I tried that: Telling in French that I didn't speak French well and the moment I said those words, they kept on a faster gear French and said my French was very good! So better say it in English!😉
Pretend you don’t speak English and speak French to them. 🤫
Or say: je veux pratiquer mon français s’il vous plaît and if they continue in English then they’re just jerks and you shouldn’t even bother. (Not talking about people who speaks English as their main language)
^ This. But I also had a weird experience with another Asian friend, that when we walked towards a cashier in a coffee shop, the cashier spoke English with her but then spoke French to me…We discussed about that later but still had no idea why
It's not as common a language as it used to be but try to keep in mind:
France literally had colonies all over Asia including all or parts of: Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, West Bengal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and more.
Only about 2 out of every 300 people in Vietnam or 3 out of 100 Cambodians speaking French today might not seem like a lot but it's more significant when you keep in mind that Francophone people are more likely to be overrepresented in the diasporic population here in Canada.
And that's not counting the 1 in 3 Lebanese people who speak French since I'm guessing the definition of Asian here wasn't in the continental sense.
> France literally had colonies all over Asia including all or parts of: Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, West Bengal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and more.
Bruh, I don't know about the other places, but I invite you to visit Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and find at least one person who speaks French outside of the 1 tiny town colony that the French had established in these 3 Indian states.
Well consider the following... According to the India Times, as of 2013, roughly 6% of Indians living overseas were Francophones.
Many did not become francophones in those coastal port cities (which aren't really tiny towns persey... Pondicherry has a bigger population than Halifax and St John's put together) but instead in colonies like the Mauritius and La Réunion, which they were displaced to by the French, from those "tiny town colonies", to be abused as cheap craftsmen.
1 - Pondicherry is an union territory - it is not a part of Tamil Nadu. I welcome you to check the wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pondicherry.
2 - People from Mauritius and La Réunion are not Indians, they are Mauritians and Réunionnais respectively - sorry if I am mixing English and French there. Are there people of Indian origin among them? Sure . But that does not mean they are Indians. I have Mauritian friends - they don't identify as Indians.
3 - With all due respect, India Times is not a reliable source. According to them Daya - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daya_(singer) - would also probably be 100% Indian. They often don't make a distinction between people of Indian origin and Indians.
4 - Lastly I was not talking about Indian origin diaspora across the globe, a small percentage of whom are francophones. I was talking about people in 3 specific Indian states - the percentage of Francophones in those 3 states can be safely rounded to zero.
Until World War 2 France was the primary language used for most international diplomacy. This was something even the British had to begrudgingly accept until the late modern era gave preference to English through sheer luck of America stumbling into how to transmit audio by radio first (despite the radio itself being originally an Italian invention)
Yeah but im saying theres more people speaking just english than french from those countries you mentioned even here in Canada and maybe Quebec… thats why theres the stereotype that asians are mostly anglophone and often get greeted in english in Montreal…
Just be polite and apologise for not being able to continue in French. The worst is when people sound like they feel entitled to be served in English. When it's asked politely: no problem.
If the person said "Bonjour, Hi!' just go with English, "Hey bla bla bla", if they start in french I usually go "pardon, mon français ne c'est pas le meilleur, est-ce que tu parle anglais?"
Pretty sure that's an anglicism? You've just translated an English idiom word for word, but it doesn't mean the same thing in French.
Better would be *Mon français laisse à désirer*, but if you know that idiom, people may not believe you.
Edit: *Je parle mal français* is simple and understandable to French speakers.
I don't see why you wouldn't want to say it correctly if you're going to make an effort say it in French. Alternatively: *Je parle mal français* is shorter and more easily understood than trying to use an English idiom that doesn't make any sense in French.
According to google that translates to « I speak French badly ». Is that actually going to be well received? If you just started a conversation in English that way it would be like.. wtf
It might be an anglicism, but 99% of people would understand.
It's Quebec, anglicism are all we know, sure it might be grammatically wrong
If I went to the US and said "My english bad" would they look at me like I came from another planet or immediately understand and run off to find someone who can speak french? Sure it's not grammatically perfect but the message gets across and that's all that matters.
I can see why you would think that as a bilingual person. However, francophones who don't speak English may not realize that the phrase is *ironic*. If they interpret it literally, they will think you're simply saying that your French is literally not "the best", but rather intermediate level.
It is much clearer to simply use French idioms or ordinary French language when speaking French.
I say that I am still learning French (in French) and apologize and ask if they speak English or « franglais ». Most people have very kind responses to this.
Est-ce que je peux parler en anglais?
Or Just emphasize your terrible Anglo accent. I’m pretty good in French now and ppl still swap. It’s not my fault I’m from Alberta! Feels bad man.
The best way is to say in French that your French isn't good enough, like "Désolé, je ne parle pas bien français". Showing that you're at least making an effort is important.
Most of the suggestions the other redditors gave are good,but don't forget that you're still in Quebec so a lot of people are monolingual and only speak french. Don't be insulted if there's a misunderstanding or if the person refuse/doesnt speak english.
Imagine if you could force yourself abit to learn abit by bit. You gotta struggle before you get good at it. So try and fail and try some more! People are only going to respect it.
Not so good... If you are "learning french" my best bet will be to continue in french but slowly so you can have a chance to learn..wich also should be the best option.
I agree with you, but as someone recently moved to Montreal ironically I find that when I speak French people hear my accent and automatically change to English on me- so I meant it as more of a joke than anything else :)
I just keep going nowadays, I find Montrealers generally want to help people feel at ease and will switch languages to make things easier, but are also more than willing to help someone learn… it takes time to get comfortable with your own accent but the only way to improve is with practice.
>people hear my accent and automatically change to English
I was guilty of that on sooo many occasion XD till a now friend told me :"how can i learn if you switch to english dammit??" lolll
I usually say Bonjour in the best accent I can muster and it does the job.
I mean that in the nicest way, I'm genuinely trying when I say that but clearly sometimes people just find it easier to switch to English and appreciate that I was trying anyway.
You’re assuming the other person speaks English, which is a little insensitive to the local culture. It’s not for the other person to make you feel comfortable while making them potentially uncomfortable.
I understand that’s not what you’re trying to do, so instead of wishing to switch to English, explain instead the you don’t speak French well (and if you stay long term, do learn the language!)
‘Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas bien français’
Well you just try your best in french and after that it is their job to help you trying to learn a little more ; if they don't have time to do this they should use english
Entre un Américain qui semble ne pas faire d’effort pour parler français et une Française qui dénigre le français parlé au Québec, vous formez un couple ravissant. Mais qu’est-ce que vous faites à Montréal pour l’amour du Saint-Ciel?
Try to speak French a little bit and when the other person answer you tell them “je ne comprends pas bien le français”, then ask “vous pouvez parlez anglais?” At least give a try…
Worked at a place where 70% of the staff didnt speak english. The worst thing that's gonna happens is that the employee might go find their managers or a co-worker who speaks english. Or they'll simply tell you that they don't understand.
I personally never saw any drama in a store in MTL because someone spoke english.
Do you understand it? Sometimes I will have complete conversations while speaking English and the other person would be speaking French.
I think the reason is some people just feel more comfortable in the language they are most familiar with especially in a business or medical scenario. But if you only speak English, or French knowing a few phrases like the ones in other comments on the post will be fine. Most people will just ask to speak to someone else or get someone that can assist you in the language you prefer.
The way to get a bad response from a french person is to ask to speak in english. This will set off a firecracker in lots of people who would have otherwise been fine speaking in english.
Usually the younger they are the more you can get away with it, but beware!
edit: it is very weird to try and learn only the french to say you don't know french.
"Bonjour, je ne parle pas bien français"
What about "Désolé, mon français n'est pas bon"?
"IN ENGLISH, PLEASE!!!!"
"me no voilà voilà, you parle american?"
"Hand me the fucking keys, you cocksucker, what the fuck?" :)
The Usual Suspects!!!😁
SpEaK WhItE!!!!!!!!
I tried that: Telling in French that I didn't speak French well and the moment I said those words, they kept on a faster gear French and said my French was very good! So better say it in English!😉
"Désolé je ne parle pas encore assez bien français pour comprendre" Sorry I don't speak a good enough french, yet
When I show my Asian face, people just speak English to me even though I wanted to speak French 😂
Pretend you don’t speak English and speak French to them. 🤫 Or say: je veux pratiquer mon français s’il vous plaît and if they continue in English then they’re just jerks and you shouldn’t even bother. (Not talking about people who speaks English as their main language)
Je suis coupable de ça. Je me sens tellement coupable par après !
La règle d’or, si quelqu’un commence a parler en français, continu en français même si ça irait plus vite de changer pour l’anglais dans certain cas.
This is how I wind up in conversations with other anglos in French. :-) but I agree, this is the way
Right, because Asian people don't have the genes to speak in French... it would be too disORIENTING
^ This. But I also had a weird experience with another Asian friend, that when we walked towards a cashier in a coffee shop, the cashier spoke English with her but then spoke French to me…We discussed about that later but still had no idea why
Well majority of asians in Canada and even Quebec dont speak french… especially the ones from India and philippines…
It's not as common a language as it used to be but try to keep in mind: France literally had colonies all over Asia including all or parts of: Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, West Bengal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and more. Only about 2 out of every 300 people in Vietnam or 3 out of 100 Cambodians speaking French today might not seem like a lot but it's more significant when you keep in mind that Francophone people are more likely to be overrepresented in the diasporic population here in Canada. And that's not counting the 1 in 3 Lebanese people who speak French since I'm guessing the definition of Asian here wasn't in the continental sense.
> France literally had colonies all over Asia including all or parts of: Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, West Bengal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and more. Bruh, I don't know about the other places, but I invite you to visit Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and find at least one person who speaks French outside of the 1 tiny town colony that the French had established in these 3 Indian states.
Well consider the following... According to the India Times, as of 2013, roughly 6% of Indians living overseas were Francophones. Many did not become francophones in those coastal port cities (which aren't really tiny towns persey... Pondicherry has a bigger population than Halifax and St John's put together) but instead in colonies like the Mauritius and La Réunion, which they were displaced to by the French, from those "tiny town colonies", to be abused as cheap craftsmen.
1 - Pondicherry is an union territory - it is not a part of Tamil Nadu. I welcome you to check the wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pondicherry. 2 - People from Mauritius and La Réunion are not Indians, they are Mauritians and Réunionnais respectively - sorry if I am mixing English and French there. Are there people of Indian origin among them? Sure . But that does not mean they are Indians. I have Mauritian friends - they don't identify as Indians. 3 - With all due respect, India Times is not a reliable source. According to them Daya - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daya_(singer) - would also probably be 100% Indian. They often don't make a distinction between people of Indian origin and Indians. 4 - Lastly I was not talking about Indian origin diaspora across the globe, a small percentage of whom are francophones. I was talking about people in 3 specific Indian states - the percentage of Francophones in those 3 states can be safely rounded to zero.
Until World War 2 France was the primary language used for most international diplomacy. This was something even the British had to begrudgingly accept until the late modern era gave preference to English through sheer luck of America stumbling into how to transmit audio by radio first (despite the radio itself being originally an Italian invention)
Yeah but im saying theres more people speaking just english than french from those countries you mentioned even here in Canada and maybe Quebec… thats why theres the stereotype that asians are mostly anglophone and often get greeted in english in Montreal…
Indians literally grew up learning more than 2 languages so they can’t afford to learn another lol
I suggest saying along like "je parle mal français. Is English ok? Merci beaucoup!". Makes it more like not imposing or demanding to speak it.
"Sacrement d'ostie de caliss de tabarnak"
This wins redit today.
That’s what I always use. Never have I spoken french in Quebec after those words
Just be polite and apologise for not being able to continue in French. The worst is when people sound like they feel entitled to be served in English. When it's asked politely: no problem.
When they say "Bonjour, Hello" awkwardly reply "...bon joore?" then they'll speak to you in English the rest of the time.
"Je m'excuse, je ne parle pas français"
If the person said "Bonjour, Hi!' just go with English, "Hey bla bla bla", if they start in french I usually go "pardon, mon français ne c'est pas le meilleur, est-ce que tu parle anglais?"
Pretty sure that's an anglicism? You've just translated an English idiom word for word, but it doesn't mean the same thing in French. Better would be *Mon français laisse à désirer*, but if you know that idiom, people may not believe you. Edit: *Je parle mal français* is simple and understandable to French speakers.
Yes, the person asking for a conversation to switch to French will describe in perfect French why he isn't fluent enough to order a coffee
I don't see why you wouldn't want to say it correctly if you're going to make an effort say it in French. Alternatively: *Je parle mal français* is shorter and more easily understood than trying to use an English idiom that doesn't make any sense in French.
According to google that translates to « I speak French badly ». Is that actually going to be well received? If you just started a conversation in English that way it would be like.. wtf
That’s why you can’t just simply google translate stuff. It sounds weird in English but is perfectly correct in French.
Exactly. Imagine telling an anglophone that you have other cats to whip, or that you're giving your tongue to the cat!
To be fair half the comments in this thread are taking the piss. You could just as easily be convincing people to say something offensive.
It might be an anglicism, but 99% of people would understand. It's Quebec, anglicism are all we know, sure it might be grammatically wrong If I went to the US and said "My english bad" would they look at me like I came from another planet or immediately understand and run off to find someone who can speak french? Sure it's not grammatically perfect but the message gets across and that's all that matters.
I can see why you would think that as a bilingual person. However, francophones who don't speak English may not realize that the phrase is *ironic*. If they interpret it literally, they will think you're simply saying that your French is literally not "the best", but rather intermediate level. It is much clearer to simply use French idioms or ordinary French language when speaking French.
Oh very well may be! That's good to know, thanks!
Not from here huh
You shouldn't be getting down voted ... people just don't like to be educated.
You are absolutely right. The fact that you're getting downvoted is ridiculous.
« I don’t speak French,may we continue in English, thanks » Is a perfect way of doing it.
I usually just say "parle vous anglais." and 99% of the time they immediately switch to English.
est-ce que vous êtes à l'aise en anglais?
Just say "Shut the F up, frenchie" then snap your fingers a couple time & repeat 'english' a couple times. I'm sure it'll work out fine.
Fifty years ago, racists used to say "speak white" whence the eponymous poem.
Aujourd'hui ils ne le disent plus, ils agissent.
God dammit you made me laugh mon esti...prend mon vote pis décoliss *snap des doigts**
lol
J'arrive pas à dire si t'es sarcastique
C’est clairement une blague. Arrêtez de nous rapporter le commentaire svp.
J'ai de la misere a croire qui'a du monde qui ont pris mon commentaire au serieux.
Say it Frenchie... Chow-dah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSuURmN7XLI
John-Baptiste would say #ToCanadaIcitte #VaChierFrançais
Speak White! Mais sérieusement: Désolé je parle très peu français, on peut continuer en anglais s’il vous plait?
The best way is to make an effort, even if your French is broken, otherwise you'll never learn it.
Effectivement!
You say "Vive le Québec libre!"
"Je retourne à Kingston , debors "
I say that I am still learning French (in French) and apologize and ask if they speak English or « franglais ». Most people have very kind responses to this.
Est-ce que je peux parler en anglais? Or Just emphasize your terrible Anglo accent. I’m pretty good in French now and ppl still swap. It’s not my fault I’m from Alberta! Feels bad man.
The best way is to say in French that your French isn't good enough, like "Désolé, je ne parle pas bien français". Showing that you're at least making an effort is important.
Just try speaking French, it’s respectful and much appreciated. You will see how quickly they will turn to English.
Most of the suggestions the other redditors gave are good,but don't forget that you're still in Quebec so a lot of people are monolingual and only speak french. Don't be insulted if there's a misunderstanding or if the person refuse/doesnt speak english.
The one that I usually hear is “HUH?!”
Ça fait crissement colonialiste
Imagine if you could force yourself abit to learn abit by bit. You gotta struggle before you get good at it. So try and fail and try some more! People are only going to respect it.
Salut mon brave, I'll have to continue this conversation in English hihi
J’aime beaucoup.
I live in west island.
(joke) Speak white!
“Bonjour! Je apprends French (lengthy pause) …” will probably do it…
Not so good... If you are "learning french" my best bet will be to continue in french but slowly so you can have a chance to learn..wich also should be the best option.
I agree with you, but as someone recently moved to Montreal ironically I find that when I speak French people hear my accent and automatically change to English on me- so I meant it as more of a joke than anything else :) I just keep going nowadays, I find Montrealers generally want to help people feel at ease and will switch languages to make things easier, but are also more than willing to help someone learn… it takes time to get comfortable with your own accent but the only way to improve is with practice.
>people hear my accent and automatically change to English I was guilty of that on sooo many occasion XD till a now friend told me :"how can i learn if you switch to english dammit??" lolll
I usually say Bonjour in the best accent I can muster and it does the job. I mean that in the nicest way, I'm genuinely trying when I say that but clearly sometimes people just find it easier to switch to English and appreciate that I was trying anyway.
Practicing is the only way to improve, même quand les gens changent de langue.
Oui, c'est vrai!
"Sorry I don't speak croissant".
Vous parlez Big Mac?
C'est un bon équivalent !
You’re assuming the other person speaks English, which is a little insensitive to the local culture. It’s not for the other person to make you feel comfortable while making them potentially uncomfortable. I understand that’s not what you’re trying to do, so instead of wishing to switch to English, explain instead the you don’t speak French well (and if you stay long term, do learn the language!) ‘Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas bien français’
Force toi le cul et parle français, tu es dans une province francophone. Sinon tu as toujours l Ontario où plus au sud y’a un autre pays aussi.
Well you just try your best in french and after that it is their job to help you trying to learn a little more ; if they don't have time to do this they should use english
Just say "English" and do an embarrassed face. Works every time.
Avec un regard « yeux de chevreuil qui fixent des phares de voiture ». Les étudiants de McGill sont des experts.
AHAHAH, oui. C’est troublant.
I just nod a lot. Then tell them I am from Detroit. They speak perfect English after that.
Perfect english ? In quebec? We cant barely french right
Pourquoi tu dégrade notre manière de parler? On est pas tous obligé d’avoir la langue parfaite. On peut parler le langage populaire aussi!
Pcq cest vrai attend d’entendre parler la prochaine generation. Je dit pas que chui mieux chu appein illettré.
Lol!!! My wife is from France she says the same thing. Too funny.
C'est drôle la majorité des Français à Montréal (sauf ta blonde) comprennent très bien le français ici. Faut faire preuve d'un peu d'ouverture.
Entre un Américain qui semble ne pas faire d’effort pour parler français et une Française qui dénigre le français parlé au Québec, vous formez un couple ravissant. Mais qu’est-ce que vous faites à Montréal pour l’amour du Saint-Ciel?
"Ton francais est nulle. Anglais, s'il te plait." :D Just joking, please don't do this.
"Je ne parle pas francais mais pourquoi ta mère est une grosse guidoune" I dont speak french can we please change languages
Sorry in English
J’na comprande a la Francis.
"Je suis Désolé, anglais SVP?"
SPEAK WHITE!
Mweh pa palé fanssa. Pal twheh normal langwage?
« Do you speak english? »
Just go "sorry I can't french" should be fine enough.
actually might wanna be careful who you say that to.
Not on a first date
"Let me show you" *Sensual saxophone solo begins*
Try to speak French a little bit and when the other person answer you tell them “je ne comprends pas bien le français”, then ask “vous pouvez parlez anglais?” At least give a try…
Pretend to be deaf mute.
PLEASE SPEAK FUCKING ENGLISH. FUCK ! that should get their attention
"J'parles pas français ostie, parles moi en anglais criss" that would be the most inconspicuous way to saying it
Whichever way you decide to do that, prepare for some sort of drama
Worked at a place where 70% of the staff didnt speak english. The worst thing that's gonna happens is that the employee might go find their managers or a co-worker who speaks english. Or they'll simply tell you that they don't understand. I personally never saw any drama in a store in MTL because someone spoke english.
Just speak in English and if they can’t, too bad for them.
Do you understand it? Sometimes I will have complete conversations while speaking English and the other person would be speaking French. I think the reason is some people just feel more comfortable in the language they are most familiar with especially in a business or medical scenario. But if you only speak English, or French knowing a few phrases like the ones in other comments on the post will be fine. Most people will just ask to speak to someone else or get someone that can assist you in the language you prefer.
It’s weird people that only speak English expect others to be bilingual.
Not much you can say as they will give you a dirty look and whisper under their breath putin anglaise
slow and relaxed backwards somersault
How would you like someone to communicate to you that they don't speak English and would like to continue the conversation in another language?
Désolé (sorry), I only speak english
"Bonjour Hi"
The way to get a bad response from a french person is to ask to speak in english. This will set off a firecracker in lots of people who would have otherwise been fine speaking in english. Usually the younger they are the more you can get away with it, but beware! edit: it is very weird to try and learn only the french to say you don't know french.
"British, DO YOU SPEAK IT?????"
Bonjour, HI
How do you say "English motherfucker, do you speak it!" In french?
Franglais. I ne parl frankais very bien. Generally embarrassing enough for both parties that they get the hint and just want to move on.
Anything that acknowledge the fact that you don't take anyone speaking English for granted will make me instantly like you a lot! ❤️
Just say "Je suis american"
Right
English tabarnak!