French as she is spoken

Categories: FrenchLanguage

There are days when I think my French is quite good, and then there are others when I think I am making no progress at all.

The English people around here all say my French is excellent and say that I'm fluent, but what do they know? Most of them find asking for bread at the boulangerie a daunting task.

I have a theory on why learning a language has these hard and easy phases and this mighty theory involves:
1. An ever-changing concept of the meaning of "fluent"
2. The locals keep raising the game.
3. Many personal skills develop in a series of plateaus (plateaux?)

1. An ever-changing concept of the meaning of "fluent"
Thinking about it honestly, I would be very pleased with the level of my French if I could compare it to what it was like when I first came to France 2 and half years ago. But like many things in life, the more you learn, the more you realise how much you don't know.
And when people say you are "fluent" what does that mean? Fluent in small talk at the cafe? Yes. Fluent enough to understand what's required at work and interact with the others? Sure. Fluent enough to fill in a tax form and discuss fiscal policy with a mortgage broker? I don't think so. Fluent enough to discuss the causes of the rise of right-wing politics in France? Not in any fine detail, no.
So there's fluent and fluent. I had hoped that after nearly 3 years I would be fluent in French. The fact is I am and I amn't.

2. The locals keep raising the game.
When you first start speaking French, it's immediately obvious you can't speak well and so people talk to you slowly and simply.
As you improve, in grammar, vocab and accent, so they start to speak faster and more naturally.
Throw in a few colloquialisms and slang, and man, they start chattering like billy-o. And they no longer stop to check that you're keeping up. As a result, conversational French just never seems to get any easier.

3. Many personal skills develop in a series of plateaus (plateaux?)
I think most things that are learned go through phases of development and consolidation. If you try and take in too much at one go you get swamped. During development phases you're amazed at how much you're learning, but even during consolidation phases little things are being subconsciously heard and filed away.

I also always thought that a major breakthrough in speaking French would be when I stopped thinking in English and translating into French before speaking, and started thing in French. I now think its not as simple as that.
Firstly the translating before speaking gets faster and faster.
Secondly, it depends on the level of conversation. Simple things, easy answers just come straight out in French. Its not that I'm thinking in French as much as not thinking at all. When someone asks you how you are, or if you think its a nice day, you don't actually consider the question, even in Engish - you just blurt it out "I'm fine" or "Yes, its lovely".
More complicated issues though, you pause to consider your response. Often, even in English, you have to choose your words so as not to offend, or to put the right emphsasis.