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How to Say ‘I'm giving you a kiss on the cheek’ in French

Je vous fais la bise

zhuh voo feh lah beez

[zhuh voo feh lah beez]

🇫🇷 In France: La bise is the cheek-kiss greeting used with family. Skipping it without a word can come across as distant.

Phrase Breakdown

Je vous fais

zhuh voo feh

I give you

Subject, object pronoun and verb 'faire'. 'Je' is often shortened to 'j'': 'j'vous fais'.

Example

Je vous fais un café ?

Shall I make you a coffee?

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

fais

[feh]

From the verb faire; with sports or activities, it often means do or practice.

Example

Tu fais du roller le samedi ?

Do you do skating on Saturdays?

la bise

lah beez

a kiss on the cheek

'La bise' is the French cheek-kiss greeting. The 's' sounds like 'z': 'la biz'.

Example

En France, on se fait la bise.

In France, people greet with cheek kisses.

Words in this phrase

[lah]

the (feminine singular)

Definite article used before a feminine singular noun.

Example

La réservation est déjà confirmée pour samedi soir.

The reservation is already confirmed for Saturday evening.

bise

[beez]

kiss on the cheek

The customary French greeting of cheek kisses.

Example

On se fait la bise ?

Shall we kiss on the cheek?

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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