The importance of local language in France

Hmmm! " What is the local language spoken in France?" Oddly enough, where I live in Montbrison, it's French. Funny,that.

Hello Robster

Indeed, it is french !

Do you speak french ?

I know it can be hard for those who don't speak french to find a job or to interact with others. While the French are quite helpful, they do appreciate people making an effort to speak or learn french ...

All the best

Bhavna

@Bhavna Indeed you're right Bhavna. And I do speak passable French,albeit in a strong Aussie accent. I was merely trying to point out, ironically I hoped, the pointlessness of asking that question to a group of expats in, well, France. It comes across, in English at least, as rather patronising and gives the audience the impression the writer is " talking down" to them.Probably not the way to start off if you're trying to give them important info that you want them to take on board.BTW, I've been teaching English,to internationals, for over 25 years so I'm well  aware of these subtle nuances in our language. Just trying to spread the love around, as it were.

How's your English?

Don't worry Chris48oconnor I get it !

The topic is a general one and we tried to keep it simple. It will be sent to future expats (from Expats > To be Expats most probably in one of our newsletters).

I am not based in France (went to university in France though) but in Mauritius and trying to help our members find their way on the forum.

Have a nice day,

Bhavna

@Cheryl

Bonjour, I will attempt to answer some of these questions in the hope it can benefit other ex-pats in France.

I live on the border of France and Spain. Most people speak French in my town, but many speak Spanish as well. English is not common.

The French language was more difficult to learn than I anticipated. Once you get past the archaic rules, or lack of, than you have to contend with a seemingly endless amount of conjugations. If that is not enough of a challenge, you have to learn how to pronounce correctly. Outside of the bigger cities where there may be more diversity, many of the French people are not used to hearing the language pronounced with different accents. Therefore when you are learning the language you will definitely butcher the pronunciations and the people will have difficulty understanding you. This can be very discouraging and damage your confidence to speak the language, especially in busy situations like supermarkets or boulangeries.

You just have to keep trying though and practice, practice, practice.

My tip for learning the language aside from the obvious ones of hiring a teacher or joining a course, is to listen to the language as much as possible. This means watching TV or listening to the radio in French. You really have to train your ear to understand the language. Also practice daily phrases and sounds that you have trouble with. The "r" sound and nasal sounds are not native to English and can be quite difficult to speak correctly.

I used flash cards to help me with useful phrases and words that I found to be used on a daily basis. This really helped me to at least have the basics of the language understood from a mimic standpoint. Even if I didn't always use the more "local" way of saying something.

The Dominant business language is French, but I am lucky enough to work with many people who are bilingual. For the first 2 years I didn't understand very much of what was being said in French, but over time with practice and persistence I can understand at least 70% of what is being said. It is not easy though to conduct important business meetings without at least a basic knowledge of the language.

I have found that proficiency is the absolute key to really understanding and even enjoying the local culture. Yes you can still enjoy many things, but you just miss out on so much if you do not know any of the language.

A few basic cultural nuances are quite known and common, but I will reiterate. First always starting a conversation with Bonjour or greeting. Never come in hot asking questions without doing this. If you walk into a doctors office, salon, shop, etc a simple "bonjour" announcement will grant you a welcome. Second, be conscious of your volume in quite places. The French just consider this as being respectful to others. Third, in a business setting always shake hands and look people in the eye before you conduct your business. If you're feeling brave a simple "ca va?" pleasantry will ease tension. Fourth, as compared to the USA you bag your own groceries at all markets. Be prepared with your own bag or ask to buy one. Fifth, it is generally frowned upon to eat or drink while walking. This is not a firm rule, but it will definitely show you are not a local. Of course water, or ice cream are the exceptions.

Last you can get by and survive without knowing the language but it will be very stressful and you will miss out on many things. If you are considering actually moving to France and staying for an extended time, it will be worthwhile to establish a basic foundation of the language before arriving. Most of the digital or textbook learning tools will teach you proper French, which nobody speaks, but that's ok. What matters is that you have a basic understanding of key things such as asking basic questions with regards to food, health, directions or buying something. Also spend some time learning the basic rules for future and past tense conjugations. Like I said, there's an endless amount of them, but as long as you learn how to conjugate I am, I will be, I was, Are you, Have you, When will you, Where are you, How do I, Can you and It was, this will help you enter the environment with a decent knowledge so you can at least communicate at a basic level.

Bon chance et bon courage!

Quite an interesting and informative run down. What's your original language? ie, where are you from? And thanks for responding. Most people dont bother.

@chris48oconnor

Salut, I am from California and English is my mother tongue with a bit of Spanish thrown in the mix. As I stated above French was not easy for me to learn. But I get a little better each day.

Good on you. French isnt an easy language to get your head around, with its vastly different grammar  and syntax( cf English) As long as you're  not actually going backwards.lol.

@Cheryl The importance of local language is perhaps one that is underestimated. Many expats believe everyone speaks English, but in rural areas this is not relevant. To be able to integrate with neighbours, social clubs, it is mandatory. You will often find if you make the effort to try, local people are more willing to help.

You can get by with little skills to be able to do things like shopping, transport etc, but at some point you will become unstuck.

One of the biggest reasons expats return home is health. If you cannot speak the local language, how can you consult your local GP, a nurse/doctor or even a surgeon?

So how can you improve your skills?

• Local TV with subtitles
• Trying to speak to people and integrate (social clubs)
• Simply by asking people for help
• language classes (locally or online)