Bonjour, mes amis!
Alors, je suis arrivée in the most romantic city in the world, Paris, even if it is only for a few days of business! You can’t imagine how good it feels to land on foreign soil and actually understand the best part of what is being said – I’m even enjoying looking at all the advertising hoardings and figuring out the messages on them.
I remember our school trip to Paris when I was 13; I was more interested in finding the nearest MacDonald’s and buying lots of tacky souvenirs than I was in learning anything about the people and the culture. Somehow the Eiffel Tower holds a special symbolic significance for me now.
My French in Action
In the taxi to my hotel, I struck up a conversation with the driver. At first he was more interested in trying out his English, but once I explained to him that I’d put so much effort into learning French, he duly obliged and pointed out the landmarks, explaining some of the history connected with them.
My studies really paid off, and I remembered a tip I’d read on a couple of the online French sites about how to talk about future plans. As with English, you phrase future activities by saying that you’re “going to…” do something using the verb “aller”. Once I’d reeled off a list of things I wanted to do whilst in Paris, the taxi driver laughed and asked if I was staying for 4 days or 4 years!
My French at Work
The working part of my stay has been surprisingly stress-free, thanks to the post-it note reminders for key cosmetic French vocabulary which I’ve placed strategically in my hotel room! It’s nice to be able to chat a bit before getting down to business, and I’ve found that I’m more confident when describing our products now as the overall marketing strategy is built around the French product names.
I haven’t even been put off by the grey skies – tomorrow my French counterparts have arranged a visit to the Louvres (love the glass pyramid effect!) and dinner on a bateau-mouche sailing down the Seine. Obviously, I’ve still got lots to learn when it comes to keeping up with fast-talking Parisians, but I’ve learned not to panic, and to follow the gist of the conversation.
Learning French Pays Off!
Best of all, I got a call from my boss this afternoon to say that Head Office have approved funding for me to undertake an intensive one week French course on my next trip to Paris, and are looking at investing heavily in French learning tools and activities for all employees. Je suis très heureuse!
Bonne chance if you’re trying to learn French yourself – I thoroughly recommend it!
Au revoir,
Nic