Vous Parlez Anglais

Such a beautiful town, beautiful people and so much of culture and nightlife..but unfotunately for me all I%26#39;ve been asking was Vous Parlez Anglais ?? People went out of their way to help this lone tourist out. I%26#39;m currently in AIX at the Des Augustins and will be here until this Saturday..Any advice on how to pick up some basic French is welcome.. Any bilingual tourists and/or locals willing to team up are welcome..A trip to nice/Cannes is on the cards for the weekend..

a bientot

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Fell in love this place so much, I%26#39;m planning to go back in October for a couple more weeks. Cannes, Nice and Monaco were very picturesque and beautiful. Can%26#39;t wait to go back. Planning to work on my French in the meantime..

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by the by -- if you turn it slightly and ask Parlez-vous anglais? it is closer to saying %26quot;Do you speak English?%26quot; --

Saying %26quot;Vous parlez anglais%26quot; is like commanding someone to speak English -- %26quot;You speak English%26quot;.

Subtle, but an important difference.

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Actually, it all depends on the intonation. If you say %26quot;Vous parlez Anglais%26quot; in a flat sort of mono-tone; then yes it is a statement you are making.

However, if you lift your voice at the end of the statement, it turns into a question, %26quot;Do you speak English?%26quot;

I know it%26#39;s subtle, but it is a feature of the French language that is in use every day;

A good example is two French friends who meet. The first says

%26quot;Ca va?%26quot;

the second says

%26quot;Ca va%26quot;

The first lifts his voice at the end of the phrase, turning it into a question %26quot;How%26#39;s it going?%26quot;

The second replies %26quot; It%26#39;s Going (OK)%26quot;

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http://www.afdehou.org/

Alliance Francaise, Houston, Texas.

Alliance Francaise operates in many cities including my own, and is a great place where you can learn French in a fun and interesting atmosphere. They cater for all abilities and ages. They help you fall in love with the language.

Signed - A former attendee and mother of an attendee.

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Thanks everybody for your valuable tips. I got busy with my work so couldn%26#39;t really work on my French. Heading back to Aix next week for about a month..I%26#39;m very Excited. I%26#39;ll probably bug you experts with some more mundane questions if I don%26#39;t find an answer myself.

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good afternoon

A week to go hey ?

Try the tapes/ Cd Audio tapes ( in the car/ home) to already practice on some sentences and register the pronouciation.

Mind you the accent will be a little bit different than what the tapes will give you, still better than zero french upon arrival

meherio

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For quick fix French (for free!), try the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/ There are mp3 downloads for really basic phrases in seven headings (including %26#39;ski%26#39;!)

The French Steps course (on the same site) is good too, if you have a bit more time.

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Surely it%26#39;s not whether you say %26#39;Vous parlez Anglais?%26#39; or Parlez- vous Anglais?%26#39; that matters - but the addition of %26#39;S%26#39;il vous plait%26#39; to your question is the polite way to ask a French person anything.

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