jsmla
Junior Member
Posts: 84
|
Post by jsmla on May 9, 2008 16:45:56 GMT -5
En francais, of course.
We're leaving for our trip in just eight days! It was 1982 the last time I took a French course and I only did that because LSU was so unreasonable as to force me to before they would fork over my diploma.
So, what phrases come in handy for the newbie? We plan on the following:
Purchasing Metro tickets Purchasing a Museum pass Shopping for food Asking for directions (We get lost a lot!) Dining in a few very casual places
Anything else that y'all think might come up would be great too!
Jennifer
Oh, and by the way, I don't plan on propositioning anyone other than Scott and he hates it when I try to speak French.
|
|
|
Post by ouiparis on May 9, 2008 17:16:56 GMT -5
S'ilvous plait - please Je voudrais - I would like Ou est - Where is
(Luc, feel free to correct moi!)
Jennifer, have a fantastic time! How exciting ;D!
|
|
|
Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on May 9, 2008 18:11:37 GMT -5
Jennifer - among the 25,000+ posts on the forum (what, you haven't read them all yet?? ) is this thread, which may help with some of your questions: www.ourparisforum.com/index.cgi?board=learning&action=display&thread=931I commend you for making this effort, and I assure you it will pay off (and aren't you glad you chose French at LSU, not Latvian or Greek or . . . )
|
|
jsmla
Junior Member
Posts: 84
|
Post by jsmla on May 9, 2008 20:02:13 GMT -5
Thank you so much Becky! I'll be printing everything out. You won't believe this but I DID go through the whole Learning French section, yet missed that! I'm hopeless in English, I can't wait till I'm trying to negotiate life in French.
I need to pay more attention but I don't seem to be able to drag myself away from the trip reports.
Thanks again,
Jennifer
|
|
|
Post by GitteK on May 10, 2008 1:31:06 GMT -5
Où se trouvent les toilettes, s'il vous plaît ?
|
|
grndma
Full Member
55 days to go, (7 weeks 5days 1hours 240minutes on 21st may 2008 08.05hrs)
Posts: 181
|
Post by grndma on May 10, 2008 9:25:08 GMT -5
:)Becky.... That is THE most useful thread, thank you very much. I like the sausage phrase. What is the French equivalent of "mumpty" and Hoy Falloy? Gitte...What is the difference between Ou sont les toilettes SVP and Ou se trouvent les toilettes svp Also what is the difference between je pouvais and je voudrais? Denise love from England
|
|
|
Post by ray on May 10, 2008 9:30:10 GMT -5
I did not learn C'est Tout until my 1st day in Paris, but it quickly became my favorite phrase.
|
|
|
Post by GitteK on May 10, 2008 11:50:52 GMT -5
grndma Denise - no difference with the toilette-phrases. Or else just hold your hands over your nether regions and hop around making all sorts of desparate faces..........
Je voudrais = I would like to....... (conditionnel of the verb "vouloir"=want) Je pouvais = I could........ (past tense of the verb "pouvoir"=can)
The equivalent to "voudrais" would be "pourrais": Est-ce que je pourrais avoir une autre bouteille de Moët & Chandon, s'il vous plaît ?
Short for that question would be to point expressively at the empty bottle, smile broadly and form these word with your lips: "une autre !!"........ absolutely EVERY waiter will get that message even across the biggest café terrace, trust me !
|
|
grndma
Full Member
55 days to go, (7 weeks 5days 1hours 240minutes on 21st may 2008 08.05hrs)
Posts: 181
|
Post by grndma on May 10, 2008 13:12:48 GMT -5
;D ;DLOL Gitte you are sooo funny. You brighten my day! an exalt from me for the imagary. Denise Love from England
|
|
|
Post by ouiparis on May 10, 2008 13:33:48 GMT -5
Becky, thanks for the link; good stuff!
|
|
|
Post by chicchantal on Jul 18, 2008 12:14:40 GMT -5
I think 'Je voudrais ca' must be the most useful ever, you need to point at whatever it is you want. The first phrase I ever used on French soil was one telling the guy following me at the Gare du Nord to go away. He looked positively startled because I didn't look like the kind of girl who would know a phrase like that. Anyway, he went! Ah, those were the days. That was 25 years ago. Spare blokes don't follow me anywhere these days!
|
|
|
Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 18, 2008 12:17:49 GMT -5
Chic - I had a similar experience (someone who tried to put his hands on me!) and snarled what probably was the equivalent, in English. Needless to say, movies have made that colloquial English expression univerally understood, lol!
|
|
|
Post by framboiseetrose on Jul 18, 2008 12:59:55 GMT -5
My favorites to say to the gypsy children who feel your pockets are:
1. Allez-vous en! (Go away or scram...........) 2. Laissez-moi tranquille! (Leave me alone!)
Otherwise, I use all those nice polite words and smile a lot.........
|
|
|
Post by chicchantal on Jul 18, 2008 14:51:57 GMT -5
Another good one is Merci and just shake your head cos merci on its own means 'no thanks'. Or 'Je n'en veux pas' which is 'I don't want one/any'.
I think. I hope my extremely rusty French isn't landing anyone in difficulty here!
|
|