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This was always my perception and understanding throughout the years; that foreigners (but in particular Americans) just could not speak French well enough to be easily understood. That instead, they would prefer you don't speak to them at all if you could not be fluent and understood. But again as I say it was only what I had heard from well travelled family members.
Does it irritate French people when someone tries to speak the French language?
So when speaking to a Frenchman, your safest bet may be to try some of your best French and throw in some practiced phrases about your ambition to become fluent in his beautiful language, and how sorry you are for any mistakes you may make. If you need to speak English in his country, have the courtesy to ask whether he minds first.
This was always my perception and understanding throughout the years; that foreigners (but in particular Americans) just could not speak French well enough to be easily understood. That instead, they would prefer you don't speak to them at all if you could not be fluent and understood. But again as I say it was only what I had heard from well travelled family members.
Does it irritate French people when someone tries to speak the French language?
So when speaking to a Frenchman, your safest bet may be to try some of your best French and throw in some practiced phrases about your ambition to become fluent in his beautiful language, and how sorry you are for any mistakes you may make. If you need to speak English in his country, have the courtesy to ask whether he minds first.
That's because you haven't heard Russians speaking it. Yet. So wait and see)))
I know what a Russian speaking French sound like you know and it's very nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by erasure
Well, start somewhere...Somehow.
(Otherwise you'll have to speak English till the rest of your life. While in France.)
In fact I'm disgusted with some answers on the link. No French people don't want to mock you if you make a mistake when speaking, no French people aren't mourning their ancient glory and crying because English is now the lengua franca of the world (this stereotype there make me want to kill someone though).
So have I, in fact -- lots more American man/French woman relationships. I lived in Paris for almost 3 years. All told, there's actually a fair amount of romancing between the two countries (male or female, gay or straight). SuomiReader's crack about American men not being imaginative in bed is hilarious. Here's a Finn -- someone from a country whose men are considered to be among the most unattractive in the West -- taking a swipe at American men, who are actually considered to be rather desirable in France. No American or Canadian man I ever met in Paris had problems in that regard, even middle-aged men.
I lived in France for a few years (Paris in particular), did not notice that at all.
Come to think of it, the American men I knew doing well in Paris were typically of minority groups, black guys in particular and some Asians too.
I lived in France for a few years (Paris in particular), did not notice that at all.
Come to think of it, the American men I knew doing well in Paris were typically of minority groups, black guys in particular and some Asians too.
Not my experience, sorry. I met too many couples where the man was white American and the woman was French. The man generally spoke French with the French woman, but often had not mastered it (unless they were there to study French or linguistics or something related). I also knew French men with American girlfriends (two couples ended up marrying), and all the women had mastered French in most cases. Germany is a country where you typically see more black American men and white German women. In France, no -- there were plenty of white American men with French girlfriends.
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