Learning French - quickly
Discussion
We're off to France (Brive-la-Gaillarde, about 2 hours east of Bordeaux) in a couple of weeks time. Obviously I've left this very late but wondered if there was any website or app etc. which I could use in the meantime to get to basic tourist level French as quickly as possible?
Alternatively, anyone familiar with that sort of area know how much grief we'll get from locals if we don't speak any more than what we remember of high-school French ca. 1992?
Alternatively, anyone familiar with that sort of area know how much grief we'll get from locals if we don't speak any more than what we remember of high-school French ca. 1992?
Standard answer is duolingo app, which gamifies language learning. I don't think you'd ever become a very proficient speaker using duolingo alone, but if you are committed and spend a couple of hours a day (split over 3-4 sessions) then you could easily have more than passable tourist french in a couple of weeks.
I don't know the area you're visiting, but unless it's very rural, most French under the age of 50 speak a decent level of English and if you at least try to start with French, they'll forgive you you lack of skills and switch to English. Some French people can get uppity when Brits just speak loudly at them in English, which is hardly any wonder. Imagine a Frenchman coming to the UK and speaking French loudly to make himself understood? He wouldn't get very far!
I don't know the area you're visiting, but unless it's very rural, most French under the age of 50 speak a decent level of English and if you at least try to start with French, they'll forgive you you lack of skills and switch to English. Some French people can get uppity when Brits just speak loudly at them in English, which is hardly any wonder. Imagine a Frenchman coming to the UK and speaking French loudly to make himself understood? He wouldn't get very far!
Edited by LunarOne on Tuesday 3rd October 11:20
Duolingo is good, but won't get you far in a couple of weeks - there are several YouTube channels where you can find things specific to travel, or eating out etc. Learning phrases as well as just words helps.
Google Translate installed on your phone & French downloaded in case there's no/slow connection
As above, trying is the main thing that is appreciated - it's expecting them to just understand / converse in English that can go down badly.
Google Translate installed on your phone & French downloaded in case there's no/slow connection
As above, trying is the main thing that is appreciated - it's expecting them to just understand / converse in English that can go down badly.
Number 1 rule of being a tourist: always say "Bonjour" when you enter a shop or restaurant. It sounds obvious, but it really is a cornerstone of French courtesy:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
Amateurish said:
Number 1 rule of being a tourist: always say "Bonjour" when you enter a shop or restaurant. It sounds obvious, but it really is a cornerstone of French courtesy:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
This times 100. Even if you are fluent not saying bonjour in any first encounter will get a very poor reaction.https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
Be aware that saying it again for a second time to the same person, later in the day, will also get a bad reaction as it signals that you weren't paying attention the 1st time around
Abbott said:
Amateurish said:
Number 1 rule of being a tourist: always say "Bonjour" when you enter a shop or restaurant. It sounds obvious, but it really is a cornerstone of French courtesy:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
This times 100. Even if you are fluent not saying bonjour in any first encounter will get a very poor reaction.https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
Be aware that saying it again for a second time to the same person, later in the day, will also get a bad reaction as it signals that you weren't paying attention the 1st time around
Expert advice on always starting in French and about only saying 'bonjour' once in the thread.
I have fairly good French, I grew up in France, have an A level and have owned a house there for 16 years. I find that apologising for being English and for not being fluent in French breaks down any barrier.
Install Google Lens on your phone for help translating menus/signs.
Here's some help from a NYC cabbie on French numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH94Lj9xB-c (might not be helpful, but it's funny...)
I have fairly good French, I grew up in France, have an A level and have owned a house there for 16 years. I find that apologising for being English and for not being fluent in French breaks down any barrier.
Install Google Lens on your phone for help translating menus/signs.
Here's some help from a NYC cabbie on French numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH94Lj9xB-c (might not be helpful, but it's funny...)
Yep, 89 works out as four twenty, ten, nine. Takes a bit of getting used to.
OP, you're not going to make much of a dent in it in a few weeks, but the Bonjour/Bonne journee thing is good advice - if you can't speak French, get the French to like you!
Ca va? (savva) is how are you? in effect & will usually elicit ca va bien, merci (I'm good, thanks) little phrases like that are the oil on the wheels of social interaction & will carry you along nicely. Any old basic French phrase book will be full of those & it will go down well if you at least open with a few. Even as a long term speaker, it still annoys me when I get answered in English but there was a time when I was grateful for it.
Also, Truc (trook) meaning thing is a very good catch all for nouns - qu'est-ce que c'est ce truc la? (What's that thing there?) whilst pointing in English.
OP, you're not going to make much of a dent in it in a few weeks, but the Bonjour/Bonne journee thing is good advice - if you can't speak French, get the French to like you!
Ca va? (savva) is how are you? in effect & will usually elicit ca va bien, merci (I'm good, thanks) little phrases like that are the oil on the wheels of social interaction & will carry you along nicely. Any old basic French phrase book will be full of those & it will go down well if you at least open with a few. Even as a long term speaker, it still annoys me when I get answered in English but there was a time when I was grateful for it.
Also, Truc (trook) meaning thing is a very good catch all for nouns - qu'est-ce que c'est ce truc la? (What's that thing there?) whilst pointing in English.
Thanks all, will get in about Duolingo.
Last time I was in France was Paris in 2011, seem to recall them being a bit frosty when I asked (in French) if they spoke English, could just be Parisians though. As an absolute minimum when I go anywhere that English is not the native language, I do try and make sure I can at the very least greet someone and ask politely if they can speak English. Can do that already but happy to try and get some bonus points...
Last time I was in France was Paris in 2011, seem to recall them being a bit frosty when I asked (in French) if they spoke English, could just be Parisians though. As an absolute minimum when I go anywhere that English is not the native language, I do try and make sure I can at the very least greet someone and ask politely if they can speak English. Can do that already but happy to try and get some bonus points...
8bit said:
.....seem to recall them being a bit frosty when I asked (in French) if they spoke English......
The worst thing is just speaking English and assuming, second worst is asking, you're still expecting to converse in your language in their country. Much better just to try to keep speaking French, no matter how badly and using Google or phrase books.As above, most who can speak English will just reply to you in English rather than put up with the pain....
Sorry to hijack a thread.
I was in Paris over the weekend, and a French lady in the elevator was trying to say something to me> I've tried googling but imagine you need the correct spelling of the word!
It was like 'marican' and she put her hand on her chest as if to say she was/is this? I thought she was saying her name so said 'J'mapelle ABC321' but she said no and said 'j'mapelle Nadia..more words I didn't understand.. Marican'
I was in Paris over the weekend, and a French lady in the elevator was trying to say something to me> I've tried googling but imagine you need the correct spelling of the word!
It was like 'marican' and she put her hand on her chest as if to say she was/is this? I thought she was saying her name so said 'J'mapelle ABC321' but she said no and said 'j'mapelle Nadia..more words I didn't understand.. Marican'
Im 53 days in to duolingo learning german, im going to complete the course just out of principal but for learning key phrases/sentences in 2 weeks id pick sentences and words youd need and revise them.
Duolingo is good but after 53 days im on the present tense section and its ich koche sehr gut und meine vater ist schauspieler,nothing that useful. Yes i can say wo ist der bahnof?ist der bahnof in der nahe oder da druben? But theres a lot of random crap in between, apolpgies if ive missed symbols or mispelled.
Duolingo is good but after 53 days im on the present tense section and its ich koche sehr gut und meine vater ist schauspieler,nothing that useful. Yes i can say wo ist der bahnof?ist der bahnof in der nahe oder da druben? But theres a lot of random crap in between, apolpgies if ive missed symbols or mispelled.
Das ist sehr gut. It looks like crap at this point but it's important as it's teaching you things like sentence structure. If you do some of the practices you'll start getting more complex sentences and knowing the order of the words will become increasingly important. You'll start to come across newer words and it'll be obvious where they'll go in existing structures. It does make sense, might not look like it yet though!
Michel Thomas is good for this sort of thing. Especially when you know a bit anyway but are rusty.
I stayed near Brive once. Pleasant enough place, though no real reason to go there, but that has its merits too. Within some sort of striking distance : Rocamadour for cheese, Cahors for wine, the Auvergne mountains and if you want a bit of (not fun) WW2 history, Oradour sur Glane.
Nice duck round there too.
I stayed near Brive once. Pleasant enough place, though no real reason to go there, but that has its merits too. Within some sort of striking distance : Rocamadour for cheese, Cahors for wine, the Auvergne mountains and if you want a bit of (not fun) WW2 history, Oradour sur Glane.
Nice duck round there too.
I found this app to be really useful on my phone. At least it shows you are trying!
https://www.deepl.com/translator
https://www.deepl.com/translator
Abbott said:
Amateurish said:
Number 1 rule of being a tourist: always say "Bonjour" when you enter a shop or restaurant. It sounds obvious, but it really is a cornerstone of French courtesy:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
Be aware that saying it again for a second time to the same person, later in the day, will also get a bad reaction as it signals that you weren't paying attention the 1st time aroundhttps://www.thelocal.fr/20171208/11-everyday-momen...
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