Want to go to France, don't know much French

Jill, no, it should not discourage you. It makes the adventure and cultural experience more fun. You will find some people everywhere that speak enough English to assist you, just don't expect that everyone does, or wants to. You will find that it is more important for you to know the social customs and the polite phrases in French (greetings and thanks) than anything else, as it makes people more willing to help. Always ask, in French if you can, if a person speaks English (or Spanish in your case) first. They will often point to someone who does if they don't. Gestures and pointing works too. It can be very rewarding.

I went to France on a RS tour couple years ago. Really had no issues with language. Most of the people we dealt with either spoke English or wanted to and insisted we talk to them in English so their skills improve (or maybe our French was so bad they couldn't stand hearing it from us ;-) ). There were a couple instances where pointing and smiling worked when the words were not there. I feel the stereotypical image we have of the French refusing to deal with you or being rude if you do not speak the language is outdated.

A suggestion is to learn a few of the basic words like Please, Thank You and Hello. (This would be true no matter what country you visit or what language is used there.) Just trying to use these few words can go a long way. I bought the Rosetta Stone language software and learned a few extra words before my trip. While not enough to carry on an in depth conversation (my fault because I did not spend enough time with the software), it did help. Any similar program would be useful in teaching the family enough words to get by.

You should not be discouraged at all, but it's also not too hard to learn the basics. If you're going in summer 2016, you have enough time to pick up the basic phrases.

My first trip to France I had just five basic phrases of French and did fine. We actually had some funny experiences eith the language gap, but no serious problems. It is vwry importsnt to follow the French protocol for politeness, so learn how to say, hello, goodbye, thank you, etc. and you'll do fine.

France is much easier with limited/no language skills compared w Spain. In my experience, Spain was the most difficult country I've ever visited for functioning knowing only English and a few words of the native language. Rural parts of the Middle East were easier than Spain.

Go! Go! Go! Just using phrase books and trying to speak their language will go a long way. On the other hand, between now and next summer you will be able to learn to speak an amazing amount if you just spend a half an hour a day working on it. If everyone in the family (including the 9 year old) does this you should not have any problems at all. Just remember to use the social pleasantries when meeting people and going into and our of shops.

I agree with the others that it will not be a big problem. As others say, know the social customs, which includes greeting people with Bonjour Monsieur or Madame BEFORE you launch in to your question. This is hard for me and most Americans but you will get a much better response from the person you are talking to.

I just returned from doing Rick's Paris and Heart of France along with some extra days in Paris and my spoken French is non-existent other than polite phrases. I did not have any problems, but I always tried to remember to do the greeting first. I did wind up eating breakfast at the shrine of St. Arbucks almost every day. (Sorry, I know that is appalling...only place I could get coffee with soy milk) Every day I would stumble thru my order in French and the guy at the counter would smile and say Very good. Do you want to eat here or to go?. They also, of course, always ask your name and we had a discussion on this. The first morning he asked, and I said Pam. He looked funny and then wrote Bam on the cup and turned it toward me with a question. I took the pen and cup and wrote Pam. He looked at it and then said it with a French pronunciation, then in a perfect American accent. Then he said, we will call you Pam (French pronunciation) because you are in Paris and you are a different person here. How sweet was that? BTW, I am old, fat, gray-haired and old enough to be his grandmom.

Do get some phrase books so if you get stuck you can point to a phrase in French. Rick's are fine and are small enough they are not a pain to carry around. They also have helpful translations of food and food preparation which are sometimes necessary.

If you are going to drive, study up on French road signs and driving regulations.

Jill why limit yourself to visiting places in the world where you can speak the language!!!!??

Most tourists( and I do not mean just American or Canadian ones) speak only one or maybe two languages, and yet tourists go many places!

Go and relax, take a phrase book or app. Learn to say a few basic phrases , most especially please thank you hello and goodbye. I would also recommend: where is the bathroom, how much is it, and where is? 😀

Hi,

So you're that your French is very "modest," so to speak, or next to nothing. So what! Would you say the same if you wanted to go to Austria, Germany, or Poland? That the lack of language skills there would be discouraging you from going? I should hope not.

As everyone has correctly pointed out here, it should not....totally agree. Keep up on planning the trip to France, bone up on French phrases (knowing some is better than none), and you'll do fine. Think of it this way.....you and the family are going to be in France for a month, the last thing you want to feel is that of being intimidated by not speaking the language. Knowing Spanish helps too in France, depending on where you are.

jill,

I agree with the others. Plan your trip on the basis on which countries you most want to see, and don't be too concerned about the language. Most people that work in tourist-related businesses will have at least some ability to function in English. As the others have suggested, it's a good idea to learn a few of the "polite" phrases and follow the French custom of greeting shop keepers when you enter. As I recall, there's lots of good information in the France guidebook on that sort of thing.

Language is not really a factor if you are a considerate well mannered traveller and follow others advice with greetings and usefull phrases. My initial thought would be a week each in Madrid, Barcelona, Provence and Paris. However, if you prefer smaller cities then consider Seville and Tarragona/Girona in Spain. Paris is irreplaceable with a smaller alternative, but can feel intimate there if you know where to look. Provence has a number of options - Avignon / Nimes / Arles.

If you intend to travel to any degree it is impossible to learn all the languages you would need to be able to speak to the locals... I have traveled to many European and central american countries and only know a little bit of Spanish... I just tend to smile a lot, try to speak a few polite phrases, don't get frustrated when they don't speak English and use lots of sign language. It is all an adventure and sometimes you can have the greatest laugh just trying to communicate with someone. Just remember, it is all part of the experience, but definitely do not let it stop you from seeing all the beauty that France has to offer.

Coffee break French (or Spanish or Italian) are helpful podcasts for survival phrases.

This is all you need (lol) ...

Bonjour / Bonsoir / Bon apres-midi
Madame / Monsieur / Mademoiselle
Salut / Ca va ?
Bonne journee / Bonne soiree
Combien ca coute ?
S'il vous plait / Merci
L'addition
un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq ...
Je voudrez une comme ca
Une pression de bier / un verre de vin / un verre d'eaux

Well, maybe after the beer, wine and water you might want to ask: Excusez moi madame (ou monsieur) S'il vous plaît, où sont les toilettes? And after they tell you, you might respond with: Merci beaucoup, madame (ou monsieur).

It may not be perfect, but using Google Translate online, typing the question or phrase or word in English on the left and setting the translation to French on the right, you can learn a lot. On the right, there is a speaker that you can click to hear the spoken French, so you can practice your accent.

After enough practice, you will be able to put some inflection into it which will be fun for you and the family and for the French person with whom you are trying to communicate.

Forgot 'cafe au lait' !!!

Also, Visa?

I spent a month in France two years ago, many people spoke English after I uttered my measly 50 words in French; eventually I noticed they were happy I tried, but wanted me to be more comfortable (except in one case, a hotel front desk person).

Thank you everyone for your wonderful feedback! I think we just needed that encouragement to commit :) We are headed to France! Thanks again.

Où est la gare ?

People have been tourists in Europe for CENTURIES, visiting each other's countries and not knowing much (if any) of the language. Guess what? It all works out fine!

And Americans have been roaming the continent since after WW2 with quite a bit of success. Everyone in the tourist trade knows enough English to help you do business with them. And for a while they had to know some Japanese too, now it's Chinese. Ni hao ma!

Jill,

Go for it! I just returned from 2 weeks in Paris by myself and had so much fun. I smiled a lot, gave a proper and polite greeting, and had no problems at all! A few things to consider, download Google Maps and any other apps before you go. Invaluable. Also, download a couple of french to english apps. Very helpful indeed. Duolingo is an app that will help you learn to speak a bit of French now. Personally I can't wait to return. Enjoy!

Bon chance!

I found Duolingo a waste of time. It was teaching me expressions like "the boys and shark are eating an apple." Which I only used a few times on my last trip.