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SOMETIMES BEING LATE IS GOOD MANNERS AS COLUMNIST ANNALIZA DAVIS FINDS OUT A new year is a fine moment for reassessing priorities and setting good intentions for the 12 months to come.

Often, our resolutions centre around ensuring we give ourselves enough time for what is important. IN BRITAIN PUNCTUALITY IS A MARK OF RESPECT Time is a curious cultural phenomenon, starting

with the concept of being ‘on time’. I grew up in Britain with the notion that one should ideally arrive for a meeting or appointment more or less on time, and that punctuality is a mark of

respect. Here in France, I have learned that while you must be on time for official appointments, even when the other party is consistently late, in other situations punctuality is often

disregarded. The _quart d’heure de politesse_, for example, defies my British upbringing. READ MORE: PÉTANTE, PILE: FRENCH PHRASES TO HELP YOU SET PUNCTUAL TIMEKEEPING GOOD MANNERS IN FRANCE

MEANS ARRIVING 15 MINUTES LATE French etiquette website Grand Courtoiseau confirms that a polite visitor who receives a dinner invitation for 20:00 will arrive at around 20:15 (a little

earlier in rural areas and a little later in cities) to ensure hosts have enough time to get ready for their guests. My grandfather would have been livid. READ MORE: FRENCH PEOPLE ARE NOT

RUDE, JUST DIRECT THE WORD ‘_NORMALEMENT_’ IS A DISASTER Also, consider _il arrive_, which has a literal translation of ‘he is coming’ or ‘he is on his way’, but is also used when the person

concerned has just woken up or is two hours away. Il revient à 14:00 _normalement_ is a disaster. ‘He’s coming back at 14:00’ would be okay, but the moment a French person adds normalement,

it changes everything. While _normalement_ should translate as ‘if all goes well’, experience dictates that a closer translation is ‘but probably not’. If your mechanic tells you your car

will be ready at 18:00, and then adds _normalement_, get yourself a back-up plan. The concept of punctuality varies a lot throughout the country, but if you find that you are always the

first to arrive, and that no one else turns up for another 10 minutes, you might need to adjust your habits this year. Sometimes, in order to be respectful and polite in France, you simply

have to be late. RELATED ARTICLES ‘NO FUSSY EATING, STRICT BEDTIMES - MY FRENCH PARENTING RULES’ PEOPLE IN SOUTH-WEST OF FRANCE ARE THE MOST POLITE, SURVEY CLAIMS IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH: WHEN

TO USE THE SIMPLE NICETY 'BON APPÉTIT'