Bonjour!

Well, the dust has finally settled on our trips to Paris and Bordeaux a couple of months ago and we’re all (somewhat sadly) back into our normal routines here in Australia.

Of course there are plans to go back, but I thought it worth breaking our usual transmission of top tips (last month we were up to numéro 5 sur 10*) to share with you some of the fresh perspectives we gleaned from our time sur le terrain*.

Over the years, I’ve shared these tips with our students, but there’s nothing like being mis sur la sellette* to reinforce best practices. This is why immersion trips are so valuable. They give you the chance to really test out your French and make adjustments along the way as you see what works and what doesn’t.

So, here are a few breakthrough tips that’ll not only help you next time you're navigating your way in a French-speaking world, but in your regular classes as well.

We encourage our students right from the very first lesson to open any interaction with a French person by way of a simple “Bonjour, madame*” or “Bonsoir, monsieur*”. Even an absolute beginner can achieve this (with un peu de courage*), it shows respect and it fundamentally improves the quality of the conversation that ensues.

Where our more advanced students report coming unstuck, though, is when the response to the first question or request is volleyed straight back in rapid-fire French and they’re left open-mouthed and reeling with no idea of how to respond.

Our cobayes* tell us this is often where the French person will break into English. Our students generally know better than to take it personally (the French person is almost always trying to reciprocate the respect you paid in speaking their language to them), but what they found difficult was finding a way to continue in French.

We suggested something like: “Je suis désolé(e), je n’ai pas compris, mais je veux pratiquer mon français. Pourriez-vous répéter plus lentement, s’il vous plaît*?”

If that seems like a mouthful, perhaps go for something simpler, such as:

“Mon français n’est pas très bon, répétez en français, s’il vous plaît*.
“Désolé(e), je voudrais pratiquer mon français. Ça va*?”
“On peut parler en français?”

Said gently and with a little smile, you’re almost guaranteed to get your own way.

Often when we try to speak French in a ‘real’ situation, our nerves get the better of us, causing us to speak more softly that we normally would. If what comes back is “Pardon*?” it’s easy to assume the person you’re speaking to hasn’t understood you, when in fact they simply haven’t heard what you said.

So before you take the leap, take a breath, redressez les épaules* and speak with confidence. You may be happily surprised by the result.

A well-rehearsed phrase that you can get out regularly and with ease is une chance unique* for bolstering your confidence. In the next post, we’ll take a look of some of the favorites our Chouchous* relied on during the trip, but for now I’ll give you one of mine.

I like to add “C’est gentil” just after I’ve said “Merci.” It’s something I picked up when living in France and decided to add it to my repertoire. It means the equivalent of “That’s kind of you” and it’s always met with a positive response. It’s easy to say and makes me feel a bit less like a tourist and more like a local (every little bit helps!).

At the beginning of each morning’s lesson during the Summer School, I’d ask the students to report back on their experiences of the previous day when they’d been out and about practising their French.

As the week wore on, they were more and more willing to take risks, which led not only to some very funny histoires* but some very valuable insights as well.

Time and time again, they reported being told that their little erreurs* were not only unimportant but actually charming. Although at first hard to believe, it does make sense if you were to reverse the situation. Imagine you’re in your home country and you’re speaking to someone for whom English is not their first language. Do you think poorly of them if they make the odd little slip up here and there? Probablement pas*. Well, it’s the same with your French. Even if a French person corrects your mistake, take it as a compliment. In most cases, they’re just highly impressed you’ve taken the time to learn their language and are trying to help you along the way. So don’t let the fear of making une gaffe* prevent you from striking out. You never know what you’ll miss out on.

When I’m tired or under stress (and isn’t that pretty much the definition of travelling, as great as it is?) my accent tends to slip and I can hear a slight Aussie twang come through. This always horrifies me and yet the reaction from French people is almost always a little smile.

After a big week in Paris, compounded by a very long delay at Gare Montparnasse, I arrived in Bordeaux dragging my feet. As much as I was excited to be there, I was absolutely épuisée* so jumped in the first cab I could find, eager to get to my new home. The chauffeur de taxi* was friendly, so we chatted for a couple of minutes about this and that. I was snapped out of my weariness, though, when he said: “J’adore votre petit accent.” The ‘petit’ was what gave it away. He meant he could discern an English accent of some description and my knee-jerk reaction was one of annoyance. To be fair it wouldn’t have taken much to annoy me at that point, but this felt like a low blow. I swear I wasn’t being spiteful but my next question was “Parlez-vous anglais*?”, to which he responded “Yes, a leetle” and went on to tell me he loved speaking English with tourists but was embarrassed by his accent. I, on the the hand, was utterly charmed by it and told him so. The circular nature of our exchange was not lost on me so I settled back and vowed just to enjoy the moment and to stop being so hung up on being perfect. We do learn a lot about ourselves when we travel, ça c’est sûr*.

Breakthrough tips from Paris & Bordeaux