Learn French

Navigating “La Bise” with Scott Carpenter

Navigate the French concept of "la bise" or "European cheek kisses" with Emily Monaco and Scott Carpenter.

Written by Emily M. Monaco

25 Aug 2022

1 min read

Share on:

Navigating “La Bise” with Scott Carpenter

Ep. 11 – Navigating “La Bise” with Scott Carpenter

Many a traveler to France has encountered those airy, European cheek kisses, but la bise is actually tougher to navigate than it looks. Is it one kiss or two? Or three? Or four? Do you start to the left or the right?
And with Covid surging, is la bise falling out of fashion forever? To answer these and more questions, Emily chats with Scott Carpenter, a professor and author of French Like Moi: A Midwesterner in Paris.

Follow Scott Carpenter on Twitter

Emily M. Monaco

Emily Monaco moved to Paris from New York in 2007, and ever since, she has been writing about cheese, language, and more. Her work has previously appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Saveur, and more. Find out more about her French food faves and international adventures on Instagram @emily_in_france.

Gastronomy

Apr 21, 2022

Navigating ‘Apéro’ with Forest Collins

Show up at 11:30am at a French person's home, and you'll likely be invited for "apéro". But what makes this French tradition stand out from cocktail hour?

French Words

Jun 29, 2022

Navigating “Joie de Vivre” with Harriet Welty Rochefort

Joie de vivre" is a French expression commonly used in English. Discover its meaning!

Francophonie

Mar 25, 2022

Navigating “Aimer” with Sylvia Sabes

The French word aimer is used to mean both like and love – but despite this dual role in the language of romance, it's not actually used all that often! Journalist and author Sylvia Sabes joins Emily to discuss why "I love you" is far from a perfect translation for Je t'aime.

Explore

Get Involved

Navigating “La Bise” with Scott Carpenter