Be Polite and Courteous! by longsanborn
I've heard that the French don't like to speak in English. Well, do you blame them? English is not their language after all. Well, for a tourist like me who could barely speak French, I learn a few basic french words to be polite. How polite you are in French to the Parisians will most likely determine how polite and helpful they will be to you. Every time you meet someone french, begin the greeting with "Bonjour" and when your conversation is finished and you are ready to leave, end the conversation with either "Merci. Au revoir, Monsieur/Madame". In the evening, you say "Bon soir ". Saying goodbye at night is "Bon nuit".
In my experience, when I tried to ask questions in my very bad broken French, the Parisians will resignly asked me to revert to English ~ just so I don't destroy or blasphemize with their lovely language more... LOL !!