I can understand most of what is said to me, at least the general topic area and the sentiment. I am starting to ask more complex questions and I surprise myself with the concepts I’m able to convey. I can buy things in shops, order food at restaurants, have basic conversations about who I am and what I’m doing in France with minimal issues. Meanwhile, I seem to be able to function in French, more or less. For work purposes I should ideally be in the C1 or C2 range, so there’s still a lot for me to work on. My French, to my knowledge, is somewhere in the B1-B2 range, depending on what I’m talking about, and with whom. Language schools tend to teach you a curriculum based on particular levels. This explains some of the competencies expected at each level. There’s a standard framework used for European language learning called the CEFR. And while previously I’ve mentioned the basics you should learn when arriving in a foreign country, I’ve been in France long enough to start focussing on more sophisticated conversations with the hopes that I will be able to work in French soon. Geraldine at Comme Une Francaise tells me “it is okay to make mistakes, celebrate them, laugh at them, we all make mistakes”.One of my favourite things about travelling is learning the local language. I am the only English woman in the village and I am telling everyone this… Sacré Gertrude! (A term I have been taught by my neighbout J-P, though neither he or any of my French friends know who Gertrude is). It also means “I am horny” – believe me I don’t even want to think about this any more. I thought I was saying “I am hot” as in “Zut alors! The sun is shining strong today as I toil in the garden and I am hot”. If you have reached this stage of my update and wonder just why they are amused by my announcement that “je suis chaud” – it is because, as Geraldine informs me, in French this means “I am hot” (as in hot babe). Therefore when they smile at some of the things I say I have just become immune to it and think it is because of my accent or because I’m funny! To my neighbours, I just thought my formal, proper French is very entertaining. There are different words for things – for instance chair in French is “chaise” but in Ch’ti is it “cayelle”.Īs you can imagine to an expat this is highly confusing. Words like “pharmacie” where the” c” is pronounced “s” (as in pharmacy) becomes “pharmaschie”. The sound “s” is swapped for a “sch” sound. Here in my part of France my neighbours speak Ch’ti – a patois. The thing is that they pretty much always look quizzical when I say anything so I never really take much notice with then laugh and pull faces of utter amazement. I have said this to Pierre the farmer, Jean-Pierre my neighbour, Bruno the wood man, Monsieur le Poste… everyone in the village probably. As soon as I saw what it actually means to French people I was mortified. The one I have used most is “Je suis Chaud”. I have used every single one of those faux pas phrases at some point in my life in France. Specifically phrases which expats say which sound like they are correct but which to French ears have completely different meanings and connotations. Well, I have another confession to make. This week’s lesson was about French language faux pas. I do though know that the language I use is fairly formal and so I have started to learn “real” French online with various companies – most of them are free! I take this as a compliment since I spent some time in Paris in my youth. Some people tell me I sound a bit Parisian. I do speak French, a very proper sort of French. I have something to confess – I am still learning to speak real French!
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