[Idyllchat] Paris question

[Jerry Clancy]

Arlene,

Generally, yes. Parisians are not as unfriendly 
as their reputation might have it. Almost all 
shopkeepers speak at least minimal English and 
many Parisians speak it well. You won't have 
trouble in most restaurants and brasseries. As in 
most countries, clerks will often scribble the 
amount owed on a piece of paper if you don't know 
the numbers in French and they not in English. 
Most, particularly in bakeries, for example, are 
honest and you can just let them take the Euros 
they need from the palm of your hand.

Most taxi drivers also speak some English, though 
not all will admit to it. Be prepared to write 
down where you are going for the driver (use 
European 1's and 7's). Also be aware that there 
are first class taxis and don't use them. You'll 
get soaked. Use the Métro and get second class 
tickets (billets -- "bee-yea") -- it's wonderful 
and the maps are everywhere. Just make sure you 
know when the last returning train runs late at night.

You don't need to learn much to improve the 
situation: salutations, Messieur (pretend there 
is no ending "r"), Madam (never Madmoiselle 
unless you're sure), Bonjour (literally "good 
day"), s'il vous plait, Merci, de rien (it's 
nothing, often said for "you're welcome", which 
is shortened to "pas de quoi"), Ou est (where 
is), à gauche (on/to the left), à dôite (right), 
l'addition (the check), Excusez-moi, and, of 
course, the numbers themselves. Try to nail down 
1 to 100. Once you get 1 to 20 down you'll see a 
pattern that works through the 60s. Rather than 
invent words for 70, 80 and 90, some clever 
person, probably a frustrated mathematician, 
decided instead to be cute. So, for 70 you get 
"soisante-dix" (60+10), for 80 "quatre-vingt" 
(4x20), and for 90 "quatre-vingt-dix" (4x20+10). 
The "dix" (10), by the way, is pronounced "deece". Don't ask.

Then there is the universal "Qu'est-ce que 
c'est..." (kess-ka-say) for What is...?

You don't need much and a smile will get you a 
lot. Get one of those pocket-sized phrase books 
that also have a minimal but common dictionary 
and a list of common foods, veggies, etc. 
Parisians are much used to Americans, so don't sweat it.

Jerry

At 11:15 PM 7/12/2007, AgentArleneSmith at aol.com wrote:

>Is it easy enough to get along in Paris speaking no French whatsoever?
>Arlene Smith