I don't speak the lingo!

[BobtheBass]

Just make sure you don't do what I did this year when I asked a baker for two boats! Instead of deux baguettes for some reason I said deux bateaux.........

 

[hilldweller]

Hi There the course I have is learn French with Paul Noble it was recomended to me, I just think I need to try a bit harder

These courses are fine, BUT, once you get hit by full on full speed French you/we are more or less stuffed. You will ask the right question, but you'll not pick up the reply. So you need to keep it simple.

We survived on a little phrase book, just learn the essentials, like le plein ( fill her up ), ne marche pas ( it won't work, particularly credit cards ).

Look on a French campsite for words you need there, you can usually flick English/French, try the price list, for days/pitch etc. Scribble a few notes.

You will survive.

 

[two]

Just make sure you don't do what I did this year when I asked a baker for two boats! Instead of deux baguettes for some reason I said deux bateaux.........

..and what did you get (it could've been worse)?

 

[Steve N Tracy]

We just use a universal translator if we get stuck, they are called a Dutchman.

 

[Tea Bag]

Hi.
I posted this before somewhere,i wanted to find an Auction house near Poitier,that sold old furniture for the daughters old cottage,having been tipped off by a Yorkshire Notaire?/estate agent in Civray.Off we trundle,get nearby,as i thought, to the area,No joy,even with mime so...."La Crayon?,Paper? I then drew,a Table and chairs,wardrobe and bed etc. . The chap said Aaaaaaaargh Monsieur and started with hand signs for left and right......... Result? Well,we did lefts and rights and came to.............. An Hotel! We still curl up laughing when thinking about this 24 years later. Love France,could live there no problem.
Tea Bag

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[MitchandJenny]

Go to your local library and ask for a simple French course on CD.. You then get the pronunciation.
I did this with French, Spanish and Greek.
Bon chance..
Mitch.

 

[MitchandJenny]

On our first visit to Spain we met some Ausies Helen and Chris who were motor homing like us and wanted to try a Piella.
We went to a small bar and the lady drew on a napkin little pictures of shrimps and squid and mussels and we all said "yes please" it turned out to be fabulous...
Great fun.
Mitch.

 

[JJ]

The reception I get from the locals when I apologise to them and explain, in Portuguese, that I don't speak Portuguese very well is amazing.

I get huge smiles and laughter at my bad pronunciation but mostly amazement at finding a Brit trying to speak their language.

Word of warning re the Duo Lingo app and Portuguse. It is a brilliant system but sadly they only have Brazilian Portuguese and not the proper one. Many words and most pronunciation is different...

Sad but true.

JJ

 

[appydaze]

Dont, for Gods sake, ask them if they speak English they dont like it..... they will say, why should I speak English ... I am in France.


You can understand this..... If you were walking down the high street and a stranger came up to you and said ...do you speak French... Well you would think , whose this mad f***er....

 

[pappajohn]

Or should I just point to what I want hold my fingers up for the amount I want in shops and hand over my wallet for them to take the correct money?

That doesnt always work...
My sis in law married a Spaniard and moved there speaking no Spanish.
She wanted carrots so in the store she pointed at carrots and held up five fingers.
She got five kilos of carrots not realising in this store they were sold by the kilo.
Of course she didnt know how to correct the mistake.
After 50 odd years she now speaks fluent Spanish with the correct regional accent and has to think to speak english.

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[two]

But has she finished the carrots yet?

 

[Ex-caravantugger]

A few years ago we were in France en-route (see how it slips in) and got stopped to allow the Tour de France through. We could here all the commotion ahead as it was a fine day. We had stopped behind a local and exchanged bonjours. At that moment a young lad came down the hill past us on a bike going the other way. "Peut-etre il est perdu" said I (perhaps he is lost). The Frenchman roared with laughter and we parted the best of friends. So you see, with a bit of practice you can even tell jokes to the locals.
Some lovely replies on this post. I once remember greeting the owner of a restaurant "Bonjour Monsieur". It was a lady but she laughed just the same.
Regards, Mike
(French O level 1964)

 

[yodeli]

A few years ago we were in France en-route (see how it slips in) and got stopped to allow the Tour de France through. We could here all the commotion ahead as it was a fine day. We had stopped behind a local and exchanged bonjours. At that moment a young lad came down the hill past us on a bike going the other way. "Peut-etre il est perdu" said I (perhaps he is lost). The Frenchman roared with laughter and we parted the best of friends. So you see, with a bit of practice you can even tell jokes to the locals.
Some lovely replies on this post. I once remember greeting the owner of a restaurant "Bonjour Monsieur". It was a lady but she laughed just the same.
Regards, Mike
(French O level 1964)

Are you sure he was French ? lol. I'd say "Peut-être QU'il est perdu.... But well why not...nobody's perfect !

 

[JJ]

La plume de ma tante est rouge...

JJ

 

[yodeli]

There are just two "types" of French people:

Mostly they will ignore your attempts to speak French as they like to show you how good their English is.
or
They expect everyone to be French fluent and will have no sympathy with stupid Rosbeefs.

But be sure to be fluent enough for the basic greetings, thanks and farewells.

Errrrr... Am I supposed to understand then that I belong to the first group? I actually speak more English than French on here... don't I ?

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[pyro]

A smile, an attempt at a greeting in the foreign language and an apology from the outset almost always elicits a smile in return. It has very seldom failed me, and I have almost always found people ready to help me find the right words. And that applies almost everywhere (my only exception being in Belarus). Do your best, and they will reciprocate.

The smile and a small amount of humility will get you around the world and make many friends on the way. My greatest difficulty is to try to get others to stop practicing their English on us

 

[yodeli]

The reception I get from the locals when I apologise to them and explain, in Portuguese, that I don't speak Portuguese very well is amazing.

I get huge smiles and laughter at my bad pronunciation but mostly amazement at finding a Brit trying to speak their language.

Word of warning re the Duo Lingo app and Portuguse. It is a brilliant system but sadly they only have Brazilian Portuguese and not the proper one. Many words and most pronunciation is different...

Sad but true.

JJ

Sorry my Prince but ... here too

 

[Riverbankannie]

My frustration is when I take the trouble to look up and learn the word for something. Go in the shop or restaurant and exchange pleasantries etc then ask for what I want. I get a "don't know what you are on about" shrug, I try again, again no recognition of word. I point to what I want and they say ah ...."French word". It always sounds EXACTLY like the word I was saying to them.
Funny.....I don't have same trouble understanding English in their French accents!

 

[hilldweller]

After 50 odd years she now speaks fluent Spanish with the correct regional accent and has to think to speak english.

You've seen his avatar, sure as hell he's not got that long.

 

[Ex-caravantugger]

Are you sure he was French ? lol. I'd say "Peut-être QU'il est perdu.... But well why not...nobody's perfect !

then you will probably know the French for smart arse (lol)

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[Rob and Val]

Hi, @Brakers

We used the Paul Noble CDs, same as you, and learned a lot more useful French from them than from any other source. It is difficult at first and you won't remember everything at first listening. However, on the second and third listening it all seems so much easier.

If you really want to make progress then you will have to put some time aside - even if it's only half an hour - every day. If you only spend one day a week learning then that won't work so well because by next week you will have forgotten what you learned this week!

Buy yourself a dictionary (Collins is very good) and a pocket-size notebook and write down words and phrases that you are likely to want, for example: -
oui = yes
non = no
peut-être = maybe
s'il vous plaît = please
merci = thanks, thank you
bonjour = hello (used during the morning and afternoon)
bonsoir = good evening
comment ça va? = how are you?
très bien, merci = I'm fine, thanks
excusez-moi = excuse me
aidez-moi, s'il vous plaît = please help me
je suis perdu / nous sommes perdus = I'm lost / we're lost
désolé or pardon = Sorry
je parle juste un peu français = I only speak very little French
je ne comprends pas = I don't understand

Just knowing these very basic words and phrases and smiling will get a far better response than if you speak no French at all. Good luck!

 

[yodeli]

Kids learn languages quite early these days

Yep

Baby's Clever Facebook : don't need to be on FB to read it .... Ok didn't update it for at least 8 months now...just no time! lol)

 

[yodeli]

then you will probably know the French for smart arse (lol)

Ben oui , je sais ce qu'est un trou du cul ou toute autre chose de similaire !

 

[yodeli]

It always sounds EXACTLY like the word I was saying to them.

I'm going to give you a little trick : Forget about tonic accent which points you out straight away as an English.
You must talk on one single tone line

Example MARvellous English way

Merveilleux: mer ve illeux French way

 

[PhilG]

Go to Germany, they don't pretend to not speak English there.

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[Jaws]

Yes, no, hello, goodbye, thank you, please ae about all we get by on !
I have found 'kaput' pretty universal if something is either broken or will not work :-0

 

[pappajohn]

But has she finished the carrots yet?

After 50 odd years i would expect she has

 

[Jaws]

Go to Germany, they don't pretend to not speak English there.

Dunno how you can say that !
All the German folk I know speak at the very least a BIG smattering of English, while many ( even the crumb snatchers aged 8 on ) speak very good English
I have often been told by German friends that I really should not try and speak German as it is so poor they reallt struggle to understand what I am saying ! ( 6 years of German at school.. Absolute waste of time for me )

 

[pappajohn]

If you cant make yourself understood.....SHOUT LOUDED !

 

[Brakers]

Peut-être QU'il est perdu

That seems better "Maybe HE is lost" not that I knew just entered it into a web translator.

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