Parisians know English very well.
Usually better than French.
English words have become a necessary ornament to the French spoken in Paris.
The Parisian talks about ‘son mood’, ‘son timing’ or ‘son management’ with his friends. Il squeeze, il checke, il switche. Parisians working in the corporate world are the best at English. They fully master it. All day, they deal with ‘meetings’, ’slides’, ‘open space’ and ‘feedback’.
Their 9 to 5 lingo soon enough turns into a second nature: the Parisian ‘est corporate’. Thank God for the corporate world. The Parisian knows that French has its limits. What in the world could be a translation for mood anyway?
When a Parisian shares that ‘il est en speed car il a squeezé un gros meeting après un lunch avec son boss’, he is completely oblivious to the fact that his French is somewhat sprinkled with English words. That’s what knowledge does to you. Knoweldge acquired in the workspace, travelling or in magazines. Most of the press being headquarted in Paris, new ‘fashion’, ‘people’ or ‘shopping’ sections flourish in every publication.
To the Parisian, English is secretely more cool and quite obviously much more simple than French. And a fantastic way for the Parisian to recognize his peers. While all Parisians will understand the sentence above at once, only a few provinciaux will. Most will somehow mock the Parisian for talking like this. That’s what ignorance does to you.
Faced with criticism, Parisians may react in two opposite fashions. Some will admit : ’ouais, je sais, c’est grave, hein, j’peux pas m’empêcher, c’est con, hein ?!’. Others will strike back : ‘Oh la la, évolue un peu, c’est bon, faut pas être passéiste comme ça : Relax Max’.
The Parisian is the victim of his own knowledge. Vraiment, c’est hard d’être Parisien.
Useful tip: If you’re a native Anglophone, first learn about the meaning Parisians have put behind each English word. Surprises may occur.
Sound like a Parisian: « Non, mais le deal c’est qu’y’a pas de guest list, c’est tout ! »
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Tags: corporate · english · english in paris · french · languages · speak english48 Comments
48 responses so far ↓
Word!
So funny man! I love your blog!
This anglo actually has to translate the Franglais that my boyfriend speaks to his French parents:)
… and what about the TV ad going out on national channels: “il a la ‘win’”!
Seriously? Does English really belong on the list of things Parisians like? I teach English and I don’t think that my French students got that memo. An example of my everyday life:
Me: (Holds up a picture of cheese) What is this?
French Students: FROMAGE!
…Congratulations, I’m so proud that you know your own language.
Oh..:) How much I love French accent in English! Trop cool, ca:)
David… Thx. You’re street!!
Hoster… Merci bcp!! C’est adorable!
Marie Isabelle… yeah, anyone 50+ just doesn’t seem to find English quite as simple. These older people are weird!
SR… Hmm… don’t know that one. I don’t watch much TV but this invites me to start getting more into it!
Stefanie… Looks like you got the smart students!!
Linda… Trop cool: très Parisien!!
Very amusing as usual, but what does “squeeezer” mean? I found a reference to bridge but nothing else. Does it mean to squeeze “in” or to squeeze “out”?!!! And what about the pronounciation? I shan’t rest till I know!
How do French people know the meaning of an English expression when it is newly introduced? The other day I was watching the news with my husband’s parents and there was a report on a “speed-dating” salon for banks and potential borrowers. It used the term metaphorically; it didn’t describe actual speed dating. His parents understood what it meant and I was surprised. There are more random English words used in French than I realized.
tres interesting. vraiment!
So true. I used to work in France in a consulting firm and the clients that use consistently English words came from Michelin (yes the company whose headquarter is in Clermont Ferrand, in the middle of France). In all their documents (beautiful powerpoints with tons of slides) there were English words everywhere. My boss was also very proud to slip an English word in a chat(even if he didn’t understand always the meaning).
Peter… Good question. Squeezer is a tricky one. To most, squeezer is to fit something in. To some (those usual master the first usage of the word) it can also mean to remove. As per pronounciation: [s - quizz - é] _ sorry my phonetics language sucks!! in all cases, you can’t use it in French with the meaning of being put under a lot of pressure. Hope this helps!
Jonnifer… Usually, people hear things at work or occasionally on TV. They’re not sure what it means. But since everyone starts using it, they do too. No definition exists but there is a common understanding of the vague thing it stands for. No French person has ever opened a bilingual dictionary in this type of instances. In the case of speed dating, it’s been talked about so much on TV over the past few years that even older and non Parisian people will understand it.
NB: Speaking of speed dating, our next Wine Dating Evening is February 2. We need men to sign up. Please let your single male friends about it: http://www.o-chateau.fr/winedating.php - Merci!!
English is everywhere.. Be.. oui, quoi? Mais en fait, c’est irritant (mechant) quand les francais apres avoir reconnu les etrangeres leurs demandent: “parles-tu anglais/do you speak english?” Etant en France, je veux bien parler francais..! C’est pourquoi, cet ete, a la question d’un espagnol (je pense) “francais/anglais?”, j’ai repondu “polonais!”:) ‘english’ est bcp plus facile que le francais mais ce sont les langues romanes qui attirent mon attention.. anglais est une annexe (supplement).. j’ai arrete mon apprentissage de l’anglais apres le lycee mais il faut que je le recommence seulement parce que je sais qu’au boulot ils vont exiger de moi de connaisance d’anglais.. et je peux dire que chez nous il y a un stereothype que les francais ne connaissent pas anglais.. mais il existe quand meme franglais.. et a vrai dire polanglais aussi.
salutations..
Jeanne, ou bien Joan:)
In Québec, the “language police” are trying (quite likely in vain) to stamp out the spread of English, but all the Francophones there throw in lots of English words, just like in France. And then there was me, the little Anglophone, working so hard to learn French when all I had to do was speak my native tongue with a French accent!
It’s true, English is everywhere. I often hear an english word (or twelve) peppered into most French conversations. Ironic though, I almost never hear a French word pop into an English converstation. Perhaps I am not speaking to the right people!
BTW, you said-”that’s street”! I love that. You are too funny. Have you been reading UrbanDictionary.com?
Mindy…
Séverine… yeah, for sure, consulting firms are the pros of this. They make a living out of it!! But you know, their clients are ‘glabals’.
Jeanne… Heureusement, il persiste quelques grands hommes en France: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRiCMc8eLqs
Pinklea… True! Pour leur défense, they live in a widely English speaking country, and continent! Hard to resist!!
Amanda… Oh, come on: grand, premier, déjà vu, je ne sais quoi, chef, patisserie… we’re taking over your language!! Just slip into yor tight jeans and get ready!! As per my hoodness, well I don’t read about it. I live it on a daily basis. I am street. I am hood. I am ghetto. That’s just me!
Haha!!
Je suis un peu speed là Olivier, but really, Parisiens knowing English better than French? Oh la la!!! You’ve been skipping out on those great corporate meetings there… In real life the Parisian you’re talking to will tell you he speaks better English than the other Parisians…
Jacques… ouais, le timing est un peu short! It’s true that every Parisian thinks he speaks better English than the usual Parisian. That rule applies to all things actually!
Ok. I will give you a few of those words but I would fall to the floor upon hearing Dunkin Donuts being refered to as a patissiere. I do however welcome the change. Please take it over! Even curses in French seem better!
You are ghetto? Tpac or Kanye?
Oooh ! All this is so drôle! As a starry-eyed américanne hypnotized by all the pretty Parisian lights, it is delightful that you’ve pointed out a few delicious truisms: 1. English is a freakin’ fabulous, malleable language, that gives birth to many illegitimate children in many dialects / languages. And this is delicious… English is alive. I love that it has been somehow bent to a Gallic will.
2. It is an easy language (hence the many illegitimate children?) and almost any Parisian speaks better English than I do French…and they don’t have the patience to indulge my poor, sorry attempts de parler français, unless it is coupled with heavy eyelash batting and helpless gestures…..
And 3.I’m not sure I’m happy about all this… Why must one always only ever attempt to speak and write perfect French? – mistakes are not forgiven; yet we do not care that our language is butchered and eviscerated. Why, also, is it that speaking decent French with an American accent is never sexy (no matter who is doing the talking) but speaking English with a native French accent always is (again, no matter who is doing the talking)? You’re “street” You know stuff…fill me in.
Amanda… Yeah - people talk about the Chinese. But truth is: the French are taking over. And - for the records, Kanye ain’t hood. He’s good - but not hood!!
Elizabeth… hello!! Yeah, patience is definitely something Parisians lack - along with time. Less true outside Paris. Also, they won’t admit it, but Parisians love to speak English!! No ones needs to be speaking perfect French but it’s true that the French care for their language and will correct you. Which is i believe for the best. They mean no harm. As per English being butchered, some British citizens would claim slaughter starts on the other side of the Atlantic… And, last but not least, a little American accent, carried by a soft voice, can be sexy…
True:) Jane Birkin would never have become a beloved singer if French tinged with an accent was not tolerated..Of course she was English and not American:) still….
Well, ummm - je te remercie de ta réponse! I guess now I’ve been schooled. ; ) a très bientôt.
My personal favorite is “le people”;)
I love when I hear “le weekend”, or I have even heard “donne moi un break” and “surfer sur le net”.
Pinklea needs to beware of speaking English words with a French accent. My (French) husband advised me to do that, which led to me talking about “raisins secs sans préservatifs” at my daughter’s nursery. What I meant, of course, was raisins without loads of chemicals on them, what I said was “Safe-sex raisins”. I don’t think they’ve stopped laughing since.
The french language was frozen it time thirty years ago. C’est pas cool ça. It needs all the help in can get
Marie Isabelle… same with Britney Spears. Hmm, no, bad example!
Elizabeth…you’re very welcome. Did you makeit to Paris?
Kevin… yeah, ‘les people’: that appeared ex nihilo two or so years ago. Take anything mildly retarded, put an Englsh twirl to it and it immediately sound much more cool. Good to see you here Kevin!
Andrea… yeah, le weekend is used throughout France. Surfer sur le net is so usual these days, I had even forgotten it was pure ‘anglicismes’!
Parisgirl… funny! You know the same story happened to me a couple of times. Through my job, I get to talk about preservatives, pesticides and all this stuff quite a fair bit. So when I give classes in French, sometimes, I go ‘préservatifs’ too. Needless to say, when you have a group of 20 people listening to you and you say this, you lose a hint of credibility!!
Corine… Hello!! You think so?! I would beg to differ. French is a tumultuously changing language: verlan, anglicismes, influences from arab, new expressions… It’s as lively as it gets!!
There’s a definite gulf between Paris and the provinces… Your phrase would be pretty incomprehensible to a lot of people in the quieter areas of the two French departments where I spend most of my time - the Savoie, and the Vaucluse!
But yes - there’s a creeping increase in the use of Anglicisms, even in the sticks… despite the best efforts of various presidents, and the Académie Française.
The frustrating thing (to an Anglophone) is the misuse of the terms - often they have been twisted to some new meaning, with only tangential relevance to the original sense.
I love speed as a verb. “Tu speed un peu,”said Fabrice Lucchni to Louise Bougoin in ‘La Fille de Monaco.’ when she was rushing things, for example.
Others: ‘mon planning,’ ‘c’est top,’ and (am I imagining this?) phrases like le Friday casual and le relax.
And I laughed out loud a while back when I got an email from a department store asking “Etes-vous une vraie serial shoppeuse?”
Wow - you really touched a nerve here!! so many topics, so little space and time. And, for Corine, I absolutely agree with M. O - As long as people are speaking, living, using French, it will continue to evolve. English dominates as a common language throughout metropolitan Europe (at least for the moment) and on the internet. i, frankly, admire the fluidity and flexibilty of French, as well as English. it’s exciting to watch.
Pete… It’s true. Funny that even in very touristy départements like these two, the French they speak is much less corrupted. I guess this has to do with rooting. As per the misuses, yep, it would drive me nuts if I were English. Thankfully enough, I’m not
Polly… ‘du speed’ is also a drug! ‘t’es speedé’ is une appropriation amusante! Je ne suis pas un pro du corporate lingo mais je crois en effet que ‘le casual Friday’ est une réalité. ‘Casual’ is always problematic for the Parisian cause he’s not sure how to pronounce it.
Elizabeth… not sure what you are talking about (touching a nerve part). And i’m afraid the influence of English goes well beyons Europe. But totally agree on the metropolitan part.
On the other side, (I’m french and I’ve been in the US for 1.5 year now), it’s amazing the number of french words in the US vocabulary : a chauffeur, a fausse piste or you’ve carte blanche ! The way that the american people pronounce it are priceless !
Nicely put, Olivier. What amuses the most is that those French (or Parisians) who overuse English words - where existing French words could perfectly do the trick - often speak the worst English.
I’d advise my compatriots to inquire about the correct meaning or use of an English word before they attempt using it… Otherwise, they don’t get to emit a superior chuckle whenever an American mispronounces a French word or sentence on TV or in real life.
“No ones needs to be speaking perfect French but it’s true that the French care for their language and will correct you.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAH…. HAHAHAHHAHAHA
Pas.Du.Tout! Je suis un mec de langue maternelle anglaise et récemment, je me suis installé à Paris. Je parle le français bien mais lorsque je fais les fautes, personne ne me corrige. Jamais. C’est nul car je refais les mêmes fautes tout le temps. Il faut que vous me corrigiez, PARISIENNES! D’ac???????? ( bien que je m’imagine qu’il existe la possibilité que je sois parfait et sans fautes même si j’ai commencé à parler le français il y a 2 mois hihi)
a+
Ludo (aussi assez street)
A Londonner friend asked me once “is it true that you French have got no word for ’stress’?”
, to which I felt obliged to reply “true, but we haven’t got a word for ‘week-end’, either” 
Arbre… English makes us cool. French makes them smart… échange de bons procédés!!
Now, more seriously I think it’s a generation thing. Older people correct you more I think.
Arnaud…. Thx! Nice to have you here! Superior chuckle?! Has ever such a thing been witnessed in France?
Ludo… Well, let me correct you then: it’s ‘je parle bien français’, not ‘je parle le français bien’
Jérôme… C’est vrai que ‘Je suis souligné, j’ai besoin d’une fin de semaine au soleil’, ca rend moins bien!
Hi,
It’s Shari from your January 17th wine tasting. Just dropping you a line. I love your blogs. Just wanted to extend the invitation to come to New Jersey and visit anytime. You were the highlight of my trip.
J’ai dit “je parle le français bien”, pas “j’écris bien le français”. Je ne fais pas les fautes comme ca quand je parle
Interesting thoughts. You’ve made me reflect on Paris a little bit differently than I had previously…
I think French are very confident of their language. Although they know or they can speak English, they are reluctant to use it in formal events. Millions of people around the world are Francophone. Am I right? I don’t know.
Shari… Thx for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed your Wine Tasting with O Chateau really. I’ll let you know if I ever make it to Jersey.
Ludo.. Of course… je n’en doutais pas! (PS: it would be - “je ne fais pas de fautes comme ca”). Sorry… you asked for it
Kris… Thank you. I’ll take this as a compliment. You know, these are hardly my thoughts. Just a personal way of putting real information together. I’m just reporting here!
Charles… I think the French are very confident with most things actually!! I think most have no problem speaking English. But in official situations, many prefer to stick to French, as a way to defend the language. As per how many Francophones in the world, a few million that’s for sure, starting with 65 in France, a few in Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec and Acadie. Plus all the former French colonies in Africa and Asia where many people speak French though it’s usually not their mother tongue. Et pendant ce temps la, moi, comme un con, j ecris un blog en anglais!!
[...] in no position to complain about any French person who chooses to borrow English words whenever it suits them. After a few weeks back in France, I’m still just getting to grips again with the passé [...]
I completely agree! It’s amazing to me how many English words I hear walking around the streets of Paris. And the minute people hear an American accent, they immediately switch into English, which drives me crazy!
Natalie… Bon, je ne vous répondrai qu’en français dans ce cas!
My last trip to Paris (Sept., 08) which was my second in two years, several times, when speaking French — asking directions, etc., I was responded to in English, even though I spoke French (with an American accent I suppose.) I thought that happened as a sort of insult — that my accent indicated where I am from and therefore m French wasn’t so good. Is that true or is that some Parisians just wanted to speak English with me? I didn’t know for sure why they responded in English and I’d love to know why!
Another comment - about a sincerely sweet moment… Returning from dinner one evening, I became totally lost. I was alone and it was late. Finally, I wandered into a small hotel as I saw elderly couple at the front desk. I told them in French that I was lost and asked if they could help. The elderly gentleman smiled at me so sweetly and corrected my French, very slowly. I said “Je suis perdu,” which he corrected — I don’t remember the correction, but I repeated it and he laughed and said, “Voila!” I gave them the address of the apartment and they tried to explain directions to me… but at this point I was too upset to understand. They read my face well. The elderly woman took my arm and then her dog and we walked outside. She spoke French slowly to me as we walked to the corner, doggy at our heels and when we got to the corner she carefully explained the rest - all in French and I realized I was only two blocks away. I thanked her for showing me the way and as I walked off, she yelled, ” Gardes ton sac!” I turned and waved and she was smiling back, holding her dog. Lovely couple they were, corrections and all.
I went back the next day and gave them a small box of chocolat to thank them — they really were so nice. They called me “la petite femme americaine.” They explained they didn’t speak English at all and my French was not so bad!
How does one correctly say, “I am lost.” ??
First, good blog and posts. Congrats.
Alors, on y go, I must say that it’s really a disgrace how French speak English (or any other foreign language for that matter). Especially people who should really use it (like technical people etc.).
My experience so far (living and working in Paris for some time now (and not being native anglophone nor francophone)) is that people who mostly use ‘franglais’ are the worst English speakers and it’s borderlining with not speaking it at all.