Author Topic: PBP: Parle en français, mal  (Read 3492 times)

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
PBP: Parle en français, mal
« on: 12 April, 2011, 12:58:13 pm »
Last PBP I made great efforts to learn a bit of french, including a 6 month evening course, a 8 CD Michel Thomas thing and watching foreign films

When I got to France I found the only people with worse french than me were the Americans and my accent was described as bloody awful.

Still, I survived and language highlights included "compound vitesse" and "Omelette ne pas possible pour moi c'est soir"

I am going to go through the Michel Thomas CD course again.  Any tips or free resources to use?

I am already registered on livemocha but I seem to spend all the time on there marking exercises for Brazilians learning english, might have another go soon

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #1 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:00:14 pm »
I have my Beginners French OU course sitting around from the other year. Mrs GB also speaks fluent French. I should have no excuses really...
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #2 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:01:24 pm »

Still, I survived and language highlights included "compound vitesse" and "Omelette ne pas possible pour moi c'est soir"


Omelette - is that some strange French sexual practise? Pas d' Omelette pour vous ce soir , monseuir.

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #3 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:08:30 pm »
I can usually manage French omelettes.  They make them small because they reckon that one egg is un ouef.

LEE

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #4 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:27:03 pm »
When I got to France I found the only people with worse french than me were the Americans and my accent was described as bloody awful.

Don't get hung up about your accent.  

When did you ever hear a French person speaking English who didn't sound exactly like a French person speaking English?  
The Spanish have an even tougher job sounding English.  Why should we be expected to sound like a French national ?

It's almost impossible, learning as an adult, to get a Foreign accent sounding authentic.  Your "speech muscles" aren't formed correctly.  Yes, you can say "Kwah-Sohhn" instead of "Croy-Sant" but they'll still know you're English, like we know they are French.  
Who cares?
Give it your best shot and they'll appreciate your dubious attempt at French more than shouting at them in English.


GrahamG

  • Babies bugger bicycling
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #5 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:31:30 pm »
When it comes to accents and pronunciation, the only way to get close is to lose all self-consciousness and literally put on the accent as if you are totally taking piss in terms of mimicking the locals. With French, having a half-way decent accent and being aware of pronunciation is probably the single most important aspect of communicating - I remember being on an exchange trip and my classmates totally confusing one Frenchman because they weren't pronouncing McDonald's in an absolutely perfect accent.

If you're tone deaf (or just not particularly musical and can't hold a tune) or perhaps have problems distinguishing different accents even from within the UK then it's simply a case of not being capable of reproducing the sounds that you hearing. In which case, just learn German.  ;D

Edit - as Lee says - they still appreciate the effort!
Brummie in exile (may it forever be so)

border-rider

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #6 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:34:04 pm »

border-rider

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #7 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:37:10 pm »
My French is "adequate" and gets better as the ride goes on...

I managed to ask for (and get) a corkscrew in Mortagne in 2003, which impressed both myself and M la Patronne. If you can do simple stuff like asking for coffee, a beer, the location of the sleeping hall, showers etc then it helps enormously.  But you will get by if you can't.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #8 on: 12 April, 2011, 01:41:53 pm »
It is not a bonus to have a good accent; people speak far faster than I can comprehend!

That is of scant benefit if vocabulary is limited.

If you speak French like the proverbial vache espagnole, people speak slowly and gesture. With me they don't, leaving me stumped and bewildered.

Salvatore

  • Джон Спунър
    • Pics
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #9 on: 12 April, 2011, 03:14:29 pm »
French | Radio Lingua Network

Nothing to pay for the audio material.  The Italian equivalent was OK. Not worth paying for the 'bonus' material.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Jules

  • Has dropped his aitch!
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #10 on: 12 April, 2011, 03:33:29 pm »
The website's at the cutting edge...


2009 has been a fantastic year for Radio Lingua and we’d like to thank all our listeners for your support and enthusiasm over the past twelve months. To celebrate the end of 2009 and a new year of language-learning just around the corner, we’re delighted to announce our Holidays sale and give you some exciting advance notice of our plans for 2010. Read on!

Audax on the other hand is almost invisible and thought to be the pastime of Hobbits ....  Fab Foodie

red marley

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #11 on: 12 April, 2011, 03:44:42 pm »
The most important thing when speaking French is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/o0wNl66tT3Q&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/o0wNl66tT3Q&rel=1</a>.

Andrew

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #12 on: 12 April, 2011, 04:16:32 pm »
I've lived in France for just over 3 years now... and I reckon my French is still rubbish. I'll even consider using any English registration or food queues should such things exist!

One thing I would say, fortunately not based on embarrassing experience, is that many French folk understand a great deal of English... they just don't speak it. So do be careful with what you say!!

Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #13 on: 12 April, 2011, 06:27:12 pm »
I've lived in France for just over 3 years now... and I reckon my French is still rubbish. I'll even consider using any English registration or food queues should such things exist!

Come on, you can write decent French on the French forum.

TOBY

  • hello
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #14 on: 12 April, 2011, 07:26:52 pm »
supersize moi

CramCycle

  • Mille Failte
    • The Bicycling Biochemist
Re: PBP: Parle en français, mal
« Reply #15 on: 08 August, 2011, 12:24:01 pm »
Just found this link from the Irish boards.ie cycling forum, thought it may be of interest:

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/resources/docs/bikelexicon_en_web.pdf

linked from here:
http://travellingtwo.com/8899