French Conversation · Level 157
30 words
French word
savoir-vivre
Pronunciation
IPA/savwaʁvivʁ/
Meaning
- masculine nounmanners
Example
Il manque de savoir-vivre quand il parle fort.
He lacks manners when he speaks loudly.
More examples
Elle a du savoir-vivre quand elle reçoit des invités.
She has good manners when she entertains guests.
Core concept
An invisible social rulebook guiding polite behavior in shared everyday situations.
Common phrases
avoir du savoir-vivre
have good manners
manquer de savoir-vivre
lack good manners
bon savoir-vivre
good manners
Similar words
politesse: Basic courtesy in dealing with others, including polite manners and language.
respect: An attitude of valuing another person's position and feelings.
Definition in French
Normes implicites de politesse et d'étiquette observées dans la vie sociale quotidienne.
Word origin
Savoir-vivre combines the French infinitives savoir, 'to know', and vivre, 'to live', forming a noun for knowing how to conduct oneself socially.
Usage tips
- French commonly uses savoir-vivre with avoir du or manquer de, treating it as an uncountable quality rather than a list of manners.
Other meanings
- etiquettenoun
Opposites
- impolitesserudenessnoun
- grossièretéboorishnessnoun