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Taiwanese born. I have lived in the US for 20+ years. I speak the local Taiwanese Hokka dialect. Married a Taiwanese woman.
I walked into a local breakfast shop and the owner, without looking up, said “What do you want to order”?
How the fuck?!?!
So I moved back to Taiwan after the pandemic and I too can pick them out. It’s honestly the way Americans carry themselves. It’s hard to explain.
Did the sweatpants say juicy or juteuse across the butt?
The clothes, what else 🤣
I would just leave that bakery.
Maybe the accent gave it away even if the French is perfect. I’m not a fluent French speaker but I learned it in school. And even among various French speakers I hear, I can tell the difference in accent.
Too perfect? American body language?
Saw this very thing in an article today. It was said it was the “American lean”. Apparently we lean on things when chilling and that’s very American.
I’m Indian and I do it. Do the French not?
Not even necessarily on things, just like lean to one side while standing.
The American motherland has a magnetic pull on them, drawing them in.
That’s true. Part of it was taking about how we rarely stand squarely on both feet.
We’re tired, or invading, sometimes it’s hard to tell.
I was just in Bordeaux. Not a single issue with my weak French and I’d almost always get a reply in French. I promise I am nowhere near fluent, maybe A2 level.
But in Paris, nearly every reply was in English and even if I replied back in French I’d get that look “please stop butchering my language” before they’d reply in English. It’s a running joke now, but I really question if it’s just parisons being assholes or maybe they just want to practice.
Ps. Never had this issue with Italian. My accent is almost Roman too and I’m again, not fluent.
I had a good friend from France who informed me that Parisians are just arseholes lmao
As an American I’d just be happy you’re trying. The fact that you try to speak a native language IMO shows respect, even if it isn’t that good. You care enough to try.
Ah you discovered the secret. Even among the French, the Parisians have a certain reputation.
True, but so do the Bordeaulais
Source: wife is parisien, but her family are al Bordeaulais
I wonder how a parisian would navigate the Seattle freeze.
I spent way to many years traveling to France for business and spending several weeks there at a time. I don’t speak French of course as I studied a bit of Spanish. When there as a foreigner you generally get either pleasant and wonderful people or snobbish assholes.
Parisians lean more towards assholes though I met many wonderful people there. It’s more of a disdainful bored attitude without much bite. They know tourism is necessary for their jobs but dealing with tourism is a pain the ass. This interaction pretty much sums it up.
When you are outside of Paris the reactions get more extreme. I got some of the best and worst reactions when I was in smaller cities like Nantes or Lyon.
They do this in argentina if you speak Spanish and you have darker skin. And the best part their English is more broken than my Spanish.
You can keep speaking French after this point. Practice makes perfect
When I was in Paris a few years ago, it was such an inversion of the rest of my experience in Europe. Anywhere else, english was the language where me and anyone would be best able to communicate. Many times in Paris, my wretched French was the most effective way to communicate and I am genuinely sorry to everyone involved in that.
No french person would be that polite is why. Unless they’re a 4yo out with their mother.
Deux croissants
Isn’t it the same with any language?
In English, if you get the word order wrong, or you say “how”, when it should be “what”, or you speak a bit too clearly, like, you say “Good morning”, instead of “g’morning”.
I expect there are plenty of nuances in every language that can tip off a native speaker, that they don’t think about until it happens.
And, does the French person respond with perfect English, or do they have a bit of an accent?
The French are very cool people, who know how to throw a revolution, and that is what matters at the moment. Respect.
Maybe the smile
Is not showing a will to live part of becoming fluent in French?
It’s more a question about using or abusing a smile:
https://www.ohlalafrenchcourse.com/en/blog/article/why-aren-t-the-french-nice
I know that in some (many) cultures, the American “smile” can be unnerving
Hell it’s unnerving to my American ass, lots of people very blatantly weaponize smiles here
The directness one cracks me up. Is that where the word ‘frank’ comes from? Also, ime, they’re pretty direct when no one asked.
The second reason we might think the French are not nice is because of their direct communication.
Ah, the famous French frankness! Unlike some cultures where things are left unsaid and hints prevail, the French often prefer to say things as they are. This transparency aims to prevent misunderstandings, but it can be surprising, even shocking. But believe it or not, it’s often done in a spirit of clarity and mutual respect. After all, why waste time guessing what the other person is thinking?
So, don’t be surprised if a French person speaks directly to you and doesn’t tiptoe around you.
I’ve heard it described similarly. In much of the US, it’s pretty normal to smile or nod at someone you’re passing as an acknowledgement. But in cultures that aren’t accustomed to that, I’ve heard it feels like if someone walked up to your car at a red light and knocked on your window just to say hi.
It must be a paris thing, I went to Lyon and obviously hit up a bakery near my friend’s place. I did pointing & grunting and extremely basic french.
I did not enjoy the random fish danish I ended up eating since I fucking hate fish.
Merci beaucoup.
