Parisians are exquisitely delicate people. In Paris, big is not beautiful. Big is vulgar.
Offensive to Parisians’ obvious refinement.
In Paris, anything plentiful is necessarily in excess. This applies to all fields. And especially to pleasurable elements of life: food, sun, fun… In Paris, a lot of pleasure is surely too much pleasure.
So, to keep their conscience clean, when designating a pleasurable indulgence, Parisians commonly precede it with the adjective “petit”.
Petit in French means small or little. It doesn’t carry the positive demeanour that you find in women’s clothing sections of American department stores. Petit is just the opposite of big. It conveys images of simplicity, moderation, cheapness and conviviality. It is therefore a handy complement for Parisians to designate their pleasurable activities. A way to relieve the discomfort that pleasure causes in their minds. Parisians are not into the grandiose of life. They are the impressionists of entertainment. One petite brush stroke at a time.
There are countless examples of this staid mentality : Parisians are very keen to meet their friends for “un p’tit restau”, “une p’tite bière”, “une p’tite blanquette de veau”, ”une p’tite soirée” or “un p’tit weekend”. The adjective petit is used regardless of the greatness of work or expectations that the Parisian put into the experience or of the pleasure derived from it. The Parisian will never admit putting any sort of work in the preparation of anything pleasurable. Neither will he ever admit expecting much from it.
The word petit is a double win for Parisians. Not only does it relieve their guilty conscience, but it also helps them assert their superiority.
Pleasure is a passive thing in Paris. A bonus. And the bonus will always be a little one. For Parisians’ life is always already great. Any positive addition can only be a minor one. And the Parisian intends for you to know it.
To pet the Parisian’s ego, ask him questions about his “p’tit weekend”. At this point, he will usually come up with a list of the fantastic things he did over the weekend in a very absent and non-enthusiastic manner (“went heli-skiing, then chilled by the pool, and then had dinner at this 2-star restaurant…”). Thus implicitly stating that his “petits” weekends are much greater than your great ones.
Parisians are just superior to you. Just don’t fight it.
Useful tip: Similarly, painful or unpleasant experiences ought to be preceded by the adjective “gros”
Sound like a Parisian: « On s’est fait un ptit weekend en Normandie: très sympa! »
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Tags: Petit · Smart Car · Words11 Comments
11 responses so far ↓
In NYC, big is perfect everywhere! Small is so bad!
In France, even a small body(and body parts) is desirable. Non?
I was laughing while reading this. C’est vrai, Olivier! Everything here must be “petit;” otherwise one is regarded as vulgar (or with disdain, for obviously engaging in pleasure, i.e. laughing or smiling too much).
This had me cracking up. I love your blog Olivier — you’re spot on with your insights. I’ve remarked about the use of “petit” in France the past, but you’ve expressed it way better and with so much more nuance than I could have.
It’s funny, as an american here in paris, I frequently get comments on my enthusiasm and optimism. Thanks to your blog, I now realize I’m the subject of contempt. You know what though, being negative and critical sounds to me like a bad way to live. I’d prefer to be seen as “mildly retarded” (cf. your quote about enthusiasm from a previous post) than have to put up the kind of front they do here.
Couldn’t agree more Nate!
… and at the same time “on s’est fait une Grosse Soiree” means something rude and dirty, with a lot of alcohol and fun, and obviously, sex
… term preferred by males of course!
good to know
It took me a long time to get adjusted to being asked for “une petite signature” when signing for my credit card. (Yeah, I know, the American one with no “puce.” ) At first I thought the salespeople wanted me to write in small letters…
We’ll say “t’es vraiment un petit con” to a good friend and “quel gros con celui-là” for the persons that we really don’t like.
I learn a lot with you!!!
thanks
Anne… Is it just NY or all of America?
Ron… I love these urban legends about th French sexual preferences!! I guess delicate rather than small would work here - for a woman only!
Paris Parfait…
Simon… see, that’s why I like to travel! In Paris, ‘alcohol, fun and sex’ is ‘rude and dirty’. Boy!!
Polly… very funny! Great example!
Esther… I tend to go the opposite. Maybe cause I’m a guy!
I loved this article! Now it makes sense why they call it “La petite mort” …I would want to call it “La gross morte”…but that is the American thinking.