MadmoiZelle speaks English

[Ithurielle]

Posté par Bathilda Fritton

Oh, my god. I have lost my ability to even. So we agree on that the Biggest and Most Annoying Issue when ur an expat in an english speaking country is the fact that you can't really speak a proper english ... AND YET CAN NO LONGER SPEAK A PROPER FRENCH AS WELL.
same here: I realise now I have to make constant efforts when I have to speak a perfect french (like, to my friends back in france/family) because its sooo freaggin easy to switch from one language to the other... Put yo hands up if u've ever done the classic "je suis complètement dépressée"! But honestly why bother trying to speak a perfect french when you know you can always perform such marvellous examples of frenglish as "c'était pas du tout ce que j'expectais he would do (cmon I'm not the only one here)" rather than struggling to say it in proper french? What would it be anyway? "c'était pas du tout ce que je pensais qu'il ferait?" does that even make sense?
There's also the fact that i'm in Montreal and speaking both french and english all the time. Doesnt really help.

And btw, congraaaats for making st andrewssss!!! I have a friend there in undergrad tho. But its actually so cooool.

I told my mum a couple of times that I was gonna "avoir une nappe" instead of have a nap… I don't actually do the whole "frenglish" where I mix up the two of them, because I'm really quite anal about never using English in French if I can avoid it, but my syntax suffers quite a lot, haha

[Bathilda Fritton]

Posté par Ithurielle

I told my mum a couple of times that I was gonna "avoir une nappe" instead of have a nap… I don't actually do the whole "frenglish" where I mix up the two of them, because I'm really quite anal about never using English in French if I can avoid it, but my syntax suffers quite a lot, haha

Hahaha avoir une nappe j'adore
Well there's also the fact that I live in a bilingual city. So I can actually afford to speak frenglish because that's what everyone does here (have you ever heard a quebecois person speaking? They keep taking the piss about how we have to protect french language from anglicisms and all that jazz and then they go for "j'étais avec Machine pis on a chillé chez elle feck c'tait cool"). I have both anglophone and francophone friends here and I am totally used to speak frenglish so eventually when I get back home it takes efforts and concentration to speak a proper french. Like, before I left France, I didn't have to think about what I was saying when I spoke french whereas now I do.

[petite-fleur]

Hi, it's the first time I post here but I'm sooo with you, franglish all the way (but I actually hate it, when I do it) when I'm on the phone with my parents they, sometimes, tell me to say it again in french, like "ma nouvelle voiture c'est une petrole" or "je vous collecterai a la station de train"... Glade to know I'm not the only one

[Dyx]

I have to manage to pass the TOEIC. It's disturbing me so much that I am afraid to fail it.

[Bathilda Fritton]

Posté par petite-fleur

Hi, it's the first time I post here but I'm sooo with you, franglish all the way (but I actually hate it, when I do it) when I'm on the phone with my parents they, sometimes, tell me to say it again in french, like "ma nouvelle voiture c'est une petrole" or "je vous collecterai a la station de train"... Glade to know I'm not the only one

haha welcome to the club it's such an awful mindfuck! I actually don't get how my cousins, who are french and american, manage to speak a perfect french whith my family when usually they speak english all the time back home in the US. Like it's a whole mystery to me.

Since the gig I went to two days ago I haven't stoped listening to arctic monkeys which has the funny yet disturbing result of making me speak with a northern accent. Which is weird. I have such a southern england/london accent usually. My accent right now is just like the weirdest thing ever. Mix of north american, british and french and now kinda northern england. No one could actually tell where Im from.

[fashion myriam]

I love the music and the songs of Shy'm mainly "Tout est beau" and "J'entends encore les mots" !

[Elle'ise.]

Posté par Bathilda Fritton

hey there, i know you posted this some time ago but I d love to help you out
And if I can just give you a few tips, best way to improve your english is to watch movies/read books in english. Anf if you're scared you wont understand a thing, start off with easy children books, and remember you've always got subtitiles to help you out with the movies

but yeah, lemme know if you're still interested!

I know for the movies, I watch Friends in english, but I would like to speak with people, tell our life in english

[¡Laaatina!]

Hi there! I'm from a city called Medellín, located in Colombia! I just randomly found this page and it really caught my attention, because I'm learning French as well.
As a native Spanish speaker and Foreign Languages student (French and English) I've had difficulties on my mind when trying not to confuse both languages in class; it's hard enough to start thinking in another language that is not your mother tongue, and manage to not confuse words, syntax, grammar, sounds, phonetics, and so on...
Usually, it happens that when i'm walking in the street, just thinking nonsense or random things and fooling around with my poor knowledge of English and French, I mix them and i don't even realize immediatly, but a few seconds after! (and it's funny how writing in english, the word 'après' came first to my mind, but not 'after').
Frenglish rules (i guess :P ), Spanglish (and the combination between French and Spanish, if it actually exist ^.^) also rules!
Naah, just kidding... these problems of 'verbal identity' just happen to me when it comes to English and French, not in Spanish. In fact, I should learn more about my native language! Isn't it ironic how today people tend to start learning other languages, but they don't even care about improving their basic communicative skills in their native language? (myself included)

[Season]

Hi girls ! It's been ages since I last came here, what a shame ! My english is beginning to be so crappy, I improved a lot in spanish so I'm starting to mix it all up in my head. I'm sitting for my entrance exam in just a month, I really need to read/speak more english ! My former boyfriend is going to give me a few old issues of The NewYorker (I loved reading it when we were together !), and last week end I ran into old english novels my mom had, so I started reading it and filing some vocabulary that may be useful for my entrance exam ! (can you really say "filling vocabulary", btw ?)

Anyway, I have a question for you girls : does anyone know what the expression "make a low bow" stands for ? I encountered it in The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde, the exact sentence was : 'Shall I love you ?' said the Swallow , who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples.

[Donowitz]

Posté par Season

Hi girls ! It's been ages since I last came here, what a shame ! My english is beginning to be so crappy, I improved a lot in spanish so I'm starting to mix it all up in my head. I'm sitting for my entrance exam in just a month, I really need to read/speak more english ! My former boyfriend is going to give me a few old issues of The NewYorker (I loved reading it when we were together !), and last week end I ran into old english novels my mom had, so I started reading it and filing some vocabulary that may be useful for my entrance exam ! (can you really say "filling vocabulary", btw ?)

Anyway, I have a question for you girls : does anyone know what the expression "make a low bow" stands for ? I encountered it in The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde, the exact sentence was : 'Shall I love you ?' said the Swallow , who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples.

It means "saluer bien bas" (geste fait en inclinant le buste). I think in this context, it could be like kissing someone's hand. (un baisemain en français).

[Alecto]

@Season
bow, c'est à la fois une révérence et un arc (et je le sortirai à mes élèves la prochaine fois qu'ils se plaignent que trop de mots français ont deux sens)

[cherry69]

Hi girls! I'm so happy to find an english discussion group. I probably go in England in two-three months to visit the country, learn the language and learn my future job : receptionnist in a hotel.

I need to prepare my mind for this travel, can you help me to work my English?

[Minh Tuyêt]

Posté par cherry69

Hi girls! I'm so happy to find an english discussion group. I probably go in England in two-three months to visit the country, learn the language and learn my future job : receptionnist in a hotel.

I need to prepare my mind for this travel, can you help me to work my English?

I'd love to!
Last summer I worked in a hotel (in France) as a receptionnist, it was an internship but I really enjoyed it. Most of the guests were American or Canadian and I improved my English. Moreover, I currently study in a management/marketing/tourism school: I learn a lot of professionnal words and it really helps me.
If you have any question, about the job or anything, just ask

[Zola]

J'aurais besoin de l'aide d'une gentille mad qui parlerait bien anglais (bien, c'est un grand mot, juste mieux que moi, ce serait suffisant ) pour me traduire la partie en gras:

Moi : Hello J. I already sent you an email, few months ago, to tell you that if you came in Paris, I'll be so glad to take you and your girls in photo. So pleaaaaaase, if you come, one daye, tell me!! (you can see (again) my work here:
ps: sorry for my english... it's not verry good.


J : hi zola!, thanks for writing. I hope to one day go to paris. ill def let you know to do a photoshoot. JUst remind me when i announce it.

En fait, de ce que je comprends c'est qu'il espère aller à Paris un jour. Qu'il me fera savoir s'il y a possibilité de faire un shooting et ... j'ai un gros doute sur la dernière phrase... En gros, il me demande de le lui rappeler le jour où il annoncera qu'il ira à Paris ?

[Donowitz]

Posté par Zola

J'aurais besoin de l'aide d'une gentille mad qui parlerait bien anglais (bien, c'est un grand mot, juste mieux que moi, ce serait suffisant ) pour me traduire la partie en gras:

Moi : Hello J. I already sent you an email, few months ago, to tell you that if you came in Paris, I'll be so glad to take you and your girls in photo. So pleaaaaaase, if you come, one daye, tell me!! (you can see (again) my work here:
ps: sorry for my english... it's not verry good.


J : hi zola!, thanks for writing. I hope to one day go to paris. ill def let you know to do a photoshoot. JUst remind me when i announce it.

En fait, de ce que je comprends c'est qu'il espère aller à Paris un jour. Qu'il me fera savoir s'il y a possibilité de faire un shooting et ... j'ai un gros doute sur la dernière phrase... En gros, il me demande de le lui rappeler le jour où il annoncera qu'il ira à Paris ?

"Salut Zola, merci d'avoir écrit. J'espère aller à Paris un jour ou l'autre. Je te tiendrai au courant pour une séance photo. Rappelle-le moi quand j'en parlerai [sous-entendu de la venue à Paris]
C'est vrai que ce "it" est ambigu.

[Zola]

Posté par Van Damsel

"Salut Zola, merci d'avoir écrit. J'espère aller à Paris un jour ou l'autre. Je te tiendrai au courant pour une séance photo. Rappelle-le moi quand j'en parlerai [sous-entendu de la venue à Paris]
C'est vrai que ce "it" est ambigu.

Super, merci beaucoup
(c'est bien ce que j'avais comprit donc, je suis trop douée )

[myswom]

Hello,
I have been selected for the Erasmus program but my year abroad will be divided in two: 4 months in Limerick, Irland and 6 months in Grenada, Spain.
So, I'd like to know, to really improve my languages, what kind of activities do you advice me to do abroad to come back without regrets and knowing that I've done all was on "my power" to progress (Actually the only thing I planed to do is read newspaper, has I do now, before sleeping)

Please I really need advices and experiences from yours...

[titi_cia]

Hello there!
I moved in London with my family at the end of 2009. I can't believe that it has been nearly 3 years already! Even doe I always go to France whenever I can. I work in a customer care environment and sometimes it's HORRIBLE. My French accent is VERY strong, I try to make some efforts but...it's still not working! One day, a customer even said to me ''Can I speak to an ENGLISH person please?'' In a very rude way, I guess it just confirms how bad my accent is. Sometimes I get very nice customers, they love my accent and they even try to speak French . The worst thing is that sometimes, I'm on the phone with French customers and I feel like my French is getting worse and worse.
I think it should be a special language for people that mix French and English by accident lol.

[Ithurielle]

Posté par titi_cia

Hello there!
I moved in London with my family at the end of 2009. I can't believe that it has been nearly 3 years already! Even doe I always go to France whenever I can. I work in a customer care environment and sometimes it's HORRIBLE. My French accent is VERY strong, I try to make some efforts but...it's still not working! One day, a customer even said to me ''Can I speak to an ENGLISH person please?'' In a very rude way, I guess it just confirms how bad my accent is. Sometimes I get very nice customers, they love my accent and they even try to speak French . The worst thing is that sometimes, I'm on the phone with French customers and I feel like my French is getting worse and worse.
I think it should be a special language for people that mix French and English by accident lol.

If it really annoys you to have such a strong accent, I suggest you read some books about linguistics and phonetics in particular (David Crystal has some excellent ones, very easy to understand and very interesting as well). You'll find pictures of where your tongue can be placed in your mouth when you speak, with indications as to what sound it produces. For example, the first one is a representation on the tongue and the 11 places where you can position your tongue in order to make such or such noise, the second is useful when you come across expressions like "uvular consonant" and wonder what they really are.




You can train your tongue to automatically go to the places where it should be when you speak English, and I suggest you record yourself, listen to it and try to change it until you can hear an actual English accent. There's a book called "Get Rid of your Accent" available on Amazon if you really are that desperate, but really, it comes with patience and practice for free.

[Oceane.]

Vous connaissez un site tchat du type conversation echange anglais-francais assez sympa ? Merci