I risked being rude, but he likely concluded I was merely an Anglophone.
Hiking back to the lake, I wished I’d studied harder, embarrassed at my lacking.
Friday Flash Fiction |
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The man called out to me in French, not in a hostile way, but in a gummy toothless way, asking if I was having a good morning. I didn’t answer. If I answered oui, merci, et toi, responding yes and asking after him, the limit of my forgotten high school French, I would leave the impression I knew the language and would have to chat because that’s what one did in rural Quebec.
I risked being rude, but he likely concluded I was merely an Anglophone. Hiking back to the lake, I wished I’d studied harder, embarrassed at my lacking.
Jennifer Duncan
27/1/2023 08:01:37 pm
In Quebec, unless you are fluently bilingual, the French person, if they speak any English at all, will switch to English. Makes it really hard to practice your French. And yes, French Quebecois are friendly.
Sue Clayton
28/1/2023 03:53:09 am
In Paris I used my schoolgirl French. I got by, but I did wonder if I might have brought a smile to a few faces. Comments are closed.
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"Classic"
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