Not speaking French in France

a few polite phrases will go very far. In one month you can easily learn those (I did!). Go to your local library and get the Pimsleur I CD's. If you do the 1st 10 or 15 lessons you'll be fine, and its easy. Each is a 30-minute lesson where they say something, you repeat it, and then they ask you for the same phrase at longer and longer intervals (meanwhile giving you other phrases). Its easier than it sounds, and it is all audio. The instructions say to do a lesson a day, just once, and then go on to the next. I found it better to do each lesson twice the same day. The real advantage of this is that -- while you may not know much after this -- what you do know is going to be instantly available and you won't be fumbling thru phrasebooks trying to put something together.

look at the reviews on Amazon and you'll see people are generally pretty happy with it (but don't buy it -- too expensive!)

Most Americans don't speak French (I think I can say that and not get an argument) and lots of them travel to France every year, have a fabulous time and make it home ok without a problem. Not speaking the language just means you have to plan carefully and know where you're going and how to get there. I speak very little French and understand even less (even though I can read it quite well). My experience has been that people are very helpful and will try to help you, even if they have not much English. However, in tourist areas you'll meet more English speakers. You can at least take a little phrase book with you and point to what you want to say and learn at least the words for please, thank you, good day and perhaps excuse me. Also, you'll see lots of English speaking tourists who know their way around and can help you out if necessary. Go for it, you'll feel really great about it afterwards.

I think a month is enough to learn the basics - hello, goodbye, thank you, how much?, where is?, etc. There are CDs and tapes you can get from the library that are easily completed in a month.

I think as long as you know the polite basics, you'll be fine and people will be polite back because they appreciate you at least giving an effort.

Plus, being able to speak French is not necessarily an asset in French-speaking countries. I studied french for 8 years in middle school through college, and know it fairly well, and in Brussels I ordered at a restaurant in French, and it was the only time in 7 countries and over 6 weeks that someone was rude to me because of language and basically mocked me. So, you never know :)

Thanks,
I traveled to Europe 10 years ago and at the time I spoke pretty good Spanish and I learned enough German to ask directions and order food (and be laughed at), but somehow that felt doable. French seems so hard to me. Plus, I have heard that in France more than other places they really don't appreciate you not speaking the language. Though maybe I just got this from David Sedaris. I guess I'll work on "Parlez vous anglais?"

We were in France in March. We used CDs and Rick Steves Phrase book to study and learn a few basic phrases. Knowing a little Spanish will make understanding French a little easier, but not much. As a previous poster said, learning to say please, thank you, excuse me, where is, please speak more slowly, do you speak English, etc will help and a month is plenty of time to do it. We found the French to be very helpful and appreciative of our attempts to speak their language. Even in small towns where we met shopkeepers who spoke little to no English we managed to have two way communication. We found the French people to be very friendly and helpful and had a great time. A little preperation will go a long way to your having a great time too. Go for it!

We had no trouble in France last fall despite the fact that we remember very little of our high school French. We found the people to be very kind and helpful and many speak English. It seems like everyone of whom I asked Parlez-vous Anglais, responded that they spoke just a little. But most of them spoke very good English and I had no trouble communicating with the few that really did know just a little English. If you learn just a few words of French and are polite and grateful, you will be absolutely fine.

Know a few key phrases, be able to laugh at yourself, and be open to miming/gestures and that will get you far. Also, pay attention to how others are doing things. Example, a lot of the market vendors don't like you to touch the fruits or vegetables, watch what other people are doing and follow their lead, if they touch the vegetables, go for it.

Also important to note, if your using to fingers to demonstrate numbers (ie I'll have one croissant, please), know that in France, you start counting with your thumb and not index finger. If you hold out your index finger to indicate one, the may give you two etc.

You might also be able to use a third language. You mentioned that you can speak some Spanish and German. Some French speakers who don't speak English might speak one of those languages. We've traveled in Alsace a fair amount and, as our French is pretty poor, we often end up speaking German to the people there. At times we've had some laughable combinations of English, German, French, and sign language. Everyone has always been kind and tried to work with us. I don't know where you are going in France, so maybe this doesn't help you, but it's something to keep in mind. I'd say start with your basic French, then branch out in whatever direction you need to.

Anybody that wants your money will speak English;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEPgPVH3KfU

Rick has a great section about this in Europe through the Back Door, called "Hurtling the Language Barrier." Worth buying the book for.

We had a great time in Paris and we barely spoke to French. Learn the basics, and make sure you greet everyone with a "bonjour" when you're walking into their establishment. Smiling and being able to laugh at yourself will help too. I do agree about borrowing a french language CD and practicing the pronunciations.

I agree with the posters above: learn a few words, REMEMBER TO SMILE and be courteous, and you'll be fine. One further suggestion - we were able to find books outlining basic French etiquette. These were just little phanplets that you can probably find at your library or the travel section of your bookstore. They were very handy.

We had the best time in France with the people who did not speak English/waiter who acted out the menu with "quack" for duck/"moo" for beef, etc/woman who directed us to our hotel with just hand gestures/using her fingers to show 2 streets to walk/man who helped us with calling to states in phone booth/just relax and look at this as positive experience you will be surprised at how well you can do

In Rick's Paris book, he gives you four or five phrases to memorize: basics like good day, please, thank you, goodbye, In Paris, I was very careful to always start the conversation in French: "Je ne parle pas francais. Parlez-vous anglais? (I do not speak French; do you speak English?) Not everyone can, but everyone I encountered tried to help, and often put me on the right track.

The most important phrase to learn in any country is "Excuse me, do you speak English" in the language of that country. It completely throws people off if someone just starts talking in English, even if they speak it well. I see this happen all the time here, and it does make it tough to switch mind-sets into another language with no warning.

Perhaps you have learned French, German or Spanish in high school or college, but it has been a few years since your last class. All of a sudden a stranger just starts talking to you in that language. You are startled by it and will probably feel they were being rude by not asking you in English if you speak French, etc. If they would have asked you first in English "do you speak French", you could say, well, yes, I speak a little bit, and then you are prepared and will probably be happy to help.

I'll just add that IMO it's a huge advantage to be an English-speaking traveler anywhere in Europe. English is the most nearly universal language, and almost anywhere you go, someone will speak at least some English. This is not true for any other language.

If you spoke only Chinese or only Russian, for example, you'd have a much tougher time. (This may change in the years ahead. A shopkeeper in Greece - who spoke 8 languages - told me that Chinese & Russian are the two he most needs to learn. Seems that the Chinese and the Russians are the biggest spenders!)

My tip: Remember to always says Bon Jour when entering a store. It's considered rude not to address the shop keeper but the side benefit is it lets them know up front that you're not a French speaker (no matter how much you work on your accent, they know right away). I found waiters and shop keepers in Paris would start speaking English to me the moment I said bon jour (my accent is bad) or asked a question in French.

Yep. You've got to bonjour everybody including the boogeyman or you're toast.

I haven't been yet and I took French in high school and college (and Spanish too). You are right. There are similarities but the two languages are very different. Spanish is definately the easier of the two to pronounce as everything is spelled phonetically. So, I can see why you are having difficulty.

In preparation for going to Paris next year though, I did pick up Rick's French Phrases book, which is absolutely EXCELLENT! High school French will come in handy, but "Le crayon est sur la table" (The pencil is under the table) isn't going to be much help when asking for help if a strange man is following me or my passport is stolen. Rick did a great job putting together this book. I highly reccomend you get it. How to pronounce each word or phrase is written out in English phonetics and you can always Google "French dictionary with voice pronunciation" or something like that, to hear how the words sound.

Rick also includes some ettiquette tips. The main one is his difference between French and American greeting styles. He says that in America we are less formal with each other because it seems cold. The French see being formal as polite, and NOT addressing people as Monsieur (Mr.)/Madame (Mrs.)/Madamoiselle (Miss) is the same as someone addressing you as "Hey You!"

So, I'd "Bonjour Monsieur!" and "Bonjour Madame" EVERYONE.

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions and help everyone. You have definitely alleviated my fears.

Thanks for all the tips regarding common curtsies and such. I'm practicing my Bonjour Madame. Je ne parle pas francais. Parlez-vous anglais? right now!

I will also go pick up those Rick Steve's books that were mentioned and check out that Pimsleur CD.

You all were so helpful. Thanks!

Here are 3 FREE websites that pronounce basic phrases for you--Slow travel France basic language lessons, BBC.com languages, and Fodor's. You can't go wrong learning a few phrases and ALWAYS greeting every merchant and shopkeeper or anyone else you deal with by "bonjour madame, mademoiselle, monsieur" with a big smile. Don't forget to say Au revoir on the way out. Pouvez-vous m'aider (can you help me) phonetically is poovay voo mayday then add s'il vous plait (seel voo play) which is please. When they do assist you, don't forget to say Merci then Au revoir. Big smiles are understood in every language. You'll do just fine. The French are really great at helping tourists, IF you are polite and start off with a little French.

Oh, and considering Debra's encounter with the grumpy waiter in Brussels, just remember, every bunch of grapes has a couple sour ones. ;) I'm not fluent, so I doubt I'll impress any of them, but then I'm not vacationing there to impress them anyway. I'm there to have fun. :)

Also, take a small notepad. I plan too. I know that I can say what I need or ask for something in French, and I can read it better than I can understand a naive speaker. So, if I can't understand what they are saying to me, I'll have them write it down. It's occurred to me that that might work the other way around too. People who don't SPEAK English well, might be more comfortable writing the words. You can also use a notepad to draw what you are trying to say too.

Bonne chance! (Good luck!)

Don't worry lots of people don't speak French. It's easy to get by. Surprisingly few speak English compared to some other European countries. I'm in Paris regularily. Unless you speak like a native you'll come across some rude service in restaurants - this seems to only apply to very touristy areas. If you go otherwith these places totally the people are very nice. Just smile and point.
For your hotel from the airport it is important to have the address written down. It also is very helpful if you print out a map from google to hand to taxi.
If you haven't been to Paris before take all reasonable big city precautions (hang onto your bags, etc).
Have a good time. I used to hate it but over the years think it's just like london with different architecture!!

Don't worry lots of people don't speak French. It's easy to get by. Surprisingly few speak English compared to some other European countries. I'm in Paris regularily. Unless you speak like a native you'll come across some rude service in restaurants - this seems to only apply to very touristy areas. If you go otherwith these places totally the people are very nice. Just smile and point.
For your hotel from the airport it is important to have the address written down. It also is very helpful if you print out a map from google to hand to taxi.
If you haven't been to Paris before take all reasonable big city precautions (hang onto your bags, etc).
Have a good time. I used to hate it but over the years think it's just like london with different architecture!!

Don't worry lots of people don't speak French. It's easy to get by. Surprisingly few speak English compared to some other European countries. I'm in Paris regularily. Unless you speak like a native you'll come across some rude service in restaurants - this seems to only apply to very touristy areas. If you go otherwith these places totally the people are very nice. Just smile and point.
For your hotel from the airport it is important to have the address written down. It also is very helpful if you print out a map from google to hand to taxi.
If you haven't been to Paris before take all reasonable big city precautions (hang onto your bags, etc).
Have a good time. I used to hate it but over the years think it's just like london with different architecture!!

Susan from Aberdeen says, "Unless you speak [French] like a native you'll come across some rude service in restaurants ... " I speak French with a Québecois/Anglophone accent and have never encountered rude service as a result. I am occasionally asked if I am German or Belgian (???!!!) but no one has ever been rude about it. I think you overstate the case, Susan.

I found the French very helpful and willing to teach us a few phrases and they always got a chuckle at our willingness to try and be able to laugh at ourselves.

You'll do fine without knowing french. Besides, spending a hour trying to figure out what the menu (carte) says will make your dinner take that much longer and you'll seem more French ;-) Seriously, though, you will do just fine. I speak French reasonably well, but my wife does not at all. I teach her the pleasantries (hello, thank you, please, do you speak english, excuse me) in every country's language that we visit, and she does pretty well. The french are very formal in their conversations, so to add a "S'il vous plait" after just about everything you ask goes a long way. The French aren't nearly as rude as their reputation makes them out to be.

I like to study the translations for food in case the menu is only in french. Nothing worse than staring at a menu and not having a clue what is what. Good manners and greetings work for most everything else.

You may find it helpful to bring along a little French-English dictionary. If you get stuck trying to get your point across, you can find the word in English and show it to the person.

And don't be afraid if you make a mistake. I speak enough French to be dangerous, and at the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, when I thought I was asking for a ticket that included the wine "tasting" (dégustation), I actually asked about the "disgusting" wine (dégoûter). The ticket guy corrected me very nicely and we were both laughing! He even caught up with us later that afternoon in the tasting room and had a drink with us.

I just returned from a trip to Germany and Paris, and I must say altho my stay in Paris was short - 3nites - I found my memory of the basic pleasantries, and very importantly my use of phrase books and HOW to pronounce the words (basic frent from high school many many years ago) was very useful and all I needed. This was true with german also...knowing how to pronounce certain vowel combinations and how to pronounce the letter V or J in some languages really helps; praticularly when you read a phrase in a book, or something on a menu. there are some sites on computers or tapes in libraries (I got a really cheap one for my kids used on amazon.com) that help with rudimentary stuff like that.
Also, use both Rick and Tripadvisor to book hotels where it is stated to be english cognizant....almost everyplace for tourists in Paris was, or had someone to help you. I will never forget getting to the hotel and asking "parlais vous anglais?" and getting "I most certainly do" for an answer...my kids were so relieved..and I got a laugh!
Also I found very helpful to have the addresses of everyplace I stayed printed and in my pocketbook and accessible....if some cab driver did not know english, you could be sure to still get where you needed. I loved it there and hope to go back...again with basic knowledge and a sense of humour. enjoy!

we are in paris right now (i'm waiting for photos to upload, and should be sleeping)...i took six years of french in high school and college. my husband did not (he took german). he read what he deemed to be the important sections of the RS french phrase book for a few weeks before we left (he put it on the back of the toilet so it would be...ahem...often read...) and looked through it on the plane. he's now much more comfortable than i am, and at dinner tonight we ordered and paid without any english--and it was all him and his phrasebook education. you have plenty of time to do this same thing. have a great trip!

The two times I have been in France (from Paris through Lyon to Cannes), I had few issues with the language. I found that if you started speaking in French, they almost immediately switched to English (probably felt sorry for me and my poor pronounciations). They also seemed to appreciate that I spoke French first, rather than English. As others have said, "please", "thank you", "hello", "goodbye" and a smile will go a long way.

Since the sentence structure of French is similar to that of Spanish, I think you will be surprised how many things you will be able to read.

For the first few days I was there, before I was up to speed on things, restaurants were a bit of an adventure because I had NO idea what I was ordering. My French friends thought it was hilarious. "What did you order?" "I don't know" (cue laughter, including me). Since I'll eat almost anything, it worked out just fine.

I agree with Norma, an accent when speaking French might elicit mirth but not necessarily rudeness. I speak French with a Quebecois accent and have occasionally run into being referred to as a "la petite cousine" ("little cousin") when in France.

Food words can be fun in either languague (fr & eng). In Roussillon, my liver-hating-on-principle anglo husband couldn't read the special of the day. I translated the menu item in English as lamb's fry. After the meal, he said that he had really enjoyed the tasty lamb dish, so that's when I told him that lamb's fry was also called lamb's liver ;-)

Also makes me think of how a funny pun in French can sour in English. There's a restaurant in Old Nice called "Delhi Belhi" - play on word for "beautiful Delhi". However, in English...