English Speakers and French subtleties Hey everyone,
I’m a novice when it comes to spoken French and the subtleties of the language but I really want to do it justice when I reference it in my novel. The particular scene I need help with is a first person account of a French woman where she tells the reader about an occasion when was approached by English Gentleman (an official and very well educated) who was fluent French speaker, but not a native, and how she knew he wasn't French. I wanted to include details of how she
she might have missed initially if she wasn’t paying too much attention to him but as her guard was up already in the scene, she was able to spot the giveaways that others may have missed.
Whether it be pronunciation, tense, inflection or something to do with the time etc.
The English man in the scene approached the French woman when she’s at work in a post office and hands her a note. He tells her something along the lines of ”I need this delivered by tomorrow morning, 9:30 at the latest. Tracked” with a French name and address on the envelope. I’m thinking something around the way he says the time could be interesting, but I’m not sure how it would work yet?
What are some subtle giveaways that native French speakers pick up with non native French speakers that indicate to them them that they’re not French? (That aren’t so obvious.)
Any thoughts will be helpful. Thank you for your time🙏🏻
Am I the only one who can't stop hearing a distinct v sound as in "Tu vas une idée, toi ?" ? I knew it didn't make sense to use aller in this context but I still can't help hearing the guy say 'vas'.
In one of the A2 tests, I see « Il faut toujours regarder devant soi. » and « Il faut toujours essayer soi-même avant de juger. » When do you use soi vs soi-même? I keep getting docked for choosing soi-même in the first sentence.
The phrase 'which seemed to have been left there' is translated as 'qui semblaient avoir été laissées là'.
Could you also translate it using 'y' rather than 'là' (and if so, where would the 'y' go ?) ?
Les vampire ont des longues dents pointues. Il y a des adjectives avant et après le nom dents. Pourquoi?
Hey everyone,
I’m a novice when it comes to spoken French and the subtleties of the language but I really want to do it justice when I reference it in my novel. The particular scene I need help with is a first person account of a French woman where she tells the reader about an occasion when was approached by English Gentleman (an official and very well educated) who was fluent French speaker, but not a native, and how she knew he wasn't French. I wanted to include details of how she
she might have missed initially if she wasn’t paying too much attention to him but as her guard was up already in the scene, she was able to spot the giveaways that others may have missed.
Whether it be pronunciation, tense, inflection or something to do with the time etc.
The English man in the scene approached the French woman when she’s at work in a post office and hands her a note. He tells her something along the lines of ”I need this delivered by tomorrow morning, 9:30 at the latest. Tracked” with a French name and address on the envelope. I’m thinking something around the way he says the time could be interesting, but I’m not sure how it would work yet?
What are some subtle giveaways that native French speakers pick up with non native French speakers that indicate to them them that they’re not French? (That aren’t so obvious.)
Any thoughts will be helpful. Thank you for your time🙏🏻
hi,
I was wondering what is the easiest way to know when something is in the 12 hour clock or when something is in the 24 hour clock? This seems to be my most problem in this section of understanding.
thanks
nicole
Is there a lesson to understand when to use le/la or ça for example. If I was eating something I like would I say Je l'aime or J'aime ça?
Find your French level for FREE
And get your personalised Study Plan to improve it
Find your French level