personne à cet acte. Il est possible que l’on ait fait la même chose à sa place (nous ne somme pas idéals non plus !). Comme souvent on n’a pas d’envie de comprendre les motifs d’une personne inconnue, il est peut-être mieux de se taire modestement. Juger sans comprendre est peut-être encore plus impoli.
Les Francais sont plus passifs dans telles situations que les Americains, peut-etre car ils veulent eviter des conflits unnecessaires en public. A la cantine de l'ecole je trouve souvent des gens qui ne respectent pas les regles mais personne ne dit rien. Cela m'etonne car je croyais les droits humaines etaient tres respectees en France.
Cheng reminds me of the transition of discipline I've experienced progressing through school. In elementary and middle school, rules were strictly enforced in order to drive into students the importance of conforming. In high school, individuals begin experiencing hormone-fueled 'ubermensch' sensations, realizing that finite punishment need not necessarily deter them. Of course rules continue to be upheld, with consequences often more serious than previously. But now upon entering college, suddenly virtually all sorts of authority have been removed (to an extent of course) and we are free to choose how we behave. This very transition teaches us how to act in situations where we are ultimately unconstrained. It may be the individual's unique experience, and understanding, which will cause him or her to act in a certain way in a situation such as line cutting. Thus, it seems the American upbringing and disciplinary experience, in general, creates a more confrontational individual. This may explain for a lot of things...
I thought the responses were definitely very similar, and I do agree with Cheng's response. Is there a reason for what you suggest, in that nobody says anything?