I'm French and I'd like to know more about you

Hi LoupBlanc,

Sorry for the bad language and attitude from some in this forum. Swedes are'nt always very cultivated...

In reply to your question I would like to present a very Swedish phenomena. If a group of people is discussing a matter in IRL, the group gets very uneasy and threatened if someone voices a different opinion. Everyone is expected to think the same (so why bother discussing in the first place?!) I find this very boring and unhealthy. The French way of debating, exchanging views and respecting the opponent, is much more stimulating and mind-broadening. Vive la difference!

The Nordic countries differs quite a lot in mentality.
Denmark is famous for their "hygge", enjoying the good life, which for Danes may involve a lot of smoking and fatty foods.
Norway is famous for their wealth, which is due to the oil found relatively late, think it was during the 1960-ies. They are obsessed with long skiing and their cottages ("hytta") in the snowy Norwegian mountains.
Finns are the tough ones. Not very talkative, action speaks louder. Loves their Saunas and hard liquour. Language differs completely from the other Nordic ones, as well as the mentality (in my opinion there's generally a strong link between language and mentality).

Denmark, Norway and Finland were all invaded and or involved in WW2, which probably toughened these countries.
Sweden was left unscaved, and maybe a bit naive, "why should anything bad happen to us?".

As to France, I have studied French and understand it quite well if not spoken to fast.
I have visited Paris, you guys were very kind and polite.
Wishing you and France all the best! 🇨🇵

This is what the French people i have met say. My experience is that French people are friendly and curious but not always so good in speaking English, so when in groups with other people they tend to stick to themselves and speak french. I have lived with French people (among others) for periods of time when travelling, and I like them more than loud Irish and brits to be honest.

Many French people I have met say that people from Paris are special and arrogant, even in French eyes. French people not from Paris are pretty down to earth and sympathetic like anybody else in my experience. People from Stockholm are a little bit like people from Paris (or rather: they think Stockholm is a world metropol like Paris). They differ from the rest of Sweden and are seen as more arrogant. I am from Stockholm myself and I agree with this.

In Sweden I had a boss from Paris many years ago. He didn't even say hello to people, and clearly wanted to show his place in the hierarchy, which did not really work well in Swedish corporate culture. Swedish corporate culture has a more flat hierarchy where people communicate in all directions.

This is based on my own personal experiences and what French people have told me about your culture.

And yes, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway are culturally very similar even though they might not always agree with this themselves. But on a broader perspective, the biggest difference are the languages. But Sweden is sliding down the ladder financially and is behind the other Nordic countries in standard of living. But Sweden has historically been the overall strongest economic/political power in the Nordic region after WW2, and still see themselves as the bigger brother of the bunch, while today the other countries look at Sweden as the black sheep of the family due to political reasons, high crime rate and uncontrolled immigration with totally failed integration policy.

The rivalry between the Nordics is just friendly though. The countries stick together and are tied to each other on stronger and more deeper levels than the feeling of unity the EU will ever give. Brother countries. Social democratic.All of them. Even Iceland is family.

"Familjeliv.se" or "Reddit" might be a better place if you want better information. There are some good answers in this thread, I am sure you can identify them.

The good parts of Stockholm takes about 20 minutes to walk through, old town and the royal palace. The rest is not very interesting with the exception of the archipelago and possibly the VASA-museum. However the Gothenburg archipelago is probably more accessible if you do not have access to a private boat. The west coast has more to offer in general but I may be a touch biased.

As to the culture, as many have pointed out, Swedes are rather introverted towards strangers and difficult to approach in general. However if you managed to break the ice they are not much different from anybody else. But that first step will be difficult. You will struggle in French, English is usually your best bet.
Culture is a vast subect but as you should know a lot is imported from France, even our king, so you will find a lot of familiar ground there if you know what to look for.

As a well traveled Swede I have a different and more pragmatic view of the French. Yes, I find Parisians in general annoying but outside of the French capital, the people that I have worked with in France have always been a good experience at work and away from work. Not to mention some of my French relatives (distant) who are quite fun to hang out with.

I am guessing that few, if any, in this forum have any meaningful experience of French people in general or France in particular.


Norway is a beautiful place, especially the coast. Oslo is not too bad just be aware of pick pockets. The people are usually more approachable than Swedes. English is the language of choice again. Expensive though.

Finland is a lot like Sweden, nicer capital but it is more difficult to approach the finns. English should work in most places and with younger generations.

Denmark, don't bother...just go to Germany instead.

Are you aware that you are writing in a forum with a lot of nazis?
This is not the right place to learn about our culture

Hello, I'm a young man, I never visited Suede and I want to know more about the Scandinavian countries and about your culture that I don't know.
Can you advise me? And what do you think of France and french people?

Thanks in advance.

Hello, I'm a young man, I never visited Suede and I want to know more about the Scandinavian countries and about your culture that I don't know.
Can you advise me? And what do you think of France and french people?

Thanks in advance.

Lindqvist implies that the French, just like the Chinese, see their country as the center of the world, and this map shows it.

https://www.tradera.com/item/1124/54...sk-bok-ar-1989

According to this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iqFlG3o7G8 on average lot of swedish lot Italy and France. It's the same for norway and danemark
So I wonder if you're really attracted to Latin people in Europe?