browsing in French

How do you say %26quot;I am just browsing%26quot; in French? Just planning what to say when walking into shops... thanks.

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Dear Sunshine:

I do not speak French and I love to browse in the shops with my wife. I say %26quot;Bonjour%26quot; and smile. Then I say in English that I just want to look around. Every shop person in Paris understands English so you do not have to worry about this. They are very polite and will tell you that they are pleased that you are there and please let them know if they can be of help.

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This thread might give you a little insight....

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k66857…

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Thanks, Arrow -- I%26#39;ve always been a bit confused by the fact that some shops have that sign and others don%26#39;t (and that was quite an exchange!). I was told that an appropriate phrase is %26quot;Merci, mais je regarde tout%26quot; whcih does seem to work. Can you help on one other minor point, which is, what would one say for %26quot;not yet%26quot; (as in, maybe you can help in a few moments, but right now I%26#39;m just looking)?

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not yet = pas encore

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Not exact simple word translation comes to my mind as for %26quot;browsing%26quot;, usually here we just say, when a shop person is coming to ask what we want: %26quot;Je regarde, merci%26quot; (= I only have a look).

Doing so polite and well-behaving shop personnel will let you browse, a few ones (not many), specially in shopping malls, will keep on being %26quot;sticky%26quot; and trying to aggressively sell, in this case I simply leave the shop as impolitely as I can!

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Thanks Didierz -- I agree with all of that and make a point of being polite (greeting on entering and leaving). I also try to respect the %26quot;ne touchez pas svp%26quot; signs (and explain them to others) although that%26#39;s hard to remember sometimes because it%26#39;s not like that at all in the US!

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Thanks all...I can speak French well enough to make a bit of conversation, but not well enough to know this sort of thing so was just curious if there were a specific word for this..apparently not, so will just use %26#39;regarder%26#39; as needed.

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As Didierz says, sometimes you cannot find exact translations. This is particularly so with popular expressions. It can sometimes be a minefield, but also give rise to humour.

Foe example I love the French translation for %26quot;window shopping%26quot;

It is %26quot;lécher les vitrines%26quot;. If you tried to translate this literally back into English it becomes %26quot;lick the shop windows%26quot; A French female friend explained the image of women peering through the window with their tongues hanging out in excitement.

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I would say it in English. But I would not say browsing I would say I’m just looking, I don’t think most French would understand browsing in this context, for us non English speakers looking is a much more known word. If you want to lean to say it in french I think its good if you hear someone say it and just not read it, if your not familiar with french that is, else they might have a problem understanding you. But often they do not offer to help you like they do in Australia and the states they are not that service minded, so you very rarely have to say anything except Bonjour/Bonsoir and if you want help you usually have to ask for it.

Enjoy Paris!

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My personal, yet potentially indefensible, position on this, based on everything I%26#39;ve ever learned is that %26quot;browsing%26quot; in general, is just not something that%26#39;s highly regarded. In popular tourist areas, and particularly at souvenir shops, it is something that shop owners have grown to accept, but it still isn%26#39;t something that, culturally, is widely appreciated.

In other words, if you enter a store, you %26quot;should%26quot; be looking for something, not just %26quot;browsing%26quot; for the sake of curiosity or boredom. There is a very subtle difference. I believe if one grasps this concept, then walking into a store with the %26quot;intent%26quot; to purchase something is a much better approach. To discover once you%26#39;re inside that you didn%26#39;t find anything that fit your needs (wrong size, color, etc.) is very different than walking into a store when you have no intent whatsoever of making a purchase right from the get-go. When presented that way to the shopkeeper, I believe you%26#39;ll find the hospitality much greater.

There are many, many places in the QL, or in major stores, where this is never an issue. Book stores, souvenir shops, clothing stores (many of the chain variety), etc., where %26quot;browsing%26quot; is no different than anywhere else. But when you happen upon a little store along Blvd St Germain or on the Ile St Louis, or the small boutiques in the Marais or the expensive boutiques along Faubourg-St Honore, you will be welcomed far more openly if you simply indicate that you have a purpose for entering the store. %26quot;Je cherche un petit cadeau pour une amie aux etats unis%26quot;, or %26quot;je cherche des souvenirs pour mes amies aux etats unis%26quot;. If you don%26#39;t find something you like, that%26#39;s OK. Thank them and leave.

I do recognize and appreciate the argument that many people who have no intention of buying something might just happen upon a unique find while browsing though a store that kicks in the %26quot;impulse%26quot; shopper and kaboing!, 100€ later you%26#39;re the proud owner of some collectable that%26#39;s become a great conversation piece at gatherings of friends and family.

The bottom line is that there is no easy translation between English and French to say %26#39;No thanks, I%26#39;m just looking%26quot;, and I think there%26#39;s a reason.