Do people in Paris speak English?

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Hot Coco Puff

They understand, and they do speak English, but they are very reluctant to. They feel, if you are in their country, you should speak their language. But, I'm sure they will be kind to you, the will know you're not an American tourist, so they will be helpful.

Mafalda est maman

well if you try to speak French first (bonjour) and then you say "je ne parle pas bien franÃ§ais" (I don't speak french), french people will help you and will make efforts to speak english!
I'm French and what we don't like is tourists who come in France and think that everybody speaks english and do not make efforts to say only few words in french!
Trust me: say few words in French with this very cute american accent and everybody will help you!

telemeister

Yes, particularly those in the tourism sector. But, as pointed out, a little bit of French goes a very long way. Manners in France are very important, always say Bonjour Madame or Bonjour Monsieur, rather than just Bonjour. Remember s'il vous plait, merci, excusez-moi and je ne parle pas francais, parlez-vous anglais. Try asking for things in French, like train tickets, baguettes, or meals, and you will get a lot further. Also, to ask for the bill (check) at a restaurant, say 'L'addition, s'il vous plait'. Your time in Paris will be so much more rewarding if you try the language.
Enjoy...Paris is my favourite place to be.
Salut!

mac77

Most do, however, not well. That's why French people in Paris who speak English prefer not to try speaking the language to strangers. What ends up happening is the strangers end up considering the French rude.

paia423

A high percentage do, but they definitely would rather speak their own language. If you go at them speaking english, they'll probably ignore you. Try to speak their language, when they realize you can't, they'll open up to you.

Rillifane

According to a survey, conducted by French market research institute IFOP for the weekly newspaper Dimanche Ouest France, 34 percent of those questioned said they did not speak English. Twelve percent said they were fluent in English, six percent said they understood and spoke it well, and 48 percent said they "more or less" understood English but did not speak it fluently.

So yes, vastly more French people speak or, at least understand some English than Americans or Brits speak any French.

But that doesn't mean that people will want to struggle thru trying tp speak to you in English when, as the above survey shows only 18% said they were either fluent or spoke English well.

.

praidailice

Of course they do ! No very well but you wont have problems...

S-a

Yes, a lot of people can speak English well, some of them understand only, some will pretend they are not understand but they are (depend of personality).

reet

yes, they do speak English but it is good to learn a bit of French before you go to Paris. People are nice, they will help you out. But they appreciate if traveller knows a little french.

Laughing Annabella

It's difficult to generalize. Many people do, especially in shops and restaurants. But some people will also make a point of not answering you in English because they think tourists should make an effort and speak a bit of French...

Mike C

Well do people in London speak French?

Paris is in France, so they speak French. Most French people do know English but wont speak it because they are not perfect at it.

The only reason people find them rude is because they go to France expecting everyone to speak Engslish, which is wrong as it is not an English Speaking country

Courtney

I was told they all do....but it's simply not true. Most of the people you will come into contact with are waiters, bus drivers, and other service people and a lot of them do not beyond a very basic vocabulary..

If you make an effort they will definitely try to understand you. I found them to be pretty helpful if I at least tried.

Valerie Sylviane

Bonjour,

I am french and I live in Ireland.In France, young people do speak english quite well with a very strong accent.If you are american, please slow down and articulate, we are used to the english accent but american accent is more difficult to understand.

All the young people learn english as a second language (then spanish or german as a third language)but it is as difficult for us to speak a fluent english as it is for you to speak a fluent french.Of course,latin languages are much easier for us/

If you happen to find a french person who speaks a good english please be nice and consider she/he is trying to get rid of her/his terrible french accent/ like I do most of the time .The accent/rythm of the language is terribly different/the grammar is different too.

The best is to try and speak a few words in french even if it seems difficult at first,and I am sure you ll get an answer in english :Â°)...

ps:the two languages ,english and french have much in common, but most english speaking people are not aware that hundreds of words have the same origin and that lots of english words derive from old french(to summarize some of the first kings of England were from Normandy and spoke french),take a look at the history of England and at the history of France .

Cheers,and good luck, Valerie.

Dogsnoop

No.

Kenny C

They should if they want to join the modern world.

robknightmusician@yahoo.ca

no,nix,nay,nein,nyet.

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