En Francais s'il vous plait...

[threebikesmcginty]

I was told to ask for your steak cooked as 'incendre' (burnt), worked for me, came out about what I would class as medium here.

Wonder what the French translation of the Texas method is for rare steak?

"Knock its horns off, wipe its ass and chuck it on the plate"

 

[Aperitif]

Bleugh! will get you that.

A quick fix Mort

Assiette des legumes SVP

 

[Bromptonaut]

Wonder what the French translation of the Texas method is for rare steak?

"Knock its horns off, wipe its ass and chuck it on the plate"

En bleu??

 

[Chrisc]

It may sound foreign or odd but I doubt there'd be a problem. But in honesty, I have no idea. When I speak French, I really have no feeling for what I'm saying. Likewise when I hear it, I don't intuitively respond. I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination and, to be honest, I really speak English with French words (give or take).

My French teacher told us not to worry about mistakes and the like as most French speakers make them too! And I mean so-called basic mistakes; getting the gender wrong (le/la) or getting verb conjugations wrong (I is, I telled him, etc etc etc). Or not knowing the correct verb or it's conjugation so using 'faire' for just about everything (useful verb is 'faire', it means to make or do but pretty much any noun can be 'faire'd! Don't know the conjugations for the verb 'to clean'? then simply 'faire' the adjective/noun, e.g. 'I clean the car' = 'I make clean the car' . ).

Sure, some folk speak an educated and, some would say, flawless French but I get the impression that your average French person is just as likely to butcher the rules as any foreigner might... just perhaps more confidently!

Nowhere near fluent, I sort of make it up in my head as I go along. God knows what it sounds like to the French but I usually get what I'm after. Even when I had no idea what swimming trunks were called and resorted to miming swimming in the shop... they laughed...but I got some.

After many holidays over there I finally started to hear the French langauge without translating it into English, that's when it clicked.

 

[jay clock]

I am bilingual so it is not a problem. But my advice for any country where you only have a basic kwnowledge is a big smile and crack on. Pointing and smiling helps enormously. The problems come when you speak enough to open a conversation but have no idea what the reply is. And then when you get quite fluent, the French in particular will start to correct you. If you are really bad they won't!

Bonne route!

 

[Crankarm]

Je parle Francais comme une vache d'Espagne .

Bonne vacance Kirsty.

 

[Globalti]

I've lived and worked in France for three years and I only recently realised that the French actually find an English accent charming in the same way that we find a French accent charming. Bizarre really because I hate to hear French being mangled.

As a chap I find French women easy to deal with, you just smile nicely, turn on the charm and throw in a few deliberate anglicisms; they can't resist it.

 

[Hover Fly]

I've lived and worked in France for three years and I only recently realised that the French actually find an English accent charming in the same way that we find a French accent charming...

However, if a French person doesn't understand English very well they think an USAnian sounds like a duck quacking. Hence the two young ladies who show visitors round Ch.HF, or flog 'em wine call Yanks "Donalds".

 

[Kirstie]

Thanks everyone!
<smug>
I've never started a thread that ran for six pages
</smug>

 

[andym]

Oh and a useful phrase for the touring cyclist with places to go:

"est-ce que on peut le faire aujordhui/ce matin/(if you're feeling really bold)pendant que j'attende?" - can you do it today/this morning/ while I wait?

 

[PpPete]

Je parle Francais comme une vache d'Espagne .

Bonne vacance Kirsty.

No No NO Crankarm do keep up in class PLEASE

It's
Je parle Francais comme une vache Espagnol

You must use the adjectival form.



Seriously though, Globalti has it right.
I speak it like a native, my OH has a subtle English accent. We started a business over there years ago. OH had elderly French Bank manager eating out of her hand.

As a girl, the chaps will be falling over themselves as soon as you say Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider avec ceci .. (then pointing to the offending part of bike/anatomy/or whatever)

 

[srw]

No No NO Crankarm do keep up in class PLEASE

It's
Je parle Francais comme une vache Espagnol

You must use the adjectival form.

Isn't it Espagnole - feminine form?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

It is . . but with a small 'e'.

 

[vernon]

pédants

 

[Crankarm]

No No NO Crankarm do keep up in class PLEASE

It's
Je parle Francais comme une vache Espagnol

You must use the adjectival form.



Seriously though, Globalti has it right.
I speak it like a native, my OH has a subtle English accent. We started a business over there years ago. OH had elderly French Bank manager eating out of her hand.

As a girl, the chaps will be falling over themselves as soon as you say Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider avec ceci .. (then pointing to the offending part of bike/anatomy/or whatever)

Merde!

I intially I wrote like what you did as I learned it from a French gf decades ago but can't quite remember although I would definitely say Spain in it's -ol French form. Apparently a bit of gentle leg pullling by the French of their Spanish neighbours .