French language

[Trevor Wbm]

And you think it's only French? Errr.... Heard of black foot people? Have a look on wiki if not. Just imagine a mix of Italian, Spanish, and French and you might have an idea of what black foot people sound like! Then add gesticulation multiplied by 3 ... Get the whole pic? ... Careful what you're gonna say now, because ..I am one of them

I imagine if you stood close to them, they would keep you cool in Summer. J'imagine que si vous vous teniez près d'eux, ils vous garderaient au frais en été.

 

[yodeli]

I imagine if you stood close to them, they would keep you cool in Summer. J'imagine que si vous vous teniez près d'eux, ils vous garderaient au frais en été.

Qui ça, eux?
Trevor Wbm edit: Is it a google translation or is it you who did it? I can tell you that most French people would have made a mistake here, while you put it correctly

 

[Trevor Wbm]

Qui ça, eux?
Trevor Wbm edit: Is it a google translation or is it you who did it? I can tell you that most French people would have made a mistake here, while you put it correctly

I often use Google, but then check to see if it looks right and sometimes change it. This one looked right. I can not take credit.

 

[jongood]

I often use Google, but then check to see if it looks right and sometimes change it. This one looked right. I can not take credit.

I do that a lot, also try to type it instead of copying and pasting so maybe retain more.

I always check google translate, especially since the time I was asking a german motorhome dealer for details and managed to ask him 'what size the panzers were'

 

[yodeli]

I can not take credit.

Sorry, I don't get this sentence. I mean , I understand every single word, but can't "feel" what it means in this context. Can you explain or put it some other way please? Thanks
Edit: Can it be "I can't rely on it" ?

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[SpeedyDux]

I don't, I was a strong supporter of the OAS. It just remind me of these lives lost for nothing...

My uncle was an active member of the OAS. I wish he had told us more about his exploits while he was alive. He was ex-Foreign Legion, afraid of nobody, and hard as nails. RIP Eugene.

 

[Trevor Wbm]

Sorry, I don't get this sentence. I mean , I understand every single word, but can't "feel" what it means in this context. Can you explain or put it some other way please? Thanks
Edit: Can it be "I can't rely on it" ?

I meant my grammatical correctness was from Google, not because of any linguistic skill.

Credit is money, but we also give 'credit', meaning respect, to people who do good things.

 

[The Wino]

My uncle was an active member of the OAS. I wish he had told us more about his exploits while he was alive. He was ex-Foreign Legion, afraid of nobody, and hard as nails. RIP Eugene.

I suspect there are a lot of people who were involved at the sharp end who are just glad that the next generation didn't have to go through the same thing.

 

[Puddleduck]

I took French at school and college up to A level, passed except for the aural. I knew I had no chance of passing that. No confidence. Besides I'd found girls! I returned to it in my late 70s with the U3A. Still no confidence. Not helped by the continual "Quoi??" of the French when I do try. Maybe I'm wasting my time. But I can read and understand (mostly). And the local French group are super and great friends.

I always start by saying

Excuse moi, je parle Francais comme une petite enfant.

Sorry to strangle that yodeli but I am using my phone and it's hard enough to type in English!!!

Generally I have found (with the exception of Paris, often Parisians are just as rude as Londoners) people are more than happy to help if one tries.

My uncle always appeared to think that when abroad one should shout louder in English if not understood rather than apologise for your poor language skills and actually try to communicate in a civil manner.

 

[The Wino]

I always start by saying

Excuse moi, je parle Francais comme une petite enfant.

Sorry to strangle that yodeli but I am using my phone and it's hard enough to type in English!!!

Generally I have found (with the exception of Paris, often Parisians are just as rude as Londoners) people are more than happy to help if one tries.

My uncle always appeared to think that when abroad one should shout louder in English if not understood rather than apologise for your poor language skills and actually try to communicate in a civil manner.

I think you're uncle is in pretty good company there I suspect the fact that English ( largely American English!) is so widely spoken makes us a lazy nation when it comes to other languages. I suppose at least most of us know roughly where other places in the world are unlike it seems many Americans!

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[SpeedyDux]

I always start by saying

Excuse moi, je parle Francais comme une petite enfant.

Sorry to strangle that yodeli but I am using my phone and it's hard enough to type in English!!!

Generally I have found (with the exception of Paris, often Parisians are just as rude as Londoners) people are more than happy to help if one tries.

My uncle always appeared to think that when abroad one should shout louder in English if not understood rather than apologise for your poor language skills and actually try to communicate in a civil manner.

The provincial French also share your view of Parisians!

 

[SpeedyDux]

I suspect there are a lot of people who were involved at the sharp end who are just glad that the next generation didn't have to go through the same thing.

One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. It's just a somewhat obscure part of my family history now.

 

[phil1946]

I left school in 1964 and, other than several 'booze cruises' in the 80s have not spoken French since but I do remember enough to get by.

I say 'excuse-moi', they move and I get by!

 

[ChrisSue]

Oh I love that line Je parle Francais comme un enfant. I'm going to couple that with "aussi je suis un peu sourd (point to hearing aid) s'il vous plait parler lentement et distinctement". Merci yodeli

 

[yodeli]

s'il vous plait parler

I would say "Merci de parler lentement et distinctement"

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[ChrisSue]

Merci yodeli tu as m'aider encore

 

[yodeli]

Merci yodeli tu as m'aider encore

And here, it should go, merci de m'avoir encore aidé (aidée, if a woman)
For the first one I should explain: When you want to use S'il vous plait, then you should use you+ verb which gives S'il vous plait pourriez-vous parler lentement et distinctement.
If you want Merci to start with, then there's no "you" you just use infinitive (if you're familiar with grammar terms) which gives Merci de m'avoir encore aidé

 

[hja]

Now I know why I am so worried about going to France again. We used to go to Europe regularly but haven’t been for years. As we gat older I think we worry more about what could go wrong, and being stuck in a country where you can’t speak the language. I was taught French at school and failed o level twice, despite passing all my other o levels. Have done various courses since, evening school, self taught tapes, duolingo etc. Nothing really works. I can sort of cope with simple written French, as long as I have a dictionary, but other than one or two basic phrases I am absolutely lost when it comes to spoken French.
Much of the linguistics within this thread goes straight over my head.
I have downloaded google translate onto my phone, and can just about use it to translate a piece of writing, but cant work out how to use it for spoken language.

 

[yodeli]

Now I know why I am so worried about going to France again. We used to go to Europe regularly but haven’t been for years. As we gat older I think we worry more about what could go wrong, and being stuck in a country where you can’t speak the language. I was taught French at school and failed o level twice, despite passing all my other o levels. Have done various courses since, evening school, self taught tapes, duolingo etc. Nothing really works. I can sort of cope with simple written French, as long as I have a dictionary, but other than one or two basic phrases I am absolutely lost when it comes to spoken French.
Much of the linguistics within this thread goes straight over my head.
I have downloaded google translate onto my phone, and can just about use it to translate a piece of writing, but cant work out how to use it for spoken language.

Don't worry. As I've said and done many times, if you are in troubles in France just let me know. I can give you my mobile number in a PM and all you have to do is say in a text "funster in trouble" and that's it, I'll be by your side with anything going wrong on this soil. I have my mobile nearly all the time with me. Only time I might not see your text is from 1.30pm to 4.30/5.00 while on silence because of the toddlers'afternoon nap. So relax. Enjoy your little French with 2 bières s'il vous plait... or une baguette et 2 croissants s'il vous plait... and rely on me for the difficult bit!
Oh and I do sleep at night time... well when no cheeky member of the stadium doesn't wake me up for whatever silly reason that is

 

[jongood]

I think you're uncle is in pretty good company there I suspect the fact that English ( largely American English!) is so widely spoken makes us a lazy nation when it comes to other languages. I suppose at least most of us know roughly where other places in the world are unlike it seems many Americans!

Imo English is more widely spoken because its much easier to learn: There is only one way to say " an old table" in English. If I want to say it in French I have to consider both the gender of the table and the gender of the adjective, so I have 3 chances of getting it wrong.

Dont think it matters? I had a brain fart the other day and asked for un Baguette, cue blank faces.....

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[hja]

Don't worry. As I've said and done many times, if you are in troubles in France just let me know. I can give you my mobile number in a PM and all you have to do is say in a text "funster in trouble" and that's it, I'll be by your side with anything going wrong on this soil. I have my mobile nearly all the time with me. Only time I might not see your text is from 1.30pm to 4.30/5.00 while on silence because of the toddlers'afternoon nap. So relax. Enjoy your little French with 2 bières s'il vous plait... or une baguette et 2 croissants s'il vous plait... and rely on me for the difficult bit!
Oh and I do sleep at night time... well when no cheeky member of the stadium doesn't wake me up for whatever silly reason that is

Thank you so much.

 

[yodeli]

I'll be by your side with anything going wrong

Oops... I think I should have said FOR ... Sowwy!

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Can anyone tell me of any French language camping-car forums (the French equivalent of Fun in other words)?

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

!

Amicalement
Frankie

Thanks Frankie, yes that sounds pretty useful!

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

If any of you have any trouble of any kind with French folk I suggest you ask Chris for help...

JJ

And what will Chris do about them?

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[JJ]

And what will Chris do about them?

Whoosh!

JJ

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Especially if its a French man squeezing in too close on an Aire, I am told they like to cuddle up even if there's loads of spaces empty.
Bon Voyage, Mange Tout, and all that.
LES

You might find this phrase useful then: faites-moi un câlin

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

As you might know , I bring up in English the children I mind (from 2 months to 3y old)

I hope you use better diction, bring up in English sounds like some sort of vomit d'anglais .

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

I’ve learnt more in 200 days of Duolingo than I did in 5 years at school.
I also like Thomas on Français Immersion on YouTube. He is a bit annoying at first but you end up liking him

Thanks for the reference. There is so much great content and so many useful apps that it is vastly easier to learn a language now that it was at school. There's 100s of youtube videos, on best language learning practice. I can see me struggling with understanding spoken French but I am starting to enjoy being able to read a bit.

I have a couple of hard copies of le monde du camping-car magazine and I have just started using google translate or reverso context and the camera feature to get a rough translation of a page of the magazine and that helps me gradually expand my van vocab.

Das Deutsch next viellieicht!

 

[Nyvern]

Can anyone tell me of any French language camping-car forums (the French equivalent of Fun in other words)?

You could try this one:https://www.campingcar-bricoloisirs.net

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