French Language
Why Learn French?
French is certainly not an easy language to master. In fact, many native French speakers have trouble mastering their own language. It’s complicated, it’s nuanced and it is really hard to spell correctly. But it’s also a beautiful language and you will never feel more accomplished than after you master your fist conversation of sorts in French. I have been studying and speaking French nearly my entire life (thanks to my French speaking mother and French grandmother) and I still frequently make mistakes. I majored in French in college, I spent a year studying the language at the Sorbonne and living in Paris and I will occasionally speak French with my family at home, but yet I have been forced to accept the fact that I will simply never speak French like a native. So, you may be thinking, what’s the point of trying to learn at all?
Many people asked me as I was studying French in college, “Why would you learn French? Spanish is so much more useful.” And, in some ways they were right. Spanish is spoken by a huge number of people in this world, and within the United States you are much more likely to run into a native Spanish speaker than a French one. That being said, French is still a useful language to know. First off, French served as the language of diplomacy for years. While in recent years the language everyone always seems to have in common is English, French is still used at the United Nations and you will still hear it being used at the Olympic games. The language is also spoken by 118 million people and is the official language of 26 countries including Canada, much of Western and Northern Africa, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco, French Surinam, Laos, Cambodia and several Caribbean islands including Haiti. Plus, with significant numbers of people speaking French as a second language (about 260 million people worldwide), you are sure to use your French at some point in your world travels outside of France.
So, if you’ve read all this, you are probably still wondering, “ok, so why should I learn French?” How about because some of Western civilizations greatest poetry and literature was originally written in the language? Not enough? How about because if you want to travel to France, you are going to have to learn at least a few critical phrases. Though things have been changing in recent years and more French are willing to speak English, you will still be treated a lot better if you approach the French in their native language. Plus, you can totally impress your friends or pick up the ladies when you get back with your “mastery” of the language.
French Pronunciation
The most difficult part about trying to learn French on your own or from a phrase book is that what you see is definitely not what you get. French is not like Spanish or Italian, when all the letters you see written on a page you pronounce. To the chagrin of many Americans, French has more silent letters and nuanced pronounciations than you ever thought possible. In fact, adjectives and nouns are even pronounced differently depending on whether they are masculine or feminine. Oh la la.
So, how do you go about trying to pronounce French correctly? First off, come to terms with the fact that you will most likely have a heavy accent. Even after all the years I have studied and spoken French I still don’t sound like a French person. This is fine. Contrary to popular belief, many French people think an American accent is actually really cute (if you don’t totally massacre the language that is).
So, what are the general rules of thumb. Basically, whenever you see a word ending in consonants it is fair to say you will not be pronouncing those letters. While they still affect the pronunciation in a nuanced way, you have to train yourself to basically stop pronouncing letters before you get to the end of the word. The main exception to this rule is when the consonant is followed by an “e.” In this case, you will pronounce all the letters. There are of course a million other exceptions to this rule, but it holds true in MOST cases. Here are some examples:
Saint Tropez = Sain Tropay
Une salade verte = une salade vairt
Comment ca va? = como sa va?
Get on the Good Side of the French: Learn the Basics Before You Go
The French have a rather unfair reputation for being snotty, impolite and not very friendly towards Americans. Ok, maybe not a totally unfair reputation, but there are a few easy ways to immediately be accepted into the good graces of any Frenchman or woman. Most Americans acted shocked when they get a curt or rude response from a French person after they approach them in English. The French see it as offensive that Americans come to France and expect everyone to speak English to them. I mean, the French certainly don’t come to the U.S. and expect everyone to speak French, so why would we do that in France. Forget that most French (at least the younger generations) do speak English, it is the assumption they don’t like. There’s an easy fix to this. Learn a few basic phrases in French and when you’ve exhausted your knowledge, you will most likely be responded to in English without resentment. They appreciate the effort.
The French are by no means like the Scandinavians when it comes to speaking English almost like a native speaker, but the number of English speakers in France has increased dramatically in the past 10-20 years. With English a requirement in schools and the younger generation more and more fascinated with American culture, you will actually find a fair number of English speakers in France today who are more than willing to practice their English on you. That does not mean you should approach people in English. Trust me, you’ll get a lot further if you learn a few basics.
A Few Phrases to Master:
Hello—before noon: “Bonjour” (bōⁿ-zhür)
-after noon: “Bonsoir” (bon-swar)
-goodnight: “Bonne nuit”
I would like—Je voudrais… (je vu-dray)
Please—S’il vous plait (sil vu play)
Thank You—Merci
Do you speak English—Vous parlez anglais? (vu par-lay ang-lay?)
How Much? – Combien (com-bee-n?)
How much does it cost?—Ca coute combien? (sa coute com-bee-n?)
Where is the restroom? –Ou est la toilette? (oo “a” la toy-let)
I don’t understand—Je ne comprends pas (je ne com-pron pa)
Excuse me? –Pardon
The Best Way to Learn French
I would highly recommend taking a French class at your local community college or buying some sort of language learning program where you can HEAR French spoken, since mastering (or even just getting the gist) or pronunciation is really hard to do by just reading it. Once you are in France, speak French as much as you can. Immerse yourself. The absolute best way to learn a language is by practicing. The best thing I ever did to improve my French (besides just living there of course) was by getting myself a French boyfriend. I learned more French in the months we dated than I did in years of school. So, if you are single, getting yourself a French boyfriend or girlfriend may not be such a bad idea.
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