In France people are very direct and if they've got something negative to say they'll probably just say it. In the UK we tend to go around the houses a bit more and say these slightly more ambiguous things. Do you use, do you address somebody by their first name or not? It depends on your generation, it depends on your age, depends on your gender,. Your society, your occupation, your social role, and all sorts of things. Very different in America. You just have to accept them, learn about them, first of all, and accept them.