Wengenlover

We are headed to Paris for the first time in two weeks. Sadly, lots has gotten in the way of our French studies. We intend to learn what we can in the intervening time, but would love to get tips on how we can best enjoy our trip without much knowledge of the language.

We are staying in the 7th and intend to see lots of great art and eat great bistro and other non- 5 star food....

Merci for your thoughts ....

suze

It's really not a problem. Many tourists visiting Paris do not speak French.

Have things planned out ahead so you aren't forced to try and ask directions on the street. Learn how to say a few pleasantries in French, along with "I'm sorry I do not speak French". Have a menu translator for restaurants.

nytraveler

Paris is full of people who can;t speak French.

As noted above - just memorize the standard greetings and pleasantries - as well as "I'm sorry I only speak English".

And do bring a menu reader - since you want to avoid restaurants that have menus in 14 languages and/or pictures of the food (they will be expensive and have poor food).

beatofhawaii_com

Just to state it in another way, virtually all people you'll encounter speak English, more or less. They may not be in the mood to use it, which is another matter. But they will understand you.

Beyond bonjour, bonsoir, merci and au revoir, you'll have no mandatory additional need. Having said that, the more you try, the better you will be received.

Paris is a city, and not all that friendly anyway. If you are going out of Paris, less French is spoken, but more more compassion is available.

Aloha, beatofhawaii.com

travelgourmet

Just speak slowly and loudly.

Seriously, shouldn't be a problem. I only speak English (and a very limited amount of Spanish) and have never had much of a problem anywhere in Europe.

crazyfortravel

A few words and key phrases are usually appreciated and well received.

When you enter an establishment it is customary to say bonjour..and auvoir when you leave. I find with eye contact and a smile that most people are quite receptive and friendly.

bonjour, sil vous plait, merci, auvoir, je ne parle pas francais...parle anglais?

Je Voudrais....I'd like is a handy phrase.

In Europe, you usually won't get the check until you ask for it. Unlike dining in North America, the table is pretty much yours for the evening and you will not likely be rushed thru your meal. When you are ready to go...say L'addition sil vous plait.

Bring a good menu reader and be daring. I heard one person say that they only ate sandwiches that they could point to at the subway and Macdonald's food. They came away with a less than favourable opinion of Paris...no wonder!! What an utter loss for them because it's a magical city and with a small effort you will be rewarded with a memorable experience.

Enjoy your holiday!

oakglen

Go to the library, read Polly Platt's "French or Foe". There you will learn the magic phrase that will make life simple and easy (page 31). Read the whole book; it's all there and all you need.

happytotravel

oakglen: What was that phrase again, I have recycled my book, and now your post is driving me crazy, because I can't remember. Please post it for me. Thanks

dlejhunt

The 7th has plenty of tourist-friendly places and you will not need French beyond greetings, merci, and "au revoir" (pronouned oh-vwhar).

I will second the previous poster who mentioned that you should always greet shopkeepers, restauranteurs, etc. with "Bon jour/soir Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur".

I would suggest picking up a Berlitz basic guide, as they have helpful phonetic pronunciations for french words.

One last thing - make sure to eat at Le Florimonde on avenue de la Motte-Piquet (it is close to where rue Cler dead-ends into the avenue). The owner is charming, he speaks fluent English, and the chef is fabulous.

Enjoy! Please post any great finds - we'll be there in June.

PS Is Polly Platt's magic phrase "Je suis desolee de vous deranger?" I read her book a couple of years ago and loved it. A very kind previous renter left it in the apartment we stayed in.

Nikki

You might want to write down the name and address of your hotel so you can show it to cab drivers and find your way home if you need to.

No French needed to use the metro, where the signs all are place names that you can find on the metro map.

No French needed to see great art and eat great food.

Bon voyage!

oakglen

Here it is, "Excusez-moi de vous deranger, monsieur/ madame...( Excuse me for disturbing you, Sir, or Madam...). There is a lot more information available...and it will make your trip more enjoyable; just read the book!

danon

"I heard one person say that they only ate sandwiches that they could point to at the subway and Macdonald's food."


This must be someone pulling our collective leg!
or they are totally pathetic!

hkgirl

Sorry, excuse my ignorance but what is a "menu reader" aside from the obvious and where do I get one, many thanks.

nicerue50

Hi Wengenlover,,,,you'll have no problem with limited French. I read well but speak little and with a southern accent. We stay in the non touristy 11th and with a merci and a smile anything can be accomplished. We'll be there for two weeks in July including Bastille Day......Anyone know of fun activities other than parade? Merci for any input.

hkgirl

Sorry, I now know what a menu reader is duh!

GiuliaPiraino

You will be SO happy if you bring a menu decoder! The first time we went to Paris several years ago, we erroneously thought a lot of people would speak Italian since it's a neighborhing country but we were wrong. We had a terrible time with menus and didn't truly have an authentic French food experience there, we just kept ordering things we recognized when we are usually very adventurous in foreign countries. For heaven's sake I ate donkey in Italy and it was good! In Paris, I thought "entrecote" sounded a little too much like entrails, so I never ordered it only to find out it was a delicous steak! Now we are going to Paris and Barcelona in the fall and I have purchase Marling's Menu Master for both cities. It's a very convenient size, fits right in your purse or pocket, it's divided into food categories like dessert, fish, breads, etc, and it's so easy to use. I can't wait to eat every French delicacy in sight! Including entrecote!!!!!!!!!

As far as the language goes, if I could give you one tip, smile, smile and smile some more. Smile like a silly freak. It's the universal language! You would be surprised how much better things go if you're not an expert with them language if you walk in with a big bright smile, like you are sooooooooo honored to get to tour Paris. If you go in nervous looking, frowny and fumbling around, it sets a bad tone for what's about to happen. There's nothing like a goofy, smiling tourist to disarm the whole situation LOL. Also, I agree that you must learn key phrases in French. The other poster was correct that many of them speak ENglish but don't care to use it. If you make even a horrible attempt at French, or in our case we asked them in our bad French if they spoke Italian, they always happily defaulted to English.

I really feel like not being prepared with the language gave us less of trip last time than we could have had, so I am so excited to get a do-over!

Have a great time!

StCirq

Well, to each his own, but I would say IME that smiling "like a silly freak" would be totally off-putting to most Parisians. They are a fairly reserved people and don't smile all the time the way Americans do, and many of my French friends (lots of them Parisians) remark on how silly it seems to them to see people smiling without good cause. I have found that speaking softly, looking them directly in the eye, and using the usual formalities never fails to reap a polite and helpful response. YMMV.

GiuliaPiraino

Ok, maybe I was a bit too enthusiastic, I didn't mean smile like a "silly freak". I was simply trying to get across that pleasantly smiling goes a long, long way. Sorry I didn't choose my words better. I was being light hearted. I still believe that smiling goes pretty far when you're having trouble with the language. But you are right, too each his own.

GiuliaPiraino

>>>many of my French friends (lots of them Parisians) remark on how silly it seems to them to see people smiling without good cause<<<

That seems totally strange to me and kind of melancholy, is this a common French opinion? I love seeing people smiling, no matter what the reason.

nicerue50

many of my French friends agree....A smile goes a long way