Why the French phrase ‘je vous écoute’ opens doors

In mid-May, a video circulated in French media showing President Macron interrupting speakers at a conference in Kenya to reprimand audience members who were talking over them.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” he said, before demanding quiet so attendees could properly listen to the speakers.

The irony was hard to miss. Macron is frequently criticised for failing to listen to public opinion in France, yet his outburst also reflected something deeply French: the importance placed on listening in everyday interactions.

That idea is encapsulated in a simple phrase heard across France: je vous écoute - “I’m listening”.

Whether at the boulangerie or on the phone to a doctor’s secretary, French customer service often feels more personal than the transactional “Can I help you?” familiar in the UK or US.

Even after a decade living in France, the phrase still strikes me as surprisingly intimate. Of course, the person serving you may only expect a shopping request or appointment details, but the wording still suggests genuine attention.

French service culture is often criticised by anglophones as brusque or lacking deference. Yet there is also something refreshingly human about it: you may not always be treated as “right”, but you are treated as a person worth listening to.

Could ‘I’m listening’ help bridge political divides?

The idea behind je vous écoute feels increasingly relevant beyond customer service.

At a time when societies are becoming more fragmented, the simple act of listening — to lonely neighbours, frustrated teenagers or friends having a difficult day — can feel unexpectedly radical.

It may also matter politically.

As elections approach across Europe and elsewhere, moderate parties struggling against far-right and far-left challengers are searching for ways to reconnect with voters.

Journalist and environmental activist George Monbiot recently argued in The Guardian that “deep canvassing” — encouraging voters to share personal experiences and listening carefully in return — can help build common ground.

“What makes the difference is the listening,” he wrote. “There’s a solid rule in life: if you don’t listen to other people, they won’t listen to you.”

As politicians in my own UK like to shout — though not always practise —: hear, hear.