Differences in mentality

Differences in mentality between French and Germans

For professional or private reasons, many thousands of Germans spend time in France every year. They are often surprised by the mentality of the “Grande Nation” and perceive some behavior as arrogant. However, those who get involved in the peculiarities of the French and understand them better quickly get a different picture of them. This makes the stay in France much less stressful.

Who turned the clock – punctuality is unimportant
May the Germans still be so proud of their virtue punctuality, the French evaluate this significantly different. They are almost always late because they don’t think about being on time. Rather, French people are amazed at how quickly time passes without apologizing for being late. No reason is seen for it, as punctuality is not important. This expresses the French insouciance, which is even greater in the south of France than in the north. For the French, unpunctuality is not a sign of a lack of organisational talent, unreliability or a lack of trustworthiness. This also applies to the opening hours of retailers and hire car centres. Therefore, in order not to lose one’s cool, it is better for the holidaymaker to show up ten minutes late himself. This usually saves an unpleasant waiting time and there is no need to wait in front of closed doors. The clocks tick a little differently in the neighbouring country. Being on time is something for pedants. The relaxed way of dealing with time is also reflected in the amount of time that the vacationer should allow for renting a hire car. Thus, a little extra time should always be scheduled as the French is master of improvisation. There may be delays during the appointment as other tasks are occasionally slipped in. If the customer tries to speed up the process by scowling or using angry body language, this will be met with incomprehension. Faster the customer receives the hire car nevertheless not.

Je ne parle pas allemand – Service once differently
Frenchmen are proud of their country, their history and put very much value on their own language. This is also reflected in the service staff. At the international airports and in Paris, the holiday maker comes across again and again to multilingual staff in the hire car offices. Mostly, at least the English language is spoken. German can occasionally be heard, especially in Alsace. In smaller places and in holiday regions in the south of France, sometimes no foreign language is spoken by the service personnel. Those who do not speak French now often hear the sentence “Je ne parle pas allemand” for “I do not speak German”. The communication is now done with hands and feet. Important information concerning the hire car is handed over in form of brochures that are translated into English or German. Incidentally, the more difficult communication is not seen as a service weakness. According to the French, their mother tongue is one of the most important world languages.

Courteous and obedient – behavior of service personnel
Many Germans perceive the French in the service area as rude. This feeling is mostly based on a cultural misunderstanding. Thus, the French usually meet the counterpart with a healthy distrust and are not exuberantly friendly. Therefore, holidaymakers should never greet French people of the opposite sex with the familiar kiss on the cheek, as this is reserved exclusively for good acquaintances, friends and family. In addition, the French communicate differently. Germans get to the point too quickly for them, while they themselves carefully feel out the subject in circles for reasons of politeness. Therefore, those who have a problem with their hire car should describe it in a thoughtful and friendly way. Furthermore, there is a much stricter hierarchy within the company in France than in Germany. It is expected that the boss uses his authority, makes decisions and delegates power. Germans, on the other hand, are used to tasks and responsibility being delegated. This is also evident in service. Decisions have to be agreed upon by the staff with the supervisor, which can occasionally lead to delays.