Single and looking for a little excitement? Bored of your American mate? Well, you should really marry a French guy like I did.
Why you should marry a French guy
Relationships are hard enough but add a guy from a different culture and you have yourself a whole new set of difficulties. But along with these difficulties come a whole bunch of amazing things that you would never discover being married to your high school sweetie. There are so many things to know about French guys. So if you’re thinking of marrying a French man, read on.
Here’s why you should marry a French guy (or girl):
You loosen up over time
Making a fool out of yourself when you confuse words in front of people who matter is always a good time and after the first one hundred missteps, you’ll learn to laugh at yourself. Everyone likes a girl who can make fun of herself, right? It only gets better with time!
You’re never bored
Haven’t quite nailed the passe simple or the conditional tense? Well, get the hubby to help you learn his language. Practice your skills on your man and his family. And have them correct you over and over and over when you make mistakes.
It’s fun to hear people botch your last name
Diane War-Werg-Varny-Vern. Sorry, how do you say that? That’ll be a regular occurrence at doctors’ offices, for restaurant reservations and whenever a telemarketer calls if you’re living in the U.S. If your last name is Smith or something equally unexciting, you’ll be thrilled to marry a French guy for the cool last name alone. Getting hitched to a France guy means you get a fancy new last name that will have your friends and family struggling every time they try to say it. Let the good times roll!
The accent never gets old
There’s something about hearing Tom speak that makes me smile. Maybe it’s because I don’t know if he’s saying Missouri or misery, or focus or F*** us. Seriously though, a French accent is infinitely cooler than an American one. The pronunciation, the intonation and the cute mannerisms just make you swoon. Daily. Multiple times. Forever.
You’ll make bilingual babies (if you do it right)
Nothing makes me more envious than little squirts who are barely up to your knees and can speak more than one language. So if you marry a cute French guy and decide to have kids, you’ll pop out little bilingual geniuses that you’ll always have around to make fun of your accent and correct you in front of people you’re trying to impress. And if that’s not enough, bilingual kids just up your cool factor. Like, tenfold.
Because mother-in-law interactions are more fun in French
Regular mother-in-law dynamics are a load of fun when she’s your same nationality, but when she’s French and doesn’t speak English? Well, you’ve got yourself a bunch of fun-filled afternoons. Then add in the fact that you took away her son and that really makes for fun holidays.
French dating tips you need to know BEFORE you kiss >>
You can feel like a master at English
If your husband is not perfect at English, he’ll undoubtedly have questions about the English language or American culture. Take pride in providing him with the answers and explanations that will make you feel like you know your stuff. It helps to appear really confident while doing so.
You can use the “That’s how we do it in America” excuse to your advantage
When you marry a French guy, take opportunities to teach your man about your culture whenever you can, even if sometimes it’s a fib. Feel like making a weird recipe for dinner? Well, it’s an American tradition. Have an odd habit? Oh, all Americans do that. You don’t want to give me a nightly foot massage? Well, American men do that without us having to ask and it’s part of our culture. The answer to everything is always, “That’s how we do it in America,” so deal!
You can use the “That’s how they do it in France” excuse to your advantage (when living outside of France or when you’re back visiting family)
Every time my friends or family ask about my little croissant habit, I tell them I’m just being respectful of my husband’s French culture. Where appropriate, use this excuse when you’re taking daily afternoon siestas, cutting in line or doing other things that may or may not be French. It’s only natural to show your guy and the rest of the world that you’re immersing yourself in his culture, so I say embrace away (even if you take it a bit far sometimes)!
You always have an excuse to take a vacation when you marry a French guy
Depending on where you’re living, you can turn a visit to see the family into an action packed vacation. And then make up excuses to go visit whenever your job has you down or you’re feeling stressed. And who doesn’t love a little jaunt overseas every now and again?
Because everyone likes a challenge
Challenges keep us growing as human beings and moving forward. From the language to the distance to the culture shock, marrying a French guy may come with some hurdles. But it’s worth it! What’s life without a challenge?
You learn what patience really is
From being asked the same questions by those who hear you’re American to letting your man stumble his way through a difficult sentence (circa 2009, damn you Tom for being so amazing at English), patience truly is a virtue and one that will make you a better wife — even if you don’t realize it at the time.
Marrying a French guy has its fair share of difficulties just like any relationship, and while it’s certainly different from marrying someone from your own culture, it’s a lot of fun as well.
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So go on, marry a French guy! Are you married to someone from a different country?
PIN ME:
All pics are from my wedding and were taken by Carolina of CWR Photography
And if you’re still at the dating stage, here are some of my favorite books on the topic:
I love it! Great great post. My guy is Dutch, but he won’t speak his language too me unless I ask him how to say something and he has no accent. Mother in Law relationships blow and now I understand why – LOL.
Kimberly
AHHH he won’t speak Dutch to you?? Why not? You could learn it and have a lot of fun. Even if you beg he won’t????
Great post! Always wanted to marry out of the states, but alas, fell in love with my college sweetheart and instead we just travel the globe 😉
Hi Keryn, love is love so nothing wrong with marrying a college sweetheart. 😉
Totally agree Diane! … and I’d add you get to taste a lot of good wine along the way 😉
Yup, wine and cheese. Can’t complain there!
Love this post! So many sweet moments and comments about your marriage. I already found the love of my life in an American, so I will just have to live vicariously through you!
So glad you enjoyed the post! Hope you’re doing well. Did you get my email last week?? Happy holidays
I love my French man.. I’m loving learning about his culture and he is wonderful at teaching me… Not to mention every dream I had of a man I’ve found in him..
Sounds perfect! Congrats! Thx for stopping by!
That was such a great post thanks for sharing i love french girls they are beautiful lovingly i hope i found my soul made
Thanks for checking out the post and commenting!! Best of luck to you! 😉
hello can you translated that please.
Bonjour
j’ai beaucoup aimer cette publication,
j’ai toujours rêvez de me marier avec un américain et j’espère pouvoir trouver mon âme fait un jour.
😉
Hi there, not sure if you’re asking me to translate what you wrote in French to English, but the “mon ame fait un jour” part doesn’t make sense to me. I guess you’d say “Hi, I really like this publication. I’ve always dreamt of marrying an American and I hope I’m about to find my soul(mate?) one day.” Thanks for checking out the post!
from time to time it’s nice to find posts like this from you. i’m glad that life is treating you well my friend.
🙂
cheers from nyc
mike b
( equinox circa early 2000’s )
Thanks, Mike!! So great to hear from you. You were always my favorite member! Still in NYC, I see, so give it a hug for me. Happy New Year!
Funny ..and yes to marry a french gurl is fun and nice ..my girl is half french and i do love her
Thanks for commenting, Ahmed. Glad you enjoyed the post 😉
I’m not dating a french guy, nor am I married to one, but I fully understand the last name thing. My last name is French, and without fail, I always get “Kristal Luh-ray…uh…how do you pronounce that?”
It’s Lareva, pronounced “Lare-uh-vey:
Lareva is not French; its Eastern European
Great post! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Communicating is more fun when both of us are teaching each other’s languages. We even made up with new words (that are neither French or English)… We say “Garbargio” for trash, and it sounds Italian and exotic! Just like you said it never gets boring! Thanks again, keep up the good work 😉
I just started emailing with a Frenchman who thinks I am his soulmate after a week of ‘essay writing’ emails where we pour our hearts into each email. We made plans to meet in person in one week. I absolutely LOVE reading this and it is so nice to get some insight into what to expect. Thank you!
I got to learn a lot through this, am Indian and dating a french man… I hope everything goes smoothly and well. 🙂
I feel love at first sight wit the guy born in France referred by a my officemate. He came here to my country for some checking and He ask me to go over to the nearest port from their ship. But after sleeping with him he told me in the morning we don’t have a chemistry together and i feel so sad because i really really liked him alot He is the man of my dreams. After 2 years He seems to be so excited to see me this month end. I don’t know how i am going to feel when i see him again. I am really hoping that he will commit now to me.
Im a Filipina dating a french guy now, I hope he is the one for me.. were 6 months in a relationship but until now he didnt say magic words..but i feel how he cared for me.. he is a shy type of man..do i need to understand it? Sometimes im confused if this relationship will last..thanks..
So funny! 😀 Thanks Diane for this post. I love reading your articles and learning about what surprises you in France. I’m a Swiss in France so I also find some stuff funny here – but not always the same as you 😉 it’ sur so interesting to confront our points of view!
Thank you for taking the time to read it. So glad you enjoyed the post! What are some things that have been funny for you in France as a Swiss person?
It’s a personal choice of a french man. all men have personal reasons why they marry a filipina. it’s just the same all. we cook, we take good care of the house and the kids as well, we valued marriage and most of all.
Great content. Filipinas are the best wife-material women. Can you share any personal experiences with your husband?
………. My ex is French but its really not good relationship…
Hm, better not let my wife read this one!
The problem is that the marriage of a French citizen has been seen by immigrants as a marriage whose purpose is only interest, so most marriages fail.