grace44

I have been to Paris twice and plan on returning next year and maybe also the Alsace area. I have been listening to serveral different French language learning cources for a long time now. The last two times I was in Paris I didn't meet a single person that didn't know English. I felt a little silly trying French when I didn't have to. I keep hearing that people in other countries love it when you try to use their language. My question is, do they really, or do they just think we are foolish and sound really bad. When they know English much better than I know Fench it seems like English would be the way to go. Just wondering if anyone else has had any language experiences.

kellyee21

I really don't think many people would ever think you are foolish. How are you supposed to learn if you can't practice ? I have been living in France for over 8 years and I love it when some one comes up to me to ask for directions or whatever in French (not their native language) and I am impressed that they are trying no matter their level. I always respond in French unless I can see they aren't understanding and then I will try in english. Don't give it up !

ira

Hi G,

>I keep hearing that people in other countries love it when you try to use their language. <

I don't know if they love it, but in general, they do seem to appreciate it and are friendlier of you try.

PalenQ

You must be traveling in other circles than moi

In decades of annual visits to France i find relatively few folks can speak any intelligible English - many do take several years in school and perhaps can read a bit but not nearly fluent enough to converse

knickerbocker

Just because you haven't run into anyone whose English isn't better than your French doesn't mean that your time's been wasted learning it. It's also an acknowledgement on your part that you're the visitor and an understanding of custom, culture and language isn't too much to expect, even if they're able to reach further than halfway to make you understood.

FWIW, I also found the ability to at least passably speak French to be helpful in the most unexpected circumstances. In '95, I was in Italy for the first time and happened to lose my keys. The night manager of the hotel didn't speak English and I didn't speak Italian. But we both spoke enough passable French between us for him to understand my predicament (even if he wasn't able to help).

Christina

Well, I find most people in Paris do speak fairly good English, at least people any tourist is likely to interact with (anyone dealing with tourists). Some hotels have requirements for that for their service personnel at the desk, at least a 3* hotel does, I believe. One hotel I was staying at told me that, that they had a new person at the desk and she would have to learn English to have a certain job.

Also, on average, even Parisians who do not work in tourism often speak English fairly well if they are young and educated and perhaps working in a professional career. Older Parisians probably don't, like folks everywhere, if they have no need to. Shop clerks in outer arrondisements usually do not speak it that much, nor many taxi drivers, in my experience. I do speak French pretty well and those kind of people do not interrupt me when I speak French. Waiters and some clerks in very inner Paris (and some hotel staff, but not all) will interreupt me and not let me speak French, though.

I think you'd have to take a poll to find out what those people think when you try to speak French. I personally think the stories about how they "love it" and treat you better are not true, I have never seen it. Believe me, they certainly do think you sound bad, many Parisians are very snooty about that and they have a very unattractive habit of publicly criticizing and correcting people when they think you sound bad or are saying things wrong (weven when they understand you).

What people think about this in Paris is not going to be true for all countries nor even in other parts of France. Generally, folks let me speak French without criticizing me or interrupting me to speak English in any other French-speaking country most of the time (ie, Canada, Switzerland, and some Caribbean places I've been), and usually in parts of France other than in Paris. In Paris, they usually won't let you speak French very much, even if you know French better than they know English.

I think most of them really don't think about you that much, though, and switch because they can't understand you and it is wasting time -- they aren't mentally thinking too much (they will probalby think you sound bad if you do). But I don't think they "love it".

flanneruk

A growing number of Frenchpeople speak excellent English. Not suprising: they have an excellent educational system, they're next door to Britain and the growing part of their tourist industry deals with customers who've learnt English as their second language

That means in touristy places, most people a tourist meets probably speak better English than you speak French. Since they're busy, they often decide they haven't got time to give you French lessons, so they really prefer English.

But that's only true of people dealing with tourists in touristy areas. And even they - generally - are mildly happier if you start with a Bonjour.

Get away from the tourist areas, and practically everyone prefers you to speak French. Indeed in Alsace, for many people English isn't the second language, and much of the tourist industry regards German as the language you speak to stumbling foreigners.

After a while, as your confidence builds, you'll even find Parisians let you speak French. My French is pretty mediocre - but I've never used English anywhere in France because I just don't let the French get away with speaking English. The moment I insist, they give way.

Not skill, but confidence.

bozama

Christina, it saddens me to hear you say you think many Parisians are snooty.. that has not been my expeience at all. The only snooty ones I've encountered lately ,,were metro workers or ticket takers at busy tourist sites, and they are just burnt out and likely as snooty to anyone, no matter if they speak english, Italian, German, etc etc. LOL

I agree they correct you, but it is not meant for you to take offence at that, they actually are very proud of their language and just want to help you pronounce things correctly, like they would correct their own children as they learn to speak.

As I do have relatives in Paris ,, I will say , I know they apprieciate the effort , even though even with me they will flip to english if I am struggling in a conversation, simply, they DO know more english then I know french, at least my younger( under 50) relatives .

I think one should always make an effort to learn a bit of the language no matter where you go. I took an Italian for Travellers course at our community college before my trip there this summer, I really struggled with Italian , but I still was at least able to say "hello, goodbye, please, thank you , and I am sorry I don't speak Italian" in Italian, and I think that is the bare minimum one should have before they go anywhere , even Tibet,,LOL

PalenQ

'get away from the tourist areas and most prefer to speak French'

yeh because the overwhelming number of them can't speak anything but pigeon English, despite studying it in school for years. At least this is the case with many many folks i've met - my in-laws and the friends of my then teen-age son

Fallacy - most French can speak English but refuse to.

And yes in tourist industry waiters, etc. may speak tourist English but why would one expect to see menial laborers be fluent in English - they did not even complete lycee typically.

Business types yes are mainly fluent because they have to be and these types i suspect are the types most tourists interact with.

Pvoyageuse

Grace :
When I am stopped in the street by an English-speaking tourist who asks me in stumbling French the way to a place, I have a tendency to answer in English because I want to make sure he understands what I say and does not get lost.
I'll ge more careful from now on !

a1139a

I have been to France many times and have never had an unpleasant reaction to my high school French whether I'm in Paris or in the country. My husband has the same reaction when he speaks German in other countries. I believe that they appreciate the effort and, in my experience, respond very graciously.

www.hereinfranklin.wordpress.com

Delaine

I think it is always helpful, and courteous, to attempt to speak the language of the country you are visiting, even if you do not do it perfectly.

When I visited France I always tried to practice my French. Coincidentally, or maybe as a result, I never ran into the "rude French" about which some people frequently complain. The people I encountered were very helpful and friendly. I have had similar experiences with Italian in Italy and German in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

In addition to being courteous and an acknowledgment of the country's culture, I just think it is more fun if you try to speak at least a few words in their particular language. I have had some nice conversations (especially in Italian) that I would not otherwise have had.

My college foreign languages were French and Italian, but I made an effort to learn German before I first visited a German-speaking country. Now I'm trying to pick up some Czech and Hungarian, and I find them significantly more difficult. I'm sure I might feel a bit silly, but it's just part of traveling.

Underhill

The good thing--one of the good things, at any rate--about attempting to speak French is that the person to whom you're speaking then feels free to try out his or her English without embarrassment. Two-language converstions can be fun.

zeppole

Nobody beats the Italians to responding positively to foreigners speaking their language -- I think perhaps they are made to feel self conscious abroad for having Italian accents. Even when their English is close to fluent, they will still hide it and encourage you to speak Italian (even when you're Italian is worse than their English!)

The French get lots of positive feedback for their accents from Americans when they speak English, and certainly no disdain, so it kind of goes in their favor.

English is spoke with such a wide variety of accents, most of us don't think much about it. But for Italians and French, people speaking their langauge with a heavy American, British or German accent can sometimes make it very hard to understand the speaker. People often learn the words and grammar of a foreign language without investing in accurate pronunciation.

Many busy French waiters -- who are the people tourists encounter several times a day -- insist on English just for efficiency and clarity.

All that said, the French can be perfectly awful about listening to your attempts at French.

Heimdall

I did try to learn a little French before a trip through the country some years ago. Not enough to carry on a conversation, but enough to order from a menu, etc. I still remember the look of delight on their faces when, after a wine tour, I placed my order in French.

Lexma90

I have no idea of people in other countries "love" it when I try to use their language, but I would think they appreciate it (I would).

I KNOW I sound quite bad, but usually I'm intelligible enough that people seem to know what I mean, in the context of my limited vocabulary. I must sound to people like what a 3-year-old sounds like, but with less vocabulary and much less cute, which is pretty funny, when you think about it. The biggest hurdle about speaking a foreign language is to get over being worried about looking or sounding like an idiot. I passed that point several vacations ago!

In many contexts in France, my limited French works just fine - it's only when the conversation gets more involved that the person will switch to English, or I will, after confirming they speak English.

Come of think of it, the French have been more apt to continue the conversation in French when I've been outside Paris. And the kindest people are those who ask me which I'd prefer to speak in, so that I have an opportunity to continue in French.

The funniest experiences I have had have been in Italy. I speak less Italian than I do French, but I've decided my accent must be good, because I've had Italians say "Oh, she speaks Italian!" with humerous admiration, when really, no, I don't (though I love the compliments).

lauralamb

If you want to speak French in Paris and they insist on speaking English, just pretend you don't understand their English or address them in any other foreign language you speak, which they probably won't know. Then they'll be forced to speak to you in French.

Many people think the French speak good English, a language they regard as easy but in actual fact most French service staff speak just enough English to deal with the tourists and don't really have that good a grasp of the language.

Pvoyageuse

"in actual fact most French service staff speak just enough English to deal with the tourists and don't really have that good a grasp of the language".

If they were completely fluent in English, they probably would have another job !
What else is required of them apart from doing their job properly and being able to deal satisfactorily with tourists' requests or questions?

lauralamb

Exactly and we're very glad that they do!

robjame

<<English is spoke with such a wide variety of accents>>

It is also writ differently.


<<All that said, the French can be perfectly awful about listening to your attempts at French.>>

You are right! In the US people are so much more tolerant in listening to people speak in a foreign language.