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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
The image we have of the French being standoffish snobs makes some sense when you realize their stereotypical American is a loud, bossy fucker who bursts into a room and demands to know who speaks English.
Meanwhile, this information about tourists in France has been circulating among those who come in contact with tourists.
I travel to Paris infrequently and in the last 10-15 years everyone seems to know a lot more English than they used to, but they still love it when you make the attempt. It's just nice manners. At the very least learn the foods/drinks you like, please, thank you, excuse me, pardon me, un billet, sil vous plait and, of course, parlez-vous anglais? Another good one is "J'apprends français" (I am learning). Because often they will just start speaking English when I stumble and I always let them know I'm learning and would love to practice.
There are TONS of great basic apps to study from on the plane ride. Also good: hire a French teacher from Craigslist to help you practice the basics for an hour before you leave. I did this once and it was super cheap and really helpful.
The solution I found that opened EVERY DOOR was to burn into my memory how to say in French really clearly but slowly: "I'm sorry, but I don't speak French. Do you speak English?" Those who spoke English happily busted it out, and those who didn't happily entered into mutual attempts to communicate with every word we could think of. Don't worry, you'll be judged, but openly and Parisian-ly, which is a treat.
I am looking forward to your posts from Paris so goddam much.
Parisians do have a reputation for being cold and standoffish, but as others have alluded to above, much of it comes from their frustration in dealing with boorish, uncouth behavior (and it's not just Americans - English, Irish & Germans frequently get the same response). If you only have a few phrases in your lexicon, your best strategy is to come to them with a problem to be solved, rather than a demand to be satisfied; Parisians LOVE to help tourists who are out of their depth, because it plays towards their innate sense of superiority, and gives them an opportunity to show off their knowledge of the city.
In short, be humble, be perplexed, and most importantly, be gracious and profuse with thanks when you receive guidance or assistance - it might grate a little against our American sense of independence, but it will go a long way towards endearing you to your French hosts.
Two resources I would recommend:
1. Train your ear with an audio only course. I'm using The Flow Mimic Method that uses music really effectivly. http://www.mimicmethod.com/courses.html
2. Fluent in 3 Months is a great motivational resource with a forum full of other language learners. Like other have mentioned above, it's generally a nice thing to be able to say pleasantries in French, even if you can't have a deep philosophical conversation. http://www.fluentin3months.com/
Many years ago I had a taxi in Paris take me to the wrong hotel first (not a language error since I handed him the printed address) and then wanted to charge me the extra fare to my hotel. Having already been in Paris for a week I picked up just enough french to be able to argue my point about not paying the extra fare.
The worst she said would be the ones that obviously know English but refused to speak it making your fumble around trying to talk to them (usually involving a non-elementary conversation) only to have them pretend they don't understand you. Then after enough embarrassment they would answer you in English indicating that they understood you the whole time and are a giant ass.
And don't say ?que? when you are confused, I guess it's rude or something
my big screwup: telling a bartender that i was from seattle, "in the united states." his response: "or course i know where seattle is. you think i'm an idiot?" he then comped me and sig other's next round and told us great stories for the next hour.
The real question is, how are YOU with languages? I have one friend who is a wiz with languages, and has self taught himself 4 different languages, fluently. 1 asian, 2 european, and 1 Scandinavian, so quite a diverse selection. I have another friend, on the other hand, who failed out of high school Spanish, and has tried unsuccessfully to learn at least the basics of a couple of other languages, but can't manage to cobble together even a simple phrase in anything but his native English.
Different brains process language differently. It sounds to me like you've tried unsuccessfully before. Was your bad grade a reflection of a shitty teacher? Too much time distracted playing video games? Or an honest difficulty with a foreign language? It wouldn't hurt to try a crash course, but it may be that your brain simply struggles with foreign language acquisition.
I had this exact experience in the Netherlands. I spent two weeks cramming a Berlitz traveller's Dutch tape, which between being totally inadequate and me being totally inept at languages, only equipped me enough to be useless in Dutch without being arrogant in English. I ran into a number of people on my trip who, evidently either fed up with tourists or insecure in their English-speaking abilities, would answer "No" when asked if they spoke English. But, after listening to me struggle painfully to construct a question in Dutch became suddenly quite confident that their English was far better than my Dutch, and that maybe I'd be truly grateful for their help. Which I was.
Montreal was similar, except they only gave me three seconds of struggling in French before getting thoroughly annoyed and switching to English. Even when I got the words right.
OTOH, Parisians might simply sniff and walk away, and not nearly as many speak serviceable English as the Dutch or Montrealers do.
Just learn, "how would you like to park your bike and have a drink with me?" Riding a bike in a skirt with your hair down and full lipstick is such a French thing.
Even if you just master "Bonjour Madame, Sil Vous Plait Cafe Creme" and "Merci", you'll do okay. Polite words are routine, but the language is very economical. Waiters do not expect a conversation, just a quick order.
And then if you need to switch to English at least you made an effort at a phrase or two.
I wish I'd learned more about how they tell time and count money. I did okay at ordering, but I could not make sense of the numbers if they were said out loud.
So, Yes, but make sure you learn "Je ne comprende pas".
I'm going to Paris too, and so far the simplest yet seemingly invaluable rule I've seen over and over (or maybe it's striking me because it's so simple) is to address everyone as monsieur or madame (or mademoiselle, but this seems a headache), as in "bonjour, madame/monsieur." Like @18 says, but extended to anyone you encounter .. shopkeepers, taxi drivers, servers, everyone.
This seems overly formal to an anglophone -- a few years ago, I thought I had heard that the French were trying to drop "vous" in favour of the more casual and intimate "tu" -- but apparently this is critical to appearing civilized.
Also, top tip: You don't need to say "ne." "Je sais pas" means the same thing. Hooray, efficiency.
@20: I always wonder what to say about Toronto. Should I point out it's in Canada and sound like I'm talking down? Or leave it out and sound pompous for presuming everyone knows where it is? Sigh.
My advice: get a Canadian flag sticker or luggage tag for your bag (s). They cut our Northern neighbors more slack. :)
As a kid my family lived in the UK for five years and we went to France often.
Since then we've gone to France nearly every year for about 12 years or so. Even so. My French is still terrible. But I get a little better every time. And it has never been a problem.
Most people make the rookie mistake of going to Paris between May and October. No. No. No. Of course Parisians are sick of tourists in July. It's hot. It's crowded. It's not your nationality or accent they hate it that there are a million of you fucking up their city.
Late march or early April is best. Frankly we tend only go in January. Everything is on fire sale.
Just try and be polite. That's all anybody wants.
Have fun.
"Ou est" (where is) is also a vital phrase, as in
Ou est le metro
Ou est la WC, etc
la gauche is left, a droit is right
Parisians are like New Yorkers. It's a big city, its fast paced, and people get impatient and want you to hurry the fuck up and decide what sandwich you want because there are 50 folks in line behind you. They aren't snotty per se, just harried by modern life.
Try to get a couple of French movies with subtitles and watch them a few times. I highly recommend La Lectrice (1988). For a while, I was going to the local arty cinema every Friday night to watch it - again. Pay attention to the subtitles, sure, but then just sit back and listen to the flow of the language. If you can get French-language radio, keep it on in the background.
Definitely look into any translation APP there might be to help you once you're there. If you can't get that, then do some translating in advance and print obvious questions on flash cards, with English on one side and French on the other.
Also, ditch the "Mademoiselle" unless you're dealing with a female child. Adult women are called "Madame", a common practice in (most? all?) European countries (or, rather, its equivalent, specific to each country).
So ... are you UP to the challenge?
In France you say bonjour monsieur/madame when entering a small shop, government office, bakery etc. It is always polite to insert monsieur or madame at appropriate points in the conversation when you do not know the person, i.e. a store clerk, government official, ticket taker etc.
Note: monsieur and madame are not used among friends, unless it's done in an ironic or amusing way.
If you have the time and skill set to learn a little more, it would be helpful to learn how to say (politely) that you don't speak French, and ask them if they speak English. Example - Désolé monsieur/madame, je ne parle pas français. Parlez-vous anglais? [Sorry sir/madam, I don’t speak French. Do you speak English?]
When I need to intrude on someone else's personal space (i.e. ask a question, use their lighter or whatever) I use the standard polite phrase – excusez moi de vous déranger [excuse me for bothering you]... Then you ask your question blah blah.
Etiquette [la politesse] in France is not difficult to understand and will make a huge impact on your interactions with the French. Your accent will not matter. In fact, my own personal experience is that the French generally find American accents very sexy.
If you would like further assistance, let me know through slog and I'll send you my contact information. I read it every day (actually multiple times per day because I am not working right now).
One more very important point - learning the French words for various foods and drinks would not be a waste of time, but when you are dealing with a waitron (waiter/waitress) NEVER call a waiter 'garçon'. It is a pejorative term [boy] that is not used by the French, although I continue to see its inclusion in certain American guidebooks. Oh la la!
The crash course will probably end up making things worse, really.
Just make sure you aren't acting like anyone owes you English, and be grateful for anyone switching, and you'll be fine
Here's my 2 centimes of advice about French. You could take a few hours of a private "conversational" practice w/my teacher Pascale. You basically tell her what you'd like to know how to say and where you'd like to go (e.g. food market, flea market) and you will go together and she will help you learn what you need for that purpose!! Her name is Pascale and she is fabulous (and likes Americans a lot). (I took 10 hours total and it was a nice booster shot to my 6 quarters of college French).
Taking a few hours of class once you get there is totally fun and will be much more practical (and pricey) than trying to learn stuff out of context before you go.
Phrases absolutely to learn and use!
Hello Sir/Madam (Bonjour Monsieur/Madame): EVERY time you enter an establishment or start any interaction, totally necessary, 100% of the time.
Goodbye Sir/Madam (Au revoir Monsieur/Madame): every time
Please & Thank You & No Thank You (S'il vous plait, Merci, Non Merci): use them prolifically!
I would like (Je voudrais).... this (ca).... please (s'il vous plait).
Ditto on the suggestions for learning to pronounce some of the place names if you have time.
And Comte @14 is right on the money! If you present the French with a problem to solve, they will find you absolutely irresistible and go (sometimes spectacularly) out of their way to help. If you can master this phrase, you will have them in the palm of your hands:
Excusez-moi vous deranger Monsieur (or Madame), mais j'ai une problem...
Sorry to bother you, Sir/Madame, but I have a problem...
Even a few basic sentences to get you through shopping and ordering food in restaurants ("Je voudrais celui-ci/celui-là, s'il vous plaît" "I'd like this one/that one, please") will get you through a lot of situations and put you light-years ahead of many tourists.
That and the basics of greetings ("Bonjour", "Au revoir") and polite conversation ("S'il vous plaît", "Merci", "D'accord"—"OK", "Non, merci") should get you through a lot of conversation. You can (and should!) definitely get more advanced, but that will be enough to show that you're making an effort and will make it much more likely that someone will take pity on you and shift to English.
Oh and you should definitely read Ta-Nehisi Coates over at the Atlantic website on learning how to speak French as an adult. Here's a good place to start.
I'm convinced that this phrase got me good service while in Paris. It accomplished three things. It let various Parisians feel superior (after all, I'd admitted I can't speak their language); it deftly avoided the English-French language choice debate by conceding the battle (albeit in French); and it put the onus on the Parisian as to whether to continue the conversation in English or not. Not once did I have a bad experience with this phrase at hand.
Passive-agressive? Sure. But when in Rome...
Good luck and I hope you have a great time in one of the world's most beautiful cities.
At worst you'll improve your crossword puzzle skills.
For the most part, Parisians we talked to were very helpful, but they are just normal people living their lives. I have a feeling that average Americans expect perfect strangers to bend over backward and smile and help them, but anyone who lives in Seattle knows that's not true. Parisians aren't any different, except they seem to put up with average Americans a lot better than Seattleites do. :-)
I was surprised how much if my high school French came In handy. After a while I was able to understand most people, even the ones making fun of my language speaking skills...
Bonne chance et au boulot!
The French will appreciate anyone who makes an effort to speak their language. At the same time, the French, historically poor in foreign languages themselves, have been on an ever increasing trend of learning English to better compete in the EU, so they both speak better English than they used to, and often like practicing it when they can, which is why so many will gladly respond in English to someone they can tell speaks English.
I used to find that frustrating as I tried to practice my French.
Language can define a people, and French is a beautiful language worth learning. You'll want to feel comfortable enough to talk to people to better enjoy being there, otherwise, you'll not immerse yourself in "being in France" if you're always hoping someone speaks English to you.
So learn or re-learn the basics and don't be afraid to make mistakes, or take it badly when you are corrected (the French love to repeat what you say so you hear it said correctly), and don't judge the French on Parisians alone if you find some to be rude. Many French think they are too!
Have fun!
Where did you get the idea that ASL and LSF (French SL) are "essentially identical"? You have been misinformed. They are not essentially identical.
Google Translate makes kind of a hash of it, so here's the English version:
You can practice the French version (except for the stuff in brackets) here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPi3ZAYev…
"Fuck all that Francis noise, you speak English no?"
or in Germany
"Fuck all that Germaine noise, you speak English?"
Extra terrestrial cetera
Extra terrestrial cetera
ET underground cetera