If you’re arriving here as a result of Google’s “love story” ad during the Super Bowl (which actually showed a Googler searching for “how to impress a French girl“), welcome. Or, bienvenue. We hope you like what you find here. Need more tips for love while you’re traveling? Then don’t miss our tips for love on the road.
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First off, it’s not that hard ladies. Actually, you’ll probably find yourself inundated with compliments and cat calls on the streets, men approaching you in parks, at bars and in the Metro, and generally a lot of male attention and female flattery in France. French guys are just more forward than their American counterparts.
They’re bold. They’re not afraid to flatter you, and they are usually quite charming. If you have an accent, you are even more alluring—you’re exotic, a foreigner.
When I was living in Paris I was determined to land myself a French boyfriend. I had little trouble accomplishing this. In fact, I was totally empowered by how much game I seemed to have in France.
In the U.S., in college, I could never get a guy to ask me on a date (offer me a beer bong, yes. Take me out to dinner, no). In Paris, I had no trouble. Guys approached me and flattered me and wanted to take me out to nice restaurants.
Over the course of my relationship with a French Guy, I did learn a few things about what female traits impresses the typical French male.
Rock your own style
French guys love a girl with her own, strong sense of personal style. This is especially true in Paris. You don’t have to wear expensive clothes necessarily, but French girls have nailed accessorizing and making a “look” with every outfit. The guys like this (and also do it).
Don’t play dumb
Most French guys like sophisticated ladies. Again, this is especially true in Paris. But in my experience, I found French guys valued my knowledge of art, literature, music, wine, and good food much more than typical American guys my age. French guys seemed to have found this stuff earlier than the guys I knew.
Speak French
And encourage him to practice his English with you: Don’t be afraid to practice you even rusty French with him. It’s likely he’ll find it “tres mignonne.” Plus, showing that you know some of the local lingo will for sure score you points (I mean, long term, it means you’ll be able to communicate with his friends and family).
The younger generation of French guys all learned English in school and are often eager to practice their English skills with patient and attentive ears. Indulge him. Teach him. He’ll love you for it.
Don’t be afraid of the food
If you are enthusiastic about indulging in a lot of French favorites (including things you may or may not be used to and things that may or may not make you squeamish), it is sure to endear you to your French guy. The French are passionate about their food and the ritual of the meal, so enjoying these traditions is a good way to pique his interest.
So, go ahead, try the fois gras, eat that escargot, and love the stinky cheese. It’ll impress him.
Don’t be a prude
This doesn’t mean you have to go to France and start slutting it up, but it does mean you’ll probably want to open your mind a bit about sexuality and culture. The French tend to be more liberated about sexuality, so being comfortable with it is a good way to impress a French guy.
It doesn’t mean you physically have to do anything you’d ever be uncomfortable with, but it would be good to accept the boobs on television commercials, maybe go to a gay or drag dance club (straight people do this all the time in Paris), or feel ok about engaging in conversations about sex and sexuality. Loosen up, drop those prudish American tendencies and live a little.
