Embarrassing mistakes and how to avoid (or at least rectify) them

Avoid sticky situations by employing the correct use of the word baiser.

Baiser (pronounced with a ‘z’ sound) causes a lot of confusion because it has several meanings. As a noun, it refers to a kiss (Elle lui donna un baiser avant de quitter la maison – She gave him a kiss before leaving the house). As a verb it means ‘to make love’, but has a vulgar ring to it in current usage (the English equivalent would be the f-word). As a result, it is rarely used anymore because of this connotation.

The expressions ‘faire la bise à qn’ and ‘faire un bisou à qn’ are used instead (On se fait la bise à chaque fois quand on se rencontre – We kiss each other each time we meet). Both expressions are familiar; la bise is used in non-romantic contexts while un bisou can also refer to a kiss between lovers.

In more formal contexts, the verb embrasser can be used to mean to kiss someone →  Ils se sont embrassés sur les deux joues – They kissed each other on both cheeks.

Do not confuse baiser with the verb baisser. Baisser (pronounced with an ‘s’ sound) means to lower or reduce: Le prix de la viande a beaucoup baissé – The price of meat has dropped a lot; Est-ce que tu peux baisser un peu la tête? – Can you lower your head a little?