anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
Posted 18 years ago
Me and my friends have been planning an Interrail trip to Europe for a couple of months now. We can speak three languages: English, Finnish and a little bit Swedish. We're going to travel for example in Italy, France, Spain and Germany. Are there going to be problems in communicating with the locals with English ?
I've heard that especially in France people don't want to speak English. No matter how you try to speak English with them, they always answer in French. Is this true or is it only a global joke ?
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
It would be better if you would speak also french, but if you stay in the tourist-places and city's, english is no problem!
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
Thank you for you answers. I just wanted to make sure I mustn't take French lessons before the trip. I don't have much free-time nowdays, so I hope people understand me even if I speak English. Well, of course they teach English at schools so I hope the youth might be a good help for tourists.
Nic
Traveller
2 comments
Sure most french people can speak english and maybe its no problem for them to understand you but whether you understand them, is the real question. I stayed in French for some weeks with a hostfamily just having learned one year french in school and it was easier to speak a very very ugly french to communicate than trying to understand what people wanted to say in english.
So i needed probably 2 days to get behind the meaning of my hostmothers otmil? otmil? She wanted to ask wether we want to have hot milk.
Miro
Traveller
65 comments
What other people say is true, the English of a lot of French people is quite bad. I stayed with friends of my dad and their mother teaches English, but even she was hard to understand. So it would be easy to learn some standard sentences or buy a little book with some sentences. In tourist places like Paris, you should start in English because if you start in French people don't seem to want to understand you if you say la when you should say le and so on. In fact that's my experience. On the other side, I travelled by train to Nancy with only two sentences French and a little bit from school and it was no problem.
Richiieeg
Traveller
3 comments
Everyone speaks English in Europe, its the best language around! If you speak English you are sorted!
admin
Traveller
203 comments
France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. And I think that, perhaps, the people there are becoming tired of visitors arriving without even basic French. The French are all different: some speak English and some do not. Some will be helpful and some will be unhappy with yet another tourist who hasn't even learned how to ask for bread!
While I have never seen a French person go around the UK persisting in speaking French to everybody in railway stations and supermarkets etc, I've seen hundreds of English speakers, going around Europe ( and other places) believing that if they just use English VERY LOUDLY then they will be understood.
It will be easy for you to learn some vocabulary and sentences in order to be polite and to be able to buy things and book hostels and journeys. You can keep essential phrases and vocab on your mobile phone and refer to it when you need to. I'm doing that for my first trip to Germany this summer.
I've met lots of French people on my travels in France and when you use a bit of French, however poor, they are usually surprised and pleased at your efforts. I've had good times there that I wouldn't have had if I'd only hung out with English speakers.
I find that when I speak French in France the reply will sometimes come in English; because the person wants to aid communication or enjoys the opportunity to use their English and show you how good they are! Have a dictionary and a phrase book with you and try it out on the trains. It's a perfect opportunity.
Bon chance.
Danny
Traveller
12 comments
Heh, I suppose I'm lucky in that I am English, and so I'm always likely to find some people who can understand me. But I am going to learn some new languages when I go, since it's always more fun to try and talk in the language of where you are staying! And, in my opinion, it is polite to do so.
I can already speak French and Spanish quite well, and know basic Italian. I'm hopefully going to try and pick up some Turkish and either German or Dutch before I go. :D
_nehemiah_
Traveller
1 comments
[quote]While I have never seen a French person go around the UK persisting in speaking French to everybody in railway stations and supermarkets etc, I\'ve seen hundreds of English speakers, going around Europe ( and other places) believing that if they just use English VERY LOUDLY then they will be understood.[/quote]
Oh how true this is! I always marvel when I\'m walking to the bus stop from work (Glasgow) and a tourist asks directions (my bus stop is right outside the Euro hostel...) no joke, the question comes in better English than most British people use! :P
I am nervous about France, I must admit. I am very clumsy with French, I find Spanish okay, and I have found that when attempting to use Spanish (no matter how badly) the natives ALWAYS encourage and aid it. Well, they did in Cuba!
I am planning to brush up on my French and my b.f can touch up his German. woo. Can\'t wait!
zeetha
Traveller
13 comments
I was very posetivly suprised travelling in France this summer! Everyone we met were so nice and friendly and did everything they could to help!
I always starter by asking if they spoke english. Almost everyone said very little but definitely tried their best and were all able to help!
I do speak some french, but my travelling company who don't would have been fine without me! I think the key is not to take for granted they speak english but to Ask politely :)
zeetha
Traveller
13 comments
[quote]I am nervous about France, I must admit. I am very clumsy with French, I find Spanish okay, and I have found that when attempting to use Spanish (no matter how badly) the natives ALWAYS encourage and aid it. Well, they did in Cuba!
I am planning to brush up on my French and my b.f can touch up his German. woo. Can\'t wait![/quote]
I understand quite a bit of french but I\'m very bad at speaking. Turns out, most french are the same way about english! I had several conversations this summer where Ispoke english and the french person spoke french, worked perfectly!
Audrey
Traveller
8 comments
I think u should write some sentence in french, so you show them if you can't say them (what i did when i was in china :p, usefull to read some signspot as well ) the problem will be to understand the reply...
Well Paris is not france, if you find someone who has the time to read something or help u, it must be a french tourist :p
In other city people are more welcoming, most of them will at least try.
You can meet really stupid people, who won't even give a shit of what u r saying, but if u really have a problem, you can come to tourist information office, and you can find people who speak english.
But i think that zeetha is right, just asking if they speak english is a good introduce.
In Nancy my boyfriend mit a guy from czech republic not understanding one word of french, he was searching the station, as it was not so far they went together.
I often heard people talking about tourist they helped.
Cait21
Traveller
3 comments
You shouldnt worry too much about France. In the cities they nearly all speak english and like to demonstrate that, i found that even though i spoke French they would reply in English! You may find it harder in more rural parts but all you need is a small phrase book if you are really worried. You don't need French lessons.