anyone learning French?

[MisterB]

we have been watching a few learn french programmes via youtube, particularly Frenchpod101 - Lya's style is fun and quirky - we dont want to be fluent but its nice to know a bit more then we currently do.

 

[Mickthemove]

I use learn french with Alexa on you tube, English based french lady who is very watchable, i joined her community (£100)to support her a bit more and that gave me access to hundreds of great lessons although she has hundreds of free ones on youtube as well . I would recommend

 

[yodeli]

anyone learning French?

Yep! Every single day!

If you want some teaching time... I have skype , whatsapp, viber! Plenty of time on my hands... And I'm FREE !

Tell me what subjects you're interesting in: Motorhoming? Restaurants, bars, campsites? Police and gendarmes.... Whatever you want to try to speak about ... Je suis là !

 

[JohnJan]

We're working our way through the Paul Noble French course in anticipation of our next trip over, hopefully sooner than later!

 

[Spriddler]

Chris can probably teach you all you need to know in a short course of about 10 seconds.

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[ChrisSue]

Whenever we are there I try my best and the locals respond in English. It makes me think my French is comparable to that of Arthur Bostrom in Allo Allo!
Having said that in Toulouse when we were there in February a helpful local was giving us directions and it sounded like Occitan.

 

[yodeli]

Having said that in Toulouse when we were there in February a helpful local was giving us directions and it sounded like Occitan.

You must be quite good at French then if you can recognise the sound of Occitan! I can't do it...I recognise the Toulouse local accent BAM having been there for the last 58 years.
I can tell Alexa is French though, and she has a (slight but noticeable) French acccent. Just listened to the beginning of the 13th lesson.

 

[Spriddler]

When I'm speaking French I'm occasionally asked if I'm Belgian which I find a rather back-handed compliment as it reminds me of when I worked in Belgium and when problems occurred a French colleague used to say it wasn't surprising as it was a Belgian who invented the toilet seat but a Frenchman who had the idea to put a hole in the middle. (How we laughed).

 

[Skez]

Doing half an hour on the free version of Duolingo every day (you just have to tolerate some adverts!).
Jo is a complete beginner and picking it up really well. I did A Level French 40 years ago and am very very rusty (but fluent after a bottle of red!!)

It's working for us.

 

[TerryL]

I was once told I speak better French than I think I do after a heated argument with a gendarme on a French motorway - I only gave up when he pulled his gun.........!

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[The Coops]

I can't tell the difference between regional accents other than some seem more guttural and some more lilting like Welsh, English Scottish and Irish but apparently the accent in the Pas de Calais/Belgian border sounds like Geordie! Oui /Non?

 

[ChrisSue]

We shall be there this afternoon.

We will never know Chris as that was today’s performance. That was close to perfection. As we know, tomorrow (or next week) is a different day. Wales May win tomorrow AND next week but today they’d have been hammered. Fact. We may well have peaked too soon. We shall see.

Well, that’s a piece of cake.......

You must be quite good at French then if you can recognise the sound of Occitan! I can't do it...I recognise the Toulouse local accent BAM having been there for the last 58 years.
I can tell Alexa is French though, and she has a (slight but noticeable) French acccent. Just listened to the beginning of the 13th lesson.

Ah I assumed Occitan but bow to your local knowledge. Did chuckle in Carcassone when the waiter confirmed the next tables steak as "a pointu"

 

[ChrisSue]

Geez where did those other quotes come from lol

 

[yodeli]

"a pointu"

This is Parisian accent

 

[ChrisSue]

PM coming

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[MisterB]

I use learn french with Alexa on you tube, English based french lady who is very watchable, i joined her community (£100)to support her a bit more and that gave me access to hundreds of great lessons although she has hundreds of free ones on youtube as well . I would recommend

Just looked at Alexa on YouTube. Thanks, great link !

 

[JJ]

I think Chris nearly fluent...

JJ

 

[spitfire]

Still after 16 years of living here ! Always something new to absorb lol

 

[M-J]

Easier to speak to the French in English but slowly and very loud.

 

[yodeli]

Easier to speak to the French in English but slowly and very loud.

LOL .... do you think we are all deaf???

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[yodeli]

Belgian

Belgian ... probably . Pas de Calais , don't know , never heard the local accent.
There is one simple explanation for that. Belgian (and Swiss and French canadian) have "waves" in their way of speaking. And this is a bit similar to English tonic accent. There is NO tonic accent in French. Take the word Confortable = Comfortable
English : COM..fortable 1st syllabus has the tonic accent
French: con..for..ta..ble : None in french and got to be pronounced on the very same tone

Go to Google translate. Enter Comfortable and ask for the french equivalent
Then click on the speaker in each language and listen to both pronounciations. You will hear the difference

Now a different TONE can be given to a word, but this is only according to the person's mood. Face and body and hands languages will make the difference. This is mainly why we know it is an English person speaking to us in French.