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Not surprisingly, the French language is an important aspect of the French culture and their national identity.
Trying to learn at least a few phrases and using them will take you very far in interacting with locals. "Hey pal, you speak English" is not going to elicit the most positive response! The vast majority of the French speak excellent English, but they really appreciate when you at least make an attempt at communicating in the local language. But don't worry about needing to get through an entire conversation. Upon hearing that you are foreign, most will switch to English.
The website below is one (of many) in which you can find a few basic phrases that will prove very useful in Paris. Leave a Comment
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Je parle le francais un petit (I speak a little French)
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You don't need to know fluent French in order to get around in Paris. I think not knowing French scares alot of tourists but this intimidation is unfounded really.
I believe it's because the French are very proud of their language and really they do not visit other countries and expect the natives to speak French to them. Therefore, they expect visitors to reciprocate.
Believe it or not, a simple "Bonjour madame" or a "Bonsoir monsieur" will be appreciated and you will find that the Parisians open up more to you. Be sure to say these greetings when entering any store, hotel, restaurant, anywhere. It is a matter of politesse too. The French are very formal and polite so they expect that you should be polite as well.
Do not ever launch into any conversation in English immediately. Instead politely ask "Bonjour madame/monsieur, parle vous Anglais?". Most times the person does know English but if not will be glad to help you out in any way he/she can. But not if you are rude and expect him/her to speak English to you immediately-you might receive a chilly reaction! Leave a Comment
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Before our trip, my daughter and I both read French or Foe by Polly Platt. A very informative book about the French. We both tried to always speak French when asking for directions etc. We found almost everyone spoke English back, but they appreciated our attempts. Most menus had an English translation as well. We found everyone to be most helpful and polite. An employee at the post office got all 20 postcard stamps for me from the machine. (I never would have figured that out) and the uniformed doorman at the Musee D'Orsay knelt down and buttoned my granddaughter's coat for her! The French LOVE well behaved children. They went out of their way to assist us. Because we had a collapsible stroller (which my granddaughter had no intention of using - left it in the hotel after that ), we were ushered to a separate entrance and were wisked down to the bottom of the pyramid at the Louvre ahead of everyone!
If you go EXPECTING them to speak English, you are going to be disappointed. When in Rome.... Other Contact: The book French or Foe and Savoi
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My French is horrible, but I've never been subjected to the alleged rudeness of Parisians.
I've found that there's a sentence that unlocks French friendliness:
"Excusez moi, j'ai un problem>."
When they say, "Oui?"
I say, "En Englais, s'il vous plait?"
They say, "Oui"
And we move forward in English.
I'm not even sure that the grammar (gender etc) is correct, but it's always worked.
In fact, I tested it once in Bon Marche. The first time I used the phrase, and the help was immediate and friendly.
The second time, I just said, "Bonjour" and then, "Je ne parle pas Francais..." and there was a distinct difference. Leave a Comment
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 by Arial_27
1. Quelle heure est-il? = What time is it?
2. Je voudrais___s'il vous plait. = I would like___please.
3. Je prends un chocolat chaud = I'll have a hot chocolat
4. Ca coute combien? = How much does this cost?
5. Vous fermez a quelle heure? = What time do you close at?
6. Parlez-vous anglais? = Do you speak English?
7. Prenez vous des cartes de credit? = Do you accept credit cards?
8. Je ne comprends pas = I don't understand
9. Combien = How much
10. Aujourd'hui, demain, hier = Today, tomorrow, yesterday
11. Comment allez-vous = How are you?
12. Merci, pardon, excusez-moi = Thank you, pardon me, excuse me
If you really think you want to learn French, I would recommend the "10 Minutes a Day Series." It helped me learn German, when I bought the German version. They come with stickers, flashcards, and are very easy to learn from. You can buy them at any Chapters, and in most bookstores. They're available in several differnt languages. They cost just under $20 CAN. If you want to order one, here are the numbers. You can also visit their website. Leave a Comment
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 Be polite.... or else.. by davequ
Every time you encounter someone you meet or do business/pleasure with, begin the conversation with "Bonjour" and when your conversation is finished and you are ready to leave, end the conversation with either "Merci. Au revoir, monsieur." or a less formal "Merci, bonjour."
"Bon soir " if the sun has gone down..
It doesn't matter if you just saw or spoke to that person half an hour ago.... do it every time.
Everyone except intimate/close friends is to be addressed formally as "Madame, Monsieur, vous", etc.)
Please (sil vous plait ) and thanks (merci ) cannot be over-used.
I try never to initiate a conversation in Paris without first saying:
"Excusez-moi de vous deranger" ("Excuse me for bothering you")
and I almost never fail to actually get giggles, even hugs, and lots of extra warmth, help & attention when I tell someone who assists me how kind/pleasant/helpful
"Vous etes tres aimable"
or how kind/nice they are (if they really go out of their way for me):
"Merci, c'est tre gentil de votre part. "
Granted the usage above is my terrible french, but even the most tourist-hardened Parisian citizens and merchants seem to melt & "light up" just because of the effort.
Using polite, formal conversation seasoned with lots of sil vous plaits and mercis will grease the wheels greatly for you.
Here are some excellent videos
that literally spoonfeed you all you need to know.
If you practice the phrases listed at the video link above or the website below on this tip, I think you will find out how truly polite, helpful, and special Parisians are.
Bonne chance! Leave a Comment
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Ederly people don't speak English, but younger (let say 50's) speak English.
The younger they are, the better they speak foreign languages including/especially English.
So if you talk in English, most of the time they'll really try their best to understand you and to answer your questions.
BUT
Sometimes, they don't understand very well English and they don't want to concentrate a little bit. So they wan foreigner to try and speak a little of French... a lot of French.
Just bring you Frenc book with you ;-)
Eve if you don't speak French, French people (unlike anybody in the world) appreciate when you say just a few words, whihc you learned before you left your country.
No matter if you don't speak properly, nationals (in any country in the world) always love to hear foreigners talk their language. It's cute, and that makes them keener to help, because you made the effort to learn some words from the coutrny where you're going ! Leave a Comment
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 on the music day by marimar_72
Hehehe,if you can take a crash course in French before travelling to France I`m sure it would help you a lot ;-) Leave a Comment
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 In Paris by Sagespot
I'll say that I've not encountered that to this extreme before. Normally I'll try and mutter my way through a sentence then collapse into some sort of half English, half guidebook grammar, but in Paris it was different. I tried, and tried hard. It paid off.
As my friend said, French people are not rude, they are proud and shy. The are proud of their culture and lifestyle, of their language, and they should be! Not many travelers nowadays realize that before English was the "official language of the modern world" it was French. The French remember this. We should as well.
So take some time before you leave and download one of those free podcasts of French lessons. I promise it will help you out. Leave a Comment
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I went to France to learn French and I wanted to use it as much as possible. But so often I got English back. I just pressed on with my beginner's French anyway. So it is not always true that the French want you to speak French. I think that may be an idea left over from the old days.
This is an interesting fact that I read in a French paper. The French speak the poorest English in all of Europe because the requirements to teach English in the schools is so stringent, that is, they must almost perfectly pass a French language test (not English, go figure) that no nonFrench mother tongue person can pass it. Thus all the English teachers in France, according to this article, are French mother tongue speakers. If any of you had a person, whose mother tongue was Enlish, teach you French in grade and highschool, as I did, you know how that goes.
The French school I attended while in Paris was Ecole Eiffel. It was very small and a very good environment. Not too expensive. Leave a Comment
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