Italy is your place, Americans: No one expects you learn Italian Loud is fine You come here for the food and you learn how to eat healthy, we have daily tons of carbs with no consequences Politic? No way, even if had trump presidency, after Berlusconi we can't even think talking politics
Hello Kate, I like your take on French culture and way of life. I'm a Frenchman who moved to the US in the 90's. I became a US citizen a couple of years ago, so I took the opposite route compared to you, but I share many of your observations. Whenever I come back to France, I always end up in some discussion with friends or family about US policy, like now that I'm "un Américain", I'm responsible for what the POTUS does or says... When I'm in France I tend to find myself defending Americans, and when I'm "back home" in the US, I tend to defend the French. I remember in 2003 when the US invaded Irak, I was on a scuba trip to Cozumel, of all places. We joined a small group of divers on the small boat that picked us up at the hotel pier, and as soon as one of the divers found out I was French, he started talking about how disappointed he was that France was not supporting President G. W. Bush's decision to go at war with Irak, blah, blah. On a dive boat. During a vacation. I was not very diplomatic that day.
Right, Iraq was based on lies and arm sales/oil. Bush is a war criminal. Good for France not to get involved, even with Ukraine/NATO war with Russian tipping in to ww3 or nuclear war. Stupid Biden! And I am an American. I just came back from London and Paris, amazing places with beauty, but man traffic was terrible lol.
Not going to war with Irak , i think you get it now but let's explain what we saw from our side in the news : America says stupid improvable stuff about irak and to be polite we where agreeing to send inspector to see if US claims where legit knowing it was not (it was silly seriously) , so yeah when they make the move : no matter the inspector we go ... it was obvious lie and nothing has remove people trust more than that in french eyes , if gvt lies he cant never be trusted ever again until he's fired entirely , witch never happended . And i talk just relations between allies , now geopolitiquely Taking out Irak leader was an let say okish thing to do moraly , But the stupidest thing you could have done in the middle east : and i dont talk from todays point of wiew but back then most informed people knew S. was evil but was a necessary one , he keep in check all the crazy at bay from irak . and finally S. was screwed by US on koweit so he drops US and Bushes involvement that make them mad , and few year latter they attak irak how convenient , ok we get it . Its too much ,we know they are organising lies and désinformation, so ok ,we say nothing cause " we get it " but going to war in this nonsence , was not possible ! its like a childish friend asking you to do smght wrong just because you are friend ... noway . Now everything is gone very worse than what we knew at that time and we pay now with war like in Mali against terrorism ( and not chasing old grudges or petrol just defending who are in need ) because France sees the problem and want to help , but where is USA on poor country that represent 0 gain for them . USA act like a dangerous kid , and get mad for the silliest thing and act childish and greedy ... freeing the world often by force, most likely freeing some part of the world they have an agenda on for profit :)
As a French woman who moved in the US in the 90"s I love your comment. I flirted with the idea of moving back to France recently and finally I am staying here.
Americans don't bother to learn new languages because they live on continent surrounded by vast oceans. It takes over 10 hours to air travel to Europe, flight tickets can cost over 1000 dollars which majority of Americans can't simply afforded. On the other hand in Europe almost every country speaks its own language, countries are close to one another, that's why Europeans have incentive to learn languages of their neighbors.
Up until 20 years ago, families in the US travelled in the US when they had vacations. How uninteresting to study French when you'll won't meet any native speakers until you travel over the ocean. A Swiss, French, German, Belgian child will have many opportunities to actually speak the language they are learning in school. Americans shouldn't be trashed for not studying languages. Think about this: before the Second World War German was a major language -- you needed it in the sciences and in many other fields. They lost that edge, didn't they?
Hello Kate, I am a Hispanic American, English is my first language, Spanish is my second. In High school I had French classes, and I was pretty good at it but did not pursue it like my other high school colleagues. Now at 50 I am taking French courses online (sorry not what you were promoting but as good as it gets) I am a freelance photographer and my company is based in Paris, France. So, my goal is to learn French as an intermediate for now and as a third language. Wish me luck. A bientot! And yes, Americans are loud.
after several years of living in france without a trip to the us and living fully in french when i finally came home i truly saw that americans do indeed shout at each other when talking 😭😭 i lost my voice after two days
There's something to be said about tourists being loud and enthusiastic early in the morning in public places and public transportations they share with people who are NOT on vacation, who are up early to go to work and could do with a bit of quiet... and believe me we don't need Americans to have an annoying situation here. It transcend nations.
Hahah i feel like it's often americans that I hear driving everyone nuts on the metros. But true that this instance can also be an "i'm on my way to work" and you're "enjoying a day off" difference.
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified No, I love Americans, but they are loud. I went on a cruise with my parents and there were two American women on sunloungers behind us loudly discussing which of their children were a vaginal delivery!
Everyone says I talk softly. It is the Finnish in me. I guess I inherited the quiet, I am theatre trained, so I can be heard, but seldom talk a lot. Lately have been afraid to discuss politics in America as we have bullies, who know nothing but say too much.
Actually most Americans actually DO learn a foreign language. And then they grow up, get a job, start a family and those skills simply erode. I learned German, carried on with it in college, was fluent to the point I could THINK in German, understand the radio, its not 25 years later and my German is terrible. There is little to no opportunity to speak German here. Live in France travel a short distance and you're in Germany, Denmark, Spain, England. Travel that same distance from where I live, they STILL speak English with a slightly different accent. Yeah, sure, there's enclaves, particularly of Spanish.
Learn to actually look something up before you make a statement based solely on your own experience. According to the U.S. Census bureau, only 20% of Americans learn or speak a second language, so "no" most Americans don't learn a foreign language. On top of that, many of the 20% come from families that are bilingual, which further reduces the amount that learn 'anything' about a foreign language if not required to by their direct family or environment. Finally, polls in America which measure this will more often than not count a single class in school (whether or not the students actually learned "anything") as countable, which by any but an American measurement would hardly count as learning anything. Perhaps in your school system, in your time of going to school, it was common to require a language class, but that is far from common.
Yes, but that still is no excuse. The way to become comfortable and fluent is to read books and publications in those languages one attempts to learn. Viewing films or having foreign language access in libraries, or on the Internet, has made this all the more easy and feasible.
American here! I was on vacation in Paris during the 2016 US Presidential election and once people found out I was American they were so quick to ask me my opinion on our new president and how I voted, etc. It was surprising but also nice to get perspective from somebody looking from the outside in!
hahaha it's true the French don't have the greatest reputation for learning languages among European countries, but trust me, compared to the US they are AMAZING. :)
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified by the time we leave school in France, we speak at least 2,or 3 languages, and then in university you can pick another one again like I did, so it’s 4 languages altogether for me anyway.Maybe some people are not good at following up on their languages;)
@@MmeCathy01 mmm...il est vrai qu'il n'y a pas de barrières des langues entre Romands et Français. Mais la comparaison n'est pas très juste, car les Suisse-Allemands, en moyenne, parlent bien mieux le Français que nous parlons le Suisse-Allemand, ou même le "bon" Allemand - comme on dit. (surtout sachant qu'ils sont largement majoritaires)
@@sabrinag4512 yeah... it also depends on what you mean by "speak": I could get by in Germany with my level of German, and that might be enough for some people to say that they "speak" the language. I wouldn't be comfortable saying that of myself though.
I agree with the criticism about Americans and languages, but as an American my experiences in France have been different. I am from South Louisiana and grew up in a town where French is commonly spoken and my family speaks French and English at home. Obviously, I spoke French when in France and the people would instantly notice my Louisiana French accent. It was fun and interesting comparing my Cajun speech to European French and the people loved my Cajun stories and jokes. We are loud though, that's for sure. As far as discussing politics, I don't do that here in America anymore with the political divisions so hostile. Anyway, I love France and love the French. Vive la France, vive la Louisiane!
A funny and honest video, but 3 minutes is a bit too long to advertise your sponsor. One minute should be sufficient to draw the attention to its online language learning website, and if anyone is interested in such a thing he or she can look up the details. For everyone else it is annoying to listen to something totally irrelevant for three minutes.
Thanks Peter! Glad you enjoyed the video and point taken on the sponsor shoutout. I tend to fast forward sponsor shoutouts that aren't relevant for me, but totally understand if you listen to the whole thing, 3 minutes is long if you're not interested!
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified so maybe you could put the sponsor shoutout at the end? Or put a time code for the ones who would like to fast forward? Great video btw, I love your channel (yours and Rosie's) and it's very interesting to learn how you feel as an american living in France :)
You do speak too loudly: it's obvious on this video! It's not just French people who are quieter - all Europeans speak more quietly than Americans. It's horrible for us to be in a restaurant and hear the conversation that an American couple are having broadcast right across the room - talk only as loudly as you need to for the other person to just be able to hear you.
I just rode an Amtrak train from NYC to Fl, where I had a number of ethnic French folks sitting behind me. During the entire log of the journey, the French were hardly audible. The Americans on the other hand, especially African Americans, talked non stop, and at high volume for the entire journey. Label me whatever. I call it out as I hear it
Hello there, I'm french and I really like your videos ^^. It is surprising to find an english speaker to speak french fluently honestly. In my own experience, I only meet english speaker for professional matters and some people/workers stay in France up to 3 years and most of them (to not say all) didn't put any effort to learn even the basics (not that I care much tbh I don't expect them during work to learn speaking fluently but to just say Bonjour) because when we didn't understand them clearly it's like they don't really care because "english is the international language. Everyone in all countries can understand me, if you can't you're wrong" this is not the subject here but to me, this is the reason I think we are surprised in the good way when we face someone that is speaking fluently. Sorry even if it's pretty obvious that after 10 years you speak french fluently it's not something that we're used to I guess ^^. Tbh, I don't feel like US are the only one to be loud. Most of french people want everyone to be quiet and when these very same people talk it's the same if not worse :D. Except at home or a restaurant. Specially at home ^^ About obesity ... Body culture here is one if not the greatest social pressure that you can find. If you're not a fashion model (man or woman) you're not normal, and those who aren't normal are sick. (yeah, we are weird. I think like American tho, people live as they want to ^^ who am i to tell them how they must look like). The healthy side is just an excuse tbh. You're right on the part of " not having an opinion ". It's another social pressure. If you don't have your own opinion (not repeating something you read on the internet right) you are often seen as simple minded. (well we're not thinking that way if it's just about politics tho) As always thanks for your video ^^ It's really interesting for me to listen your point of view and also to read the comments below ^^. Sorry if my english is not correct. I don't think bad toward anybody or anything in my comment ^^ I just wanted to precise.
As I said earlier, the French are the only people who have shamed me for trying to speak French. In many other countries they coach and correct without shame and frustration. After several try’s, I may go to another language.
@@barbaraolson600 First i'm sorry to read that but I thank you for sharing your experience. I'm often in the same situation when i speak English because often i'm a toy. People ask me to repeat 1-2-3 times until you find that it's just because they are laughing (in a good way) about the french accent. We don't see (well most Frenchies) the language as a tool to share and discuss but more of a part of something really important in our culture. My english is far from being perfect but yet people try to understand me and i try too. With the current situation in France where our language is just being deconstructed piece by piece people tends to get angry, impatient, nervous and impolite, not really engaging or they didn't want to put an effort to understand too. I don't want to be pretentious, it's not a reason to push this frustration toward people who want to learn French tho, i agree. Maybe we, both, didn't find the right people. I don't know. Thanks again and I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
I’m an American and I’m learning French on my own because I want to move there. Personally, I think it’s quite rude to move to a country without learning the native language, unless you are there for work or military reasons. So that’s why I am learning to be fluent, because I think it’s respectful. But is it extremely common for French people to make fun of accents? Or is it just a few ignorant people? I don’t have a lot of confidence in speaking French so I’m scared that I’ll get made fun of a lot. I feel like in the US, people don’t say anything about someone’s accent, but they’ll take the person less serious. Also, I am sad that there’s high beauty standards. Although I am only 120 pounds and 172 centimeters tall, I don’t like that others have to deal with that pressure. It shouldn’t matter what people look like. I hope it’s not as bad as Asian beauty standards though, you have to be a skeleton over there.
Writing as an Israeli, living in Belgium- right on the border with France (and so i visit every week for food shopping and days off). About fat people. It is not an American problem, for the last years the obesity is all around. And there are A LOT of fast food restaurants in France. The difference in my opinion is that most of the French eat other food when they are at home. Not so much processed as in the US. So they still think it's an American thing.
I travel between the US and France often. In France, Belgium or other EU country, it is overweight, in the US, it is obesity. It is going worse by the year.
I'm an American who recently went to Spain for vacation and I ALWAYS knew when other American tourist were near by because they were so loud to the point where I was annoyed because I was trying to escape American culture by going to Spain. So I totally get it.
Nice video, Kate. I'm from the midwest too and have visited France, have family who work there, etc. I can see both sides of the obesity issue, because things can be extremely frustrating if you're trying to live healthy here. Our urban planning, lack of food regulations, hustle culture, and more really fosters obesity in my view. I think it's kind of crazy how it's treated as an individual failing when 80% of our population is overweight or obese. It also completely lets food corporations off the hook.
There are many cities in the U.S. that are categorized as "food deserts", meaning that there is no access to fresh produce or fresh meats. The only thing to choose is a small convenient store where there is only processed food. I know it's hard to imagine, but look it up online. I am a Registered Dietitian and when I'm interviewing a new patient or client I have to ask where they live and what stores they have access to. Imagine if the nearest supermarket was 15 miles away and you had no car or public transportation. The U.S. is very car dependent. We don't walk to bus stations or train stations usually. We sit in our car and drive from door to door of our home to the destination. How many of us will circle the parking lot just to find a space closest to the entrance of the store? Snack food is everywhere we go in the U.S. too.
Thanks Kate. I suspect we talk loud because our sense of space us so different for starters. Many Americans live in places with a lot of space. Loud talk across large rooms is normal. Also we tend to think being excited is a good state. Whereas in Eastern Europe being loud and excited was the kind of thing that would get you reported. As far as talking politics goes I think we Americans have the wrong end of the stick here. The jokey three things you're not supposed to talk about, which we repeat to ourselves often, is actually the kind of barrier that goes into the current political insanity. If we knew how to talk about these things maybe we wouldn't have gotten into the two realities situation we find ourselves. I love the fact that the French, Czechs, or Georgians, like to ask political questions. But then again I was never a 'normal' American on that score. And these other countries have their issues here as well. But for me space is always an issue. Whether driving or walking down the street my sense of space is radically different from Europeans.
Regarding politics, I think the election system causes that only two parties are visible, which is partly responsible of splitting the American society in two camps that can't stand one another. Bit if you look closely the French society is also divided (not so frankly and not in only 2 sides but it is), and it is quite common. People should be educated about debate and especially not considering people that don't have the same views as the devil (or simply idiots). Most of the times people have reasons to think what they think (even though they are bad reasons). Unfortunately the divide is not only about political views.
Great point on the fact that being excited is seen as positive thing, whereas it's not the case in Europe and you naturally talk louder when you are excited!
Totally agree about the two party divide. i talked about this difference in my election video this year and how you have like 11 different parties vs 2 in the US. it does really pit you against other people right?
Imagine Europe was one country and spoke a single language. And then imagine that each state in the US spoke a different language. Now how likely do you think it would be that a European would know the language in Mississippi for instance? Would you not think the Mississippians arrogant if they thought less of someone for not knowing their language, or the languages of the surrounding states? Would they not be seen as provincial and narcissistic for exaggerating their own importance in that manner? Europeans never get the fact that the proper comparison is between their countries and our states, and have a really poor grasp of the size of the US. But we do not shame their education system for it. The multilingual rate in the US is similar to Europe where we border a region which speaks another language. There just aren't as many of those regions because geographically the vast majority of the continent speaks the same language.
I've learnt german and french as a child and later I learnt Russian because I lived there from 2000 to 2004. The mother of my kids was Russian. The very last language I've learnt is english. You have to be interested in other culture to learn a new language. It's not a matter of size of the country, it's laziness and lacking interest.
I'm french and you're very right about politics: I would say that for a french it's just the politeness to speak about politics of your country and to ask you what are your political opinions. it's indeed a way to show we're very interested in your country, as we surely are and as politics is just the french's passion. France is the only European country like that. Probably since the century of lights and the revolution. You can have the worst political arguments and stay best friends after the discuss, because we consider you have the total right to disagree, and we just expect your arguments. On obesity, you are right, people will think it very strongly but where I disagree is I think they just won't tell you, even if they think it deeply, which is even worse. I think they are too hypocrites for that, and they will do as if it was normal, but will be shocked and will think it's not normal at all. They will think you are not reasonable but without telling you their disapproval. That's at least what I think. About the noise, you could also ad the emphasis: In France, it's polite to be moderate, as the americans like to exagerate, so we always think the American tourists want to do a show! Everything is absolutely amaaaazing!!!!! as in France, when we find something good, we would just say: yes, it was not bad, not bad at all... meaning it was excellent. About the language, you're right, most people won't expect an American to speak another language than English. It reminds me a European joke: - How do you call someone who speaks two languages? - a bilingual - good! Now, how do you call somebody who speaks three languages? -a trilingual - excellent! Now, how do you call somebody who speaks only one language? -???. I don't know! - In France, we call him... an English-man! This is a joke but that expresses the frustration of the french facing the unwilling of the English to learn other languages (even if some English people are francophones and sometimes even francophiles) . I would also add that, coming to France, americans absolutely need to learn one french word, which is: Bonjour! The only thing is in France, we educate the children since very young to do so: before even addressing to somebody, you are really expected to say hello. and for somebody coming to the country of France, to say hello in French is just a minimum. In French, hello is said "Bonjour !". You say Bonjour when you meet somebody, but also when you come into a shop. If you don't say it, people will just not pay attention to you and won't answer you. Nothing is worse than addressing to you directly in a foreign language exept not to say Bonjour in French! Once you have said Bonjour, OK, now we can speak English and we can get relaxed, because we suppose you don't know any other language. Most french will make the effort to speak English as far as you made the effort to speak at least a few words in French. As you can see, Americans may be very strange for us, but french can be even more!
Hi-I just found your channel and wanted you to know how much I have enjoyed it. You have that ‘certain something’ that makes a RUclipsr stand out in a good way. Love your take on things and I look forward to listening to more! I am a bonafide Francophile but haven’t lived there ‘Yet.” I have lived in Copenhagen and miss Europe so much!
Not knowing other languages is the major reason I’ve held off going to Europe. I am now going to Portugal first for a few days - just a few days - as it is mostly paid for by others. After that I am flying to Paris. My bucket list trip is to visit Normandy so, gulp, I am renting a car and driving from the airport. I am actually dreading it as I feel like such a typical American. Only good news is I am meeting up with a friend and his wife and child. She is Swiss (German) but speaks French fluently.
I was in Paris in 2003. My black skin got many hostile looks in any place I went from cafes to the pharmacy...UNTIL I opened my mouth and the folks figured out I was Black American. THEN my presence almost became celebrated. People all wanted to help me. Didn't want me to want in line (moved me to the front), offered to take pictures and wanted to know WHY Americans hated them. They loved it when I spoke the small amount of French I know and were charmed when I told them I dad fought there in WWII.
It works the other way around. The first time I have been in NYC 30 years ago (before it got gentrified), I was residing in a hostel in Harlem. As a white man, at first, I got the same kind of hostile looks as you've experienced. And then I started to chat with one of them and said I was French, and then their attitude totally changed and were super friendly to me.
I don't think the language issue is an "American" thing. It's more an "English speaker" thing. I get exactly the same - I'm British - and whilst it's nice to be complimented on my French, it reflects badly on my fellow nationals. BTW, I don't mind in-video adverts but 3 minutes? Really?
I feel like the English put more effort into learning languages though. Because you live in Europe, you are so close to other countries with different languages that it's way "closer to home." In the US, you might need to take a car like 40 hours to get to a place that speaks another language and so it seems easier to stay isolated. That's just my perception though! And noted for the sponsor shoutout. Someone else said 3 minutes was long so i'll stop rambling next time :)
Many years ago I worked as an long distance operator and spoke to French directory assistance to get a number for a customer. Our equipment didn't allow us to mute the customer at that time, and the customer asked if they had an English language number for the business. The operator said we are in France we speak French and that was that.
"we are in France we speak French" Yes, even to this day, this is the dominant point of view. We may make some efforts to try and speak english, or spanish, or german to foreigners who are visiting, but we really don't like foreigners trying to push their english on us, while in France. Definitely. Most of the times, those who complain about that are native english speakers, and only them. I believe spanish, germans, south americans and such consider it normal. Because many english native speakers really come across as obnoxious for expecting everyone to learn their language while they oftentimes make no effort whatsoever themselves. Which tends to reinforce even further our " we are in France we speak French".
The culture around food and meals is a huge factor in our consideration of moving to France. In the US we don't respect food the way the French do and many of us have a terrible relationship with eating, let alone the chemicals the FDA allows!
That subject on being overweight is so accurate. Going on year number 2 in France and as an American I am always asked what do I think about the levels of obesity in the USA . I do think it’s a problem in the USA but I’m sick of discussing it .
When the French discuss American obesity as a terrible financial strain on the healthcare system, I agree. So is smoking!! The French still smoke all the time and everywhere.
@@jakuho4984 Exactly. Personally, I think the correct attitude about obesity should be about halfway between the accepted American approach (because, let's be honest, there is still a lot of "fat-shaming" in the USA) and the French approach. However, so long as they have so many smokers, they probably need to get off their public health high horse a bit.
If I may, I don't think french people are speaking about obesity like they are very interested in the topic. They are just looking for the first idea of common topic to speak about and slighlty less shallow than the weather. And obesity comes. It's like if an américain was speaking of strikes to a french. Would be a good topic to have an interesting conversation.
I am an American living in France and I have already run across the whole asking me about politics things. I just politely explained that in my very southern family I was raised that we did not discuss religion, politics, or money in mixed company so I was sorry but that was not a conversation I intended to have with that person. They were very nice about it and changed the subject. I have heard so many stereotypes about the French in my life and I find everyone of them to be untrue. I love my new life here and am hoping that I will become more fluent in the language in the future. You are right though that what we are able to speak out of high school language classes is a joke but I find being here has helped more than anything I tried when I was living in the states.
The french will accept not to speak about politics if you explain why you don't want to and give arguments, but if you accept it they will be more than pleased to speak politics with you!
For most french people it is so unbelievable that Trump got elected that this is the very first thing you think about related to the U.S. So I guess when people have no idea how to fill a blank in a conversation they just bring this topic. And I guess you will hear endless times as well questions regarding Irak war, racism, guns... But you are also likely to find out many fun french people speaking to you about american movies and music for instance. In anyway always keep in mind that we are overwelmed by American culture and news and so meeting american people is seen as the possibility to discuss hundreds of different subjects. And bienvenue :)
As long as you explain why. We dislike people who state things without bringing any argument or reason. But if there is some constructed logic behind it, everything is fine. Even the worse ^^.
When travelling, the loud ones were American, Chinese Brazilian and South East Asians. Watching Italians and Spaniards travelling in Paris, I found them really quiet.
I have been living in Spain for a few years and I think Spanish people are getting better at not being so loud^^ it used to be way worse. I went to a bar in Madrid a few years ago and it was the loudest place ever. The level of noise was UNBEARABLE.
Having an opinion on everything. Definitely a french thing ! I realised it going to Canada. I discovered it was actually an option not having opinions on things we are no experts about. I had no idea this option existed !!! 😮 and it was sooo relaxing 😀
I've been doing my studies in France and I have been able to integrate into the e society. The way they do things here is convenient for me and it suits my personality. It's not for everyone. But I agree most American tourists, I stress the word tourists are very loud and very obnoxious, one even forbade me to speak my own language because he thought we were gonna talk shit about him. Nobody cared lol and the nerve to forbid me to speak another language than English. I've met others nicer, thank God.
Have you been to Central America? I moved to Costa Rica and I thought people were angry when in reality they are just casually speaking. I guess my voice is very quiet for them
I've also been here for 10 years. The only two I've experienced are 1 & 4. People often comment on my ability to speak French well, which is nice, of course. On the other hand, they often switch immediately to English. Many don't speak English well, but those who do seem to want to demonstrate that fact. It's not malicious. I think it's usually an effort to connect. It's annoying for me because I need to speak French. Though I've been here 10 years, I work in an English-speaking environment. I still need practice in French. The issue of politics always comes up with me elderly neighbors. They take great pride in their knowledge of U.S. politics and I was constantly defending the situation. I was expected to explain the phenomenon of Trump and, of course, I couldn't, because I didn't fully understand it myself. I felt pressured to perform!
Just tell us that you want to practice your french, no problem. Just be opened about it. One important thing to note though. I learned english by myself over the years at home, without using any methods or having any teacher. But i never ever have any occasion to use it. I only ever had one occasion... 4 years ago ^^. So, probably, people who actually learned a foreign language look for opportunities to get more experience actually using it. It is probably not about english exclusively. Mais je considère clairement que Kate a raison. Tu ne peux pas juste débarquer dans un pays sans t'intéresser au pays et à sa langue. De fait, je suis certain que ceux à qui tu parles français adoptent un regard positif sur toi et t'accueillent avec plaisir. Quand ces étrangers qui vivent ici depuis des années mais n'ont jamais appris un mot de français, sont considérés comme des parasites qui s'incrustent.
Hello, Kate! Follow midwesterner out here too! One thing French people notice about me personally, is how FAST I eat and drink... I never really noticed it before I came out here. Like you said, it was "second nature." Perhaps, eating quickly comes from that "go go go" life style in America. I worked in retail and food services for years. You don't have a lot of time on your breaks. 30 mins - 1 hour. So, when I came out here, people constantly had to tell me to slow down.
C'était vrai , il y a une ou deux générations , ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui ; beaucoups de français parlent deux ou trois langues généralement : allemand , espagnols , anglais . il ne faut pas oublier que les générations qui ont connu les deux guerres mondiales , ont de très mauvais souvenirs des anglais et américains . Nous les enfants du baby-boom ,l'Angleterre était la perfide albion qui avait fuit à Dunkerque sans prévenir les français , nous avions tout un laïusse contre l'Amiral Ramsay ? dans les années 60 , j'ai le souvenir cocasse de l'enseignement de l'anglais suivant les régions françaises ; des profs d'anglais , étaient des français ! en Alsace Lorraine ,ils avaient l'accent allemand , dans le sud est l'accent marseillais , sud ouest l'accent gascon-béarn . en Bretagne les profs s'affichaient mélange d'accent breton et anglais . a Paris et Versaille c'était l'accent des snobes . je gardes toujours en mémoire l'énervement de deux américains , qui ne comprenaient pas que dans la plupart des pays sorti des grands hôtels et en dehors des capitales , les gens ne parlent pas anglais et vu leurs attitudes , j'avais décider de faire aucun efforts de traduction
It is unfortunate that in the US we don't talk openly about politics. Not discussing politics prevents people's opinions from being challenged, resulting in overconfidence in the legitimacy those opinions, resulting in believing those opinions are true and unassailable. Politics is not a religion that one believes disregarding objective evidence or intellectual analysis. Politics is position and action for the benefit of the public, supported by values, and evidence. As such, it should withstand publicly voiced intellectual scrutiny. Also, politics is not personal or private, because the consequence of one's vote or support can affect everyone. Wake up America, (USA), start talking and practicing your critical thinking skills.
"Wake up America, (USA), start talking and practicing your critical thinking skills." This line, i have written it many times. And was called off for not being American.
@@nox8730 Regarding "And was called off....", frankly, IMHO, the importance of critical thinking transcends religion, politics, nationality, patriotism. If one can't properly use their critical thinking skills, one is little more than a puppet of the influence peddlers.
@@granitfog "If one can't properly use their critical thinking skills, one is little more than a puppet of the influence peddlers." You are my soul mate. This is the first principle by which i live. The second one being "be curious and seek knowledge and information everywhere it is, or all you will be able to do is react to things like an amoeba: stimulus >>> reaction, without having the information processed by the brain". This is one of the reasons why i learned english and plan to learn some more languages if i can.
Yes, but in our culture dish of a fragmented, polarized society, where cancel culture has been allowed to germinate and fester, that open arena is a dreamers dream.
French guy here. i don't know what you call fat-shaming or how rude or not were the people who did that, but i think you're forgetting something in the equation here. as you know french people talk a lot about politics, we are very opinionated, and lastly... we have nationalized healthcare. so someone who lets himself becoming fatter that a walrus not only appears to have miserable life discipline, but is also someone who will cost to society in medical bills, because being fat you _will_ have medical issues you wouldn't have otherwise. also i don't know how much that relates to politics and being opinionated, but this "fat acceptance" and stuff isn't really convincing. being fat is inconvenient (clothes size, stairs...), it's unhealthy, and generally unappealing to others. overall you'd have a really hard time convincing anyone that being fat is a positive force in your life. so learning to love your grease rather that trying to get rid of it really feels like the lazy solution : just give up ! and i'm saying all that while being myself a good 10kg overweight based on my regular weight, which is itself 5-7kg above what i really should be (not skinny but "normal"). i'll go jogging every morning i guess, despite deeply hating that.
Agreed :). We can't understand all this "i am fat and i feel so well for it" idea. Et oui, carrément, ça donne clairement le sentiment que tout ce qui n'est pas majoritaire devrait être non seulement accepté, mais célébré. Ca a commencé avec les mouvements gay, qui après avoir, fort légitimement, demandé l'acceptation, en sont maintenant à revendiquer la fierté supérieure d'être gay. Ce qui était une bonne cause est devenue excessive, comme l'extrême féminisme. Juste un autre délire venu des US.
I agree, completely with your assessment of being fat. So many Americans are obese, and not just fat, or how many try to sugar coat it by calling it, " full figured " The attitudes towards fatness, is tinged with ridiculous," inclusion." Airplanes, and other modes of transport, must be made accessible to fat people, at the expense of everyone else. Everyone must walk on egg shells and behave as if this is something wonderful, desirable and attractive. Life is hard, and it carries on roughshod over one's personal feelings. So many of our attitudes and public policies today are guided by feelings and not lucid, rational thought, proving again, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
body positivity doesn't work well in France, true. Although there are quite a few fat people here too though, and I don't really notice any real body shaming. I might be wrong but on average people tend to be still quite respectful regardless of your weigh compared to Asian coutries where anything above skinny will be openly and universally shamed really hard. those who do make comment in France are usually concerned about health, but I rarely see anyone getting rude about it. On the other hand i'm not fat myself so i don't really know what it feels like.
Are Americans loud? Having lived in China, Latin america, and the Middle East, I can see that Chinese, Arabic, and Latinos can be loud as well. Also, have you been in touch with Frenchtastic Marie - your alter ego. And finally, I think I may sign up for Lingoda if it's free - I am a fluent Spanish speaker but need to brush up on my high school French, my market Chinese, and my nonexistebt Arabic
Being French, I'm surprised about your comments on politics. I was raised with the mantra of never discussing politics or religion either. This is my experience in my family and with my friends ; those two topics are never, ever discussed. By politics I mean French politics. International politics is a different matter as disagreements are less likely to provoke a heated debate and resentments.
Interesting…that has always been my rule at my dinner parties…or in general no religion and no politics…there are so many other topics…and I lost a friend because of religion discussion (and we were both the same denomination)
13:53 Possible reasons: - Italian immigrants to the US exported Italian loudness across the Atlantic. - Greater physical space between American citizens due to lower population density than in Europe. - No recent experience of dictatorships, revolutions or civil wars where people were killed or worried when they expressed their opinions too audibly, or the cultural association between loud speeches and historical violence of dictatorial figures. - The practical need to distinguish between normal communication and more exceptional communication in the context of ritual street demonstrations with political demands. - No active education at US school *against* loudness
Living in a state with lots of US-Spanglish and Spanish, my French is very poor but, I can talk with like a 5-year old about their day. or ask directions.You're right about learning a second language, it does open up the mind and it's almost like learning a "secret" code or need to talk in private among people who would know English. Edit: When we were in Canada ith my French best friend it's true; Canadian French is a little different such as how Tex-Mex, New Mexico or anywhere in the U.S.A vs Mexico dialects.
@Anthony A I can read it much faster than speak it still. I'm in a place that has more German-speaking and Vietnamese than Spanish rn. It's still helpful with my job though, sometimes it is a little embarrassing to ask them to write down some things.
Just came back from France, I noticed supermarket produces like lettuce/salad there are much more tastier and fresher than USA. You hit many good points there. I see a lot of runners and always bikers on roads - keep in shape and have fun. One tip for the French, it will be nice to reduce smoking out door. Too much smoking there, talking about health and cancer lol.. On French words, we learn and do say Bonjour, Merci, Pardon and a few more. It is nice. fun, to learn and able to communicate with local people (ask for help on directions etc), make some new friends and create good impression. My daughters are bilingual, and trilingual, and now learning French as 4th language. There are still vacating l in Nice. Thx
Thank you for your video. This was very insightful. I am a "U"S passport holder living in Germany and hoping to emigrate here. I've lived in 5 other countries before I moved here, so I am pretty experienced with life as a foreigner in other countries/cultures. I particularly appreciated what you said about Americans and language. I feel very guilty for not learning the languages of the other countries where I've lived and just taking for granted that the people around me wanted to learn English and use it more than their first language (Mandarin, Korean, Arabic). This is not the case for Germans, thank God. Germans really incentivise foreigners to learn their language by making their incredibly frustrating bureaucracy accessible only in the German language, as it should be. They speak English pretty well here (if they are under 40 years old), but they do not want to replace German with English. I'm currently in my 3rd year living in Germany and my speaking/listening skills are only at an elementary level, sadly. Moving here during the hard lockdowns of the pandemic did not help me advance in this area. But I've never been more determined to learn a language in my life as I am to learn German. I would like to be in the 1% you spoke of who actually learn to speak another language proficiently. Merci und vielen Dank!
ahhh c est vrai , most are speaking only English . As a Québécois , when we go in USA we speak in english and when US people are coming in Québec we also speak in english .
Hahahahahahaha If you think Americans are loud, don’t go to a Brazilian bar 😂 I guess we are the loudest, followed by the Italians. About politics, it is harder when people who ask your opinion already expect that you’ll have the same opinion they have. I spent one year in Paris and the French don’t know 10% of what’s going on in Brazil, but they feel entitled to discuss politics with a native, even if their opinions are forged by mídia already aligned with their political views. Shame on them. p.s.: as always, love your videos! Thank you for your time and effort.
My family is Polish (from Midwest USA), and I need to wear earplugs when we all get together. Also, my neighbors are from China and when they all get together to play Mahjong you can hear them a block away. Every country has its culture and it's nice to learn something outside your norm.
The American point of view about fat is laughable for me. In US you have people that are deadly obese but that s so cool they are so proud of what they are... They are 20 years old and will die at 40 but that s so cool. So for me us people just do not give a sh. t about others health. About politics, I never ever try to explain French politics to an American person. Dem VS Rep in US. A single political group in France you can have up to 4 different streams of ideas and we have 7main political groups 😂 so..
Haha so funny im asian married to a french man and we visited Washington DC with my french in laws and they spotted french tourists as well and they said ohh la honte !! Haha because they found that those french people were for them talking so loudly. Haha. I find it funny because whenever i see a group of my fellowmen somewhere talking "loudly" i also feel quite ashamed haha. Love love your videos !
When my son and I visited France 18 months ago. I knew I had to at least try to speak their language and not simply think they speak English, so we created a list of 50 French words and phrases to learn. We heard several times that the French people really appreciated us trying speak their language. I found no negativity from them at all. In fact the many were more than willing to help with annunciations and nuances of their language. The whole experience made me realize there is speaking French, then there’s thinking in French. I think in English, then trying to come up with the French equivalent.
I am Canadian and many French ppl that I have met just consider me American and I have been actually told Canada and the US are the same....🙄 it’s annoying. So going to the meetups in Montpellier I would always get these weird comments about how my culture is over sexualized and how young girls dress slutty.... it was quite shocking. I would also get asked all about the US politics.... I am not American!
To be honest, all the french know about Canada is only Quebec! When we come to Canada, it's in fact almost always only in Quebec. There is a link between France and Quebec we don't really have with the rest of Canada. It's not we don't like the canadiens (we usually like them very much when we come to know them), it's just we don't know them! We just know the people from Quebec and we admire a lot their resistance for francophony! Something we are not even able to do in France. We don't know the rest of Canada so we just imagine it must bep like the rest of North America, that is to say like the USA, a country we know much better thanks to the 0american movies! To be even more honest, even about the USA, most french think they know the country but they have a very false idea and only the french who have gone to the States know just a bit about it. I'm french myself and I can understand what you feel, and I feel really sorry for you. I wouldn't like it either. I've personally never been to Canada myself, but what I've seen is lots of americans coming to France with huge pre-juged ideas not trying to understand our country either. We can even recognize them very easilly because they dress the way they suppose is french, but absolutely no french would dress like that, with beret, marinière and so on. So I can understand very well what you feal. Now, semantically speaking, I'm sorry to tell you, you are an American! The USA have indeed such an impact on our subconscient that we all call them americans! But I'm sorry, you are not a european, don't be ashame! (lol) You could be proud to be Canadian American, as you are at least as much american as the inhabitants of the US! Mexicans have a word for that: Instead of calling them los americanos, they call them" los estado-unidenses", which puts in evidence they feel American too! We could do the same and not call them the Americans but the "United-Statesians!". But I think that contrary to the Mexicans, the Canadiens just don't care! ... and I admit in France too we call them Americans, by facility! I admit you can't do much, It's just due to the fact that the french are ignorants about Canada! The only way would be to export more canadian films, about canadian matters, but you can't improvise yourself a cineast! So I'm afraid you can't do anything, and I feel sorry for that, even more because usually the french are not so ignorants and are usually quite good at geography! May be they should learn more about Canada at school, but I admit Canada is not at all in the programs! We study Russia, the EU, the USA and China and that's all. We don't study Canada at all. And even on these countries, we learn about their economy but not their way of leaving ! Canada lacks of soft power in France but I'm sure the french are not the only one in that case in Europe. I feel so sorry but I see no solutions. The best may be to rise the exchanges of students between France and Canada, the same way we have the Erasmus programs between the European countries. This program is a success because it makes students of different countries know each other. May be we could extend such a program to Canada? What is really rude is not to have asked you about the Canadian politics! And about the way the girls dress, we are very concerned about this problem in France too, but I am tired to give excuses to my compatriots. So sorry!
@@paulchapoy992 Canada does get over shadowed by our US neighbour and most ppl only think of Celine Dion, Justin Bieber and Drake. But there are many differences between our countries. We encourage ppl to keep their culture when you coming to Canada Making Canada diverse. Not all Canadians like this. But this is what we are know for. The US is a melting pot and you become American and drop your culture at the door. But yes our music, tv, fashion, our friendliness.... all pretty much the same. But politics are not. I met my boyfriend who is French from France in Toronto but he lived in Montreal for 3yr prior going to school. I think most ppl from France go to Quebec mainly Montreal as it’s French so it’s not so overwhelming. He left and came to Toronto b/c he wanted to learn English and be submerged into the North American fast paced vibe more. I have been told a times that Canadians have a lot of similarities to the Finnish ppl. Well at least that’s what the Finnish ppl that I know that live in Canada all say. Lol. We are quiet, we like personal boundaries, it’s very important to be polite (I do not agree with all the time) we are very prompt, don’t like confrontation and we mind our business. For others it can come across as cold and passive. I really liked your insight. Thanks for sharing your perspective
@@heatherheaney4060 As a french leaving in France, the only people I know about Canada are the people going to Quebec on vacation. There are two exceptions The first one, the best friend of my sister, and a good friend of mine, who makes professional applications for cellular phones (for Apple) . He made his own company in France, that was working well. Then he decided to leave to Montreal. From France, Canada, like the states, is seen as an Eldorado where you can succeed very easilly. In fact, it was a complete failure, probably because what he proposed was not adapted to the needs of Canada. Anyway, he had to come back to France, after about five years, very disappointed. Back to France, his business was running all right again. That is to say going to Canada is quite an adventure, and you really have to analyse the market before with attention. The french tend to consider Canada as an Eldorado where you can succeed each time. The only really happy of the experience were the children, as the scolar system seems to be more human and friendly than the french system. School in Quebec is a kind of community where everything is done to integrate you well, which is not the case in France where there is no special effort, it is the pupil that have to make the efforts to adapt to the system, not the opposite. In French system you learn lots of things but it's quite authoritarian, as in Quebec, schools seem to be a real community. The second experience I have about Canada is my niece who received a Canadian in France and then went to live in her home in Alberta. What stricked me, and I didn't expect it, is how much schools can be francophone, even in what I would call the deep Alberta! All the students where speaking fluent French in Calgary. I had the image of Canadians out of Quebec speaking only English and in fact there is an important francophone pole in Calgary, especially in schools and universities. What a surprise for me! The second thing that striked me is, as she was from China, the family was living totaly a chineese way. This wouldn't be possible in France because when you come to leave in France, you have to prove you really want to get intagrated: When you become french, you have to adopt the french way of life and the french values. As you said, Canada is a melting pot. It made me realise how much France is not a melting pot at all, and why this is the origin of some conflicts. We have in France lots of people coming from other countries, especially from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. But to become french, you have to prove, not only your level of french language, 0but above all that you accept to obey the values of the french Republic, which are: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and laïcité. It is Laïcité that makes problems, because it insists that the republican laws are superior to the laws of religions, as some muslims consider the laws of god as superior to governements! The reason why we had terrorism in France is because our laicity establishes that you shouldn't show any signs of religion (religion is considered as private) , that religion can't interfere with politics, and that you even have the right of blasphema protected by law! It explains the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It explains also why millions of people were marching in the streets to defend their "right of blasphema" (a typically french notion) . It also explains why France is the target of Isis, because France claims exactly the opposite values of what Isis wants. From France, Canada appears to be a land of opportunity but very dependant from the US. We fear the cold in winter and as we don't really know Canada, so we idéalise it and we imagine Canada under the snow with frightening bears attracted by your food, beavers and lots of nature, playing hockey, eating poutine and pancakes with mapple and using scooter des neiges (snow scooter?)! . We don't realise for instance that in summer you can baith in the lakes! I've seen that on a RUclips channel and I was shocked because it was in opposition to the image I had about Canada! I am sure that going to Canada, your ideas change. As we say in France, "les voyages forment la jeunesse", meaning you learn much more by travelling.
@@heatherheaney4060 As a french leaving in France, the only people I know about Canada are the people going to Quebec on vacation. There are two exceptions The first one, the best friend of my sister, and a good friend of mine, who makes professional applications for cellular phones (for Apple) . He made his own company in France, that was working well. Then he decided to leave to Montreal. From France, Canada, like the states, is seen as an Eldorado where you can succeed very easilly. In fact, it was a complete failure, probably because what he proposed was not adapted to the needs of Canada. Anyway, he had to come back to France, after about five years, very disappointed. Back to France, his business was running all right again. That is to say going to Canada is quite an adventure, and you really have to analyse the market before with attention. The french tend to consider Canada as an Eldorado where you can succeed each time. The only really happy of the experience were the children, as the scolar system seems to be more human and friendly than the french system. School in Quebec is a kind of community where everything is done to integrate you well, which is not the case in France where there is no special effort, it is the pupil that have to make the efforts to adapt to the system, not the opposite. In French system you learn lots of things but it's quite authoritarian, as in Quebec, schools seem to be a real community. The second experience I have about Canada is my niece who received a Canadian in France and then went to live in her home in Alberta. What stricked me, and I didn't expect it, is how much schools can be francophone, even in what I would call the deep Alberta! All the students where speaking fluent French in Calgary. I had the image of Canadians out of Quebec speaking only English and in fact there is an important francophone pole in Calgary, especially in schools and universities. What a surprise for me! The second thing that striked me is, as she was from China, the family was living totaly a chineese way. This wouldn't be possible in France because when you come to leave in France, you have to prove you really want to get intagrated: When you become french, you have to adopt the french way of life and the french values. As you said, Canada is a melting pot. It made me realise how much France is not a melting pot at all, and why this is the origin of some conflicts. We have in France lots of people coming from other countries, especially from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. But to become french, you have to prove, not only your level of french language, 0but above all that you accept to obey the values of the french Republic, which are: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and laïcité. It is Laïcité that makes problems, because it insists that the republican laws are superior to the laws of religions, as some muslims consider the laws of god as superior to governements! The reason why we had terrorism in France is because our laicity establishes that you shouldn't show any signs of religion (religion is considered as private) , that religion can't interfere with politics, and that you even have the right of blasphema protected by law! It explains the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It explains also why millions of people were marching in the streets to defend their "right of blasphema" (a typically french notion) . It also explains why France is the target of Isis, because France claims exactly the opposite values of what Isis wants. From France, Canada appears to be a land of opportunity but very dependant from the US. We fear the cold in winter and as we don't really know Canada, so we idéalise it and we imagine Canada under the snow with frightening bears attracted by your food, beavers and lots of nature, playing hockey, eating poutine and pancakes with mapple and using scooter des neiges (snow scooter?)! . We don't realise for instance that in summer you can baith in the lakes! I've seen that on a RUclips channel and I was shocked because it was in opposition to the image I had about Canada! I am sure that going to Canada, your ideas change. As we say in France, "les voyages forment la jeunesse", meaning you learn much more by travelling.
It’s not so much the loudness and the screaming, but the vacuity of what is being voiced out. You can scream, argue and be loud if it’s a meaningful conversation. The problem is when it’s screaming about saying how enthusiastic you are about seeing someone or eating something.
Oh yeah ! Right. Totally makes sense. This is all this "over the top" aspect of Americans that can get cringey pretty fast for many Europeans. "Oh it's fantastic my friend !" "wut? who are you again? You're scary"
Ita not only that, but the non stop chatter. Especially the women. American women do not have an edit, pause or stop button on their chatterboxes. Is it any wonder why a vacuous, sophomoric, and petty show like The View continues to air every morning.
I was a student in France in the late '60s (in Aix-en-Provence). There were about 50 students in the group I came over with from California. In those days, obesity wasn't much of an issue in the states. But there was one obese woman in our group, and boy, did she get a lot of negative attention and comments from the French. I really felt bad for her. Also, I discovered firsthand how much the French loved discussing politics. There were several cafes along the main street in Aix (Cours Mirabeau). Each cafe attracted people with a different spot along the political spectrum--one cafe for left-leaning people, another for the right-wing bunch, etc. I learned to hugely enjoy the political conversations that lasted for hours over an espresso.
I think we’re so loud because we’re always having to raise our voices over the constant loud music that’s playing in America. I will say sometimes when I’m excited I have to tell myself not to raise my voice in excitement. Since I’ve been here since Covid I haven’t been able to fully immerse myself in the French culture but things are opening up now so I’m sure I’ll experience a whole lot more. Great video 😂
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified In France we have a saying: "Ce n'est pas celui qui gueule le plus fort qui a raison" (It is not the one that screams the louder who is right). There is this idea that, in heated debates, some would just crush the opposition under loud screams, even when they know they are wrong. Considering how Americans tend to be assertive and... "friendly" (by their standards at least), maybe this is merely a habit that comes from that? And we have another saying: "Gueule aussi fort que t'es con" (Scream as hard as you are a moron). Screaming here, is normally accepted as a proof of low education. So it is more than merely being annoying.
Ooof I feel like I would fit right in! I went to France with my French club and everyone was extremely loud and I'm like... you know you guys are the only ones talking on the metro... everyone in the NEXT car can hear you. My French club, including me, was 5 people. I was mortified. I am not a loud person in general. I tried to pretend I wasn't with them until after we got off the metro!
Which Province? Your name sounds french, so it may be a waste to write this. France is basically a union of many different countries with many different languages (French is the official one since 1539) and flags. Although the differences tend to blur over time. Most of our territory became french before the XVth century. Brittany during the XVIth century. Guyana (in south America) first became a part of France in 1797, then Corsica during the XIXth century, and some of our old colonies that chose by referendum to become french, during the XXTh century. That means that there is not one "Province", but many. An example to illustrate that. When i was still a teenager, we went to the "Pays Basque". We entered a restaurant, and the owner refused to accept us because we couldn't speak the "Basque" language. But now, they couldn't speak our "patois" from Bordeaux either, even though we only lived something like 300 kms apart (both are in SW France).
@@nox8730 La province : en France, l'ensemble du pays, les villes, les bourgs, à l'exclusion de la capitale (et, le plus souvent, de la campagne) La definition du Robert est plus simple que la tienne 😉
@@TheFrederic888 Oui oui, bien compris. Mais il va lui falloir faire une vraie série de vidéos pour ça, comme je disais :p. Je vois déjà les Basques et les Corses tirer la tronche s'ils se voient mis dans le même sac que les Ch'tis ou les Bretons ^^.
Maybe Americans are louder because they tend to be more relaxed in their social interactions and its a socially accepted habit. An Americans can take a lot of space when speaking, it's more common for them to express their personality and temperament in the way they speak. And their feelings too. So maybe being loud is just a reaction to the pressure, stress and constant stimulation that we all get from the outside world. Americans don't have to suppress it and let it go by increasing the volume. On the other hand, this is not accepted in France. French is a very coded language in many instances of social interaction and it's necessary to be able to control your non verbal communication in order to sound more French and be like them. People often take a certain a role when speaking, even people who want to take more space do it in a certain way. It's not a judgement, but I see the French as quite uptight in communication because of all that was said before. The only time when the French really let themselves go is when they speak in a group and when they discuss things. There is a very nasty habit widely encouraged by the media ( just listen to TV or radio shows) that is people talking all at the same time , cutting into other peoples speech and playing what I call a language ping pong (but with many participants turning around the table). Sometimes you get only a fraction of a second to say something or else it's too late because conversations tend to be extremely fast and topics change at a great speed.
im an american expat myself. adjustments happen - including volume. has it ever been the opposite that when you visit the states, youre told to speak up?? lol
I must be the exception because people can't get me to talk enough and when I do I'm so soft spoken I have to repeat myself more than once and it drives me nuts. As for talks about obesity I don't really like it either and politics is a heated subject. Sometimes I'm more than willing to talk about it but other times when my brain is already overwhelmed I DO NOT want to hear anything about it. And in my area of Texas and my upbringing is kind of....unique. See I come from a multi-cultural family that doesn't have deep roots in the U.S both sides of my family came to America in the 60's and 70's and had to learn English. It was practically DRILLED into my head that "Oh you're an American and born in America. You need to speak English." So from that I was never taught Spanish or Tagalog. Any attempt of me showing appreciation or interest in Europe, the Philippines, or anything non-American in general was met with ridicule and criticism from my family as if they were ashamed for not being born in America. My state of Texas has history of having non-White and non-English speakers go to speech therapy classes to get rid of their accents and force them to speak English both in school AND at home (as if you can control how people live their personal lives outside of school) This is exactly what happened to my aunt (dad's sister) She looks white but used to speak with a Mexican accent because my grandma used to speak Spanish to her. She was attending Spanish class and her teacher (who was from Spain mind you) told her that she's speaking a low form of Spanish and that Mexican Spanish is "lazy" and not "pure." My aunt told me she dropped that class and found another teacher. When she was child though about the third grade she was forced to take speech therapy classes to get rid of her accent and she was also forced to speak English at home. Though I would like to add that America in general has a history of having non-White and non-English speakers attend speech therapy and forced to abandon cultural traditions from their former countries when immigrating here and it was at it's peak in the 60's and 70's. It wasn't just in Texas. Look at the Cajun French in Louisiana. They had to go through the same thing and I think that the European people just don't understand there's more complexity when it comes to discussing why so many Americans refuse to learn any language than English. So with regards to the 1% of languages I disagree especially if you take into account the immigrant families that DO care enough to preserve their culture and teach their children and grandchildren about it. My family did not though because they worship white people seemingly like everyone on my mom's side or they experienced subtle forms of racism and had to hide who they are to better assimilate. As for not knowing any other language other than English basically what's above is the reason not to mention I think I might have some mental issues. I can't focus and it's hard for me to learn other languages and this isn't just because I'm older and have to work 10X harder than you to learn a different language. My brain just functions differently and I've long suspected I might have some kind of developmental hindrance that was never diagnosed. In my family any mention of mental health is a source of shame especially on the Filipino side. Another issue is that most Americans don't have the money to travel even within our own dang country because plane tickets set you back a couple hundred dollars and driving between states is just as exhausting. I don't think Europeans ever take into account just how MASSIVE the US really is. (Sorry for the long paragraphs I have an overactive brain that constantly overwhelms me and I overthink things A LOT. It's a real problem for me)
No need to apologize for getting your point across. I personally think that was what happened with my cousins as well. They can understand the Vietnamese language and respond in English but they would absolutely refuse to speak it. However, when my sister had children, she enforced (still does) the “no English in the house” rule and thus, my nephews are able to speak both languages despite being born in Ohio. I personally think Kate means well but she sounds like she comes from a privileged background and doesn’t necessarily understand that the reason why many Americans don’t speak another language isn’t just because we are lazy. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, it was common for people to speak their ancestral languages. After both world wars, the attitude toward non-English languages became more hostile.
@@ThePerksdeLeSarcasmeSiorai Thank you, I'm glad me and my family aren't the only ones to have gone through this and I forgot to mention that the part of Texas where my family lived back in the 60's and 70's was largely undeveloped and were mostly filled with White families. For whatever reason they felt threatened by Mexicans and Asians and felt it was necessary to do that in order to force non-White Americans to assimilate. It's terrible when you think about it but this does explain to some extent why a lot of Americans are the way they are.
As an American who has lived in france, the politics thing is the MOST. ANNOYING. THING. By the end of it I was seriously getting mad 😭 every single French person I met was like, “Is Trump your friend?” like nooo???? not really LOL
Americans speak so loudly because it's the best way to hear your own voice when other people are speaking, because apparently there's nothing better than hearing your own voice... 🤣
In most European countries, health care is universal, so if you are obese and have constant health problems you are "costing" society a lot of money. In their view, they are paying for the poor food choices an obese person makes on a daily basis (this is of course assuming that the obesity is not caused by hormonal or something other than overeating and lack of exercise).
Actually this is also kind of true in the US. Private health insurance goes up every year and part of that goes to pay for all the health issues associated with overweight.
Lol we as Americans are very friendly to tourists. That's what I've been hearing from foreign RUclipsrs visiting the States. Personally, I do try to learn some basic phrases of where I'm going.
I can totally relate to the questions about American politics except for me it's when I visit my birth country of Canada. Not five minutes into a conversation and politics comes up. They're hooked on Cnn and know more about what's going on here than I do. And the weight issue- it's not unusual for my French family members to point out blatantly to someone has put on weight. It may be intended as a concern but comes across more as stating a fact. (I.e. a bit blunt) Also, my French family can be very loud. P.s. Side note and interesting fact: my Grandma Parisien (Ontario Francophone) shared a room with a lady from Quebec. They had to communicate in English because they couldn't understand each other when speaking French. Dialects too different. Do you experience the same in France?
I’ve never met anyone who’s French I couldn’t understand because of their dialect. There are a couple of small pockets of people who speak dialects, like in Alsace, but I don’t think it’s a widespread problem. There are some pretty distinct accents, I’ve noticed (ie: Marseille, in the south).
Some Quebec slang is hard to understand if you are not used to it. But i never had a problem to understand people from Quebec. Those who have a heavy accent are the most complicated to understand.
I had the "flipside" problem when I lived in the US, I got constantly asked "Why are the French mean to Americans, why do they hate us?" or "You know, I've always dreamed of visiting Paris but I'm afraid of the rude Parisians" (I promise I am not exaggerating on this) and I refused to get into it... just because I don't believe it's true and I have nothing to say on the subject...
As a travel agent, I heard this often. The French are perfectionists when it comes to their language and this puts people off the whole country and learning any of the language.
@@barbaraolson600 both sides of the Atlantic could do with learning a little humility and taking criticism in a constructive way. My French friends found Americans self centered and not friendly unless there's financial interest. I see both sides.
My mother is italian and my father is french. While french people are mainly positively enthusiastic about Italy, italian people have many prejudices against France and french people. And i find it really stupid. I see many come to France because they have no work perspective in Italy that keep complaining all the time about everything (pizza IS NOT like in Italy, people speak french, italians do everything better...) They also believe french don't like them while it's not true. Sometimes i sense a real hatred that makes me inconfortable. It is not always easy and expatriation isn't for everyone. I have lived in 5 countries and had no difficulty to fit in.
To be honest, when you were talking about Americans and foreign languages I thought you could've been talking about the Brits! (And I can say that because I'm from the UK 😂)
I have had enough problems with English let alone another language. It took me 40 odd years to get my Eng language gcse/olevel pass. My french teacher at school gave up on me very early on i couldnt get it no matter how hard i tried. It just never made sense to me.
12:48 It's also because it's a typical response of the USSR or V.V.Putin's mafia regime, or tyrannies in general, when you're too afraid of being sent to the gulag or a death camp because of your opinions. Looking as if you're afraid of your opinions only tells us that you're either ashamed of your terrible opinion for ethical reasons, or afraid of us because you don't trust us to be tolerant enough, or you despise us too much to consider us worthy of knowing you that much (snobbery). In any case, it's a way of refusing to be part of a democratic society. *It's much better to say "I don't know (yet)"* than to let think that you have an opinion that you want to hide. *It's perfectly acceptable not to have a political opinion, whether out of doubt or ignorance.* It's perceived as prudent or honest, which is good. *What's never acceptable is to hide a political opinion as if it were a weapon ready for a bad move.*
Probably the fact that some stores are not open as late. There are the occasional pharmacies that are but I still would love to have the freedom to be able to go to the store when I need something. 😂
I really miss it late at night! But in Paris this are starting to stay open on sunday afternoons, but without cashiers. So like monoprix, you can go pick up milk or quick things and do a self checkout, but you can't return clothes or buy liquor. Seems like a nice compromise between keep a bit of the store open and giving employees the day off!
Hello Kate! Good video. Could you please re-post the info regarding setting up a French bank account, in the USA, BEFORE going over to France? All my son’s attempts are going nowhere! Thank you so much
English is an international language, true. But so is French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. Yet, Americans demand others to speak only English to them, out of all the languages listed above...
I will be traveling to Paris in 6 months during the Christmas season, so I have until then to learn. I think I can become semi fluent because I am very motivated to learn.
@@perthfanny3017 6 months is unrealistic. Even children who are the best at learning languages require more than half a year to become proficient! Still wish OP good luck even tho it's been 6 months
I subscribed you yesterday, liked your video, but its more of about french language learning and promotion of the school which sponsored this video. Will appreciate if you make more video with interesting content by going out and showing paris, french cafes, french people, things that are new
If you want to know about France, you can talk with french people too. Some, like me, made the shameful mistake of learning english, so, everything is possible ^^. Oui oui. Je confirme, l'anglais ça pux.
I greatly appreciate finding your channel and learning about the French attitudes and way of life. I've been to France, and unfortunately I did not have the best experience there. However, I was traveling with fellow high-schoolers (loud and childish) and after this video, I can understand the French perspective so much better! Also, thank you for the warning: I am an over-weight US native and I'm already forming a script in my head for if/when I'm ever in France again. *There are so many possible reasons why US tourists are loud. I started to list my ideas here, and it turned into a blog. My shorter answer is that sometimes, we are loud because we think we have to be in order to be heard and understood, whether it's with the French, or with our own countrymen.
1%? Is that your own estimation or real statistics? I’d call bullshit. It is actually estimated that 25% of Americans speak another language. Yes, percentage is low but it is a relic of the cruel “speak American” policy that was enforced during the 1920s and essentially stripped many languages off their statuses, robbing millions people the chance to be bilinguals. By the time it was reversed, the damage has been done tremendously to many vulnerable communities. For example, look at the number of French speakers dwindling in Louisiana (2 million French speakers => 100K-200K French speakers now). And Texas German is dying despite its status being recognized before Texas was ever a US state. Despite years of hostility, there are those who have been able and are determined to keep their ancestral languages alive and even though the number is smaller, they deserve recognition and respect. (For example, google these: American Norwegian, Michigan Finnish, Michigan Dutch, North Dakota German, etc) If not for the “speak American” policy, the US would have these statistics by today: approximately 10 million German speakers, 5 million French speakers (from both Louisiana and New England states), 3-4 million Scandinavian speakers (I’m including Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish), etc. And blame it on the inefficient public schools that do not teach languages properly. Those that do are immersion schools and they cost a lot each year. For example, not everyone can have $19K to attend a French-immersion school (Lycées Français) annually. Have some compassion for those who are robbed of their ancestral languages or can’t afford the ability to be bilinguals. Even if they aren’t bilinguals, they are more likely to send their children to language immersion schools so the percentage will shift in 20-30 years. And give me an f-king break. The UK is just as terrible when it comes to acquiring bilingualism.
I wonder if being invaded by Nazis in WWII informs their understanding of the need to be informed to keep the worst from happening again. They see the cemeteries filled with French, Allies, and American dead. They still care for all of them.
I concur partly to your comment. Geographic situation explains general public opinion. For example, continental people are keen to cooperate more than islanders. Same with people who have strong neighbors. In that respect, France is well surrounded (UK, Germany, Italy, Spain), contrary to anglosaxon ones except Canada. USA have weak neighbors. UK, Australia, NZ are secured by the surrounding seas. Yet, concerning military cemetaries, they are managed by concerned states. The land of the American cimetaries has been donated to the US, who are ruling them.
Ok, i will make a pretty big effort here and i hope it will be useful for you. Americans really need to understand that WWII was no more than the 100th war we had. While fascism was a pretty new thing, i believe it is more about overall adaptability than us learning great news with the nazi invasion. We have been at war with the whole of Europe for more than one millenia and WWII is merely the last occurence in History, although we happened to lose this one pretty badly. This didn't happen often, so it indeed came as a shock, but that is all. Admittedly, WWI and WWII were destructive modern wars, and they definitely convinced us that war, military affairs and imperialism were crap, and France finally let go of its colonial empire in the 1960's. But if you look at French History starting from the 5th century, you will probably understand how Americans give way too much weight to WWII. They know about Napoleon, but he merely inherited 1 millenia of History. It has been the same crap way before he was born. If you look for a reason for our political awareness (or stupidity), you need to look at the "Ancien Regime". How the Capetian dynasty ruled over France for more than 8 centuries, and how our elective monarchy disappeared during the 10th century. How nobility and the clergy forgot their duties to become tyrants, and how french people got disgusted with monarchy and religion. Now you will have to look at the poor situation in the 18th century, where the average life expectancy was... 25. Yes, 25 years old. And it just so happens that the 18th century is the century of Voltaire, Rousseau and such who wrote things like "Du Contrat Social" or "Candide". Anger and revolt brewed once again in France. Afterwards, we made not one, but 3 Revolutions (1789, 1830, 1848). Finally, you need to understand how agitated and creative the political life was in France at the time. With no king anymore, the people had the create new things, and they obviously had to take interest in politics. Just a rough breakdown in order to make it clear, because if you are not french, i trust you have no idea: 400's to 1780's: Monarchy. Hughes Capet destroyed the elective monarchy when crowned in 987. The crown is now inherited. Around 1700, Louis XIV introduced the idea that the King was chosen by God and could never be contested, creating the Absolute Monarchy. It was merely to make the clergy submit. 1788: Day of the tiles. The population in Grenoble revolts again and attacks the army with tiles. Strife gets rampant all over the country. Louis XVI can't understand that an actual Revolution is brewing. Not a surprise, this is a pretty new concept. 1789: 1st Revolution 1792: 1st Republic. The revolutionary wars begin and will last 23 years, with the whole of Europe, dead set on killing the new republic, once again coalised against France. Generals Dumouriez and Kellerman repel the invading allied forces by the end of the year in Valmy. 1795: Directoire (3 directors ruled France, after the end of the Terror) 1799: Consulate (Only one director remained: Napoleon, who became Consul) 1804: Coup d'etat. Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims himself Emperor and becomes Napoleon 1st. First Empire. 1812: Napoleon continued the Revolutionary wars all these years and conquered the whole of Europe except for Russia and the UK. The UK is protected by a powerful fleet, as always, and by necessity France had invested a lot on ground forces, which is something the UK never needed, making the UK the most powerful naval force in the world (by the way, France had to defeat this fleet during the American Independency War, and it came at a hefty cost). So, Napolean decides to get rid of the potential threat that is Russia in order to finally end the wars by forcing the UK into reddition. He failed during the disaster know as "La Bérézina". 1814: Napoleon could never get back on his feet after the russian disaster, and is finally vanquished and exiled. Monarchy is restored. 1815: Restauration of the first Empire after Napoleon Bonaparte managed to escape his prison in St Helene. But a few months later, Waterloo. The 1st to 6th European coalitions go defeated, but in the end, the 7th finally manage to beat France, and finally manage to restore the monarchy. Hitler did not learn the lesson and will do the same mistake by invading Russia in 1942, defeated by winter, too. 1815: Monarchy is restored again by the end of the year. 1830: 2nd Revolution, and then another coup d'etat, and monarchy again 1848: 3rd Revolution, 2nd Republic is proclaimed, Monarchy has finally died. 1852: Coup d'etat, the President of the french Republic, Napoleon III, little nephew of Napoleon 1st proclaims himself Emperor. Second Empire. 1870: Napoleon III tried to create a new style of governance, that is not a Republic, nor a Monarchy or an Empire. He gave away all his power to the government but chose to bear all responsability before the people. So he can't oppose the popular will the avenge a provocation by Bismarck, who wants to unify Germany by finding a common ennemy, which has to be France. Napoleon III knows the army is in no state to wage such a war, and is proven right the next year. 1871: Napoleon III is captured and abandonned by the french government which ends the war by capitulating. Bismarck reached his goal of unifying Germany and the 3rd Republic is proclaimed in France (not the last one). There will be two more republics later on, so i will stop there. Political stability was only reached in the 1960's with the Vth Republic. In the USA, the same Constitution and the same system are still prevalent to this day. We had many different Constitutions. As you can see, the people in France took things into their own hands for centuries now. This is our heritage. We are ready to make a Revolution anytime. And again, you should stop giving WWII that much importance. If you are interested by french History, you will find out that what i wrote above is actually a good example of how things have always been here. Look for the Thirty years war, the Hundred years war, the wars against the UK during the 18th century (considered sometimes as the real first World War) and the wars against the Habsbourg, if nothing else. I hope this answers your question. Regards.
I believe you miss a implicit point when you analyse obesity only as a public matter because it's a health issue supported by the entire society over the public mandatory health insurance. It's an issue in the public debates, but I think food is a cultural anchor in France, and it's an important part of the self-control culture we grow up in. Being overweight is like talking too loud in the metro. You prove others you are unable to respect the basic book of rules we are supposed to have in common. Plus, obesity is very clearly a social fracture. The lower you are in the French society, the fatter you are. So, when you are in the middle class, or directly interacting with the middle class, you are under pressure to respect the standards of the cast.
A couple of things about obesity in the U.S. First, it is not universal. Many Americans eat well and exercise as a lifestyle. Go to Colorado, for example, and you will find very fit people in their 70s mountain-biking or hiking in the mountains. Second, obesity is often a result of poverty in the U.S. In rural or inner-city food deserts, the closest locations for food are often little corner stores or bodegas with a ton of snack foods. Fresh produce is hard to find and expensive in many places. So, obesity often correlates with economic hardship. And once you realize that, the constant harping on American obesity becomes a bit more callous and insulting. These people are not gorging themselves due to lack of restraint; often, they are just trying to put food on the table that they can afford, and that food often turns out to be less healthy.
Obesity to the degree that is common in the USA, is an addiction, no different than smoking, drinking, or drug use. Yet, while smoking and addition can be pointed to, obesity is the third rail of discussion, do not touch. Because obesity costs the USA more than twice what the USA spends on the military; so it should be talked about. And talking about is NOT body shaming, which too many do interpret it as. Politics should not be a taboo subject, the reason it is a taboo subject in the USA is because Americans treat it like a religion, they choose a position without regard to facts and reason. More like a family tradition, cultural conditions, or because they like the way someone looks or talks.
So, lol, my French husband is actually quite a bit louder than me, and the more excited he gets the louder he gets. I guess sure when I get around a bunch of other English speakers (don't have to be native English speakers, but usually better with English than with French) i tend to get a little loud, but it's not my normal range, lol, but my husband 😂😂😂 his family jokes that he's actually American though he's never lived in the States or in an English speaking country ever, lol
So i'm a fat person in France (I qualified for slightly earlier for the vaccine because of it, even though with everything else I'm pretty healthy). Anyways, I haven't been here that long enough and been in confinement for most of it so I haven't yet really experienced the fatphobia here. I was lucky though the doctor I had for my immigration appointments when I first got here was super sympathetic. She took a look at the results of my last physical and the chest x-ray I had done that day and said everything looked good, nothing out of the ordinary, she said that if I felt like I could move ok and didn't get too winded and that my analyses were normal, that I shouldn't worried too much about my weight. I was extremely surprised how nice and receptive she was. And no one in my family here has mentioned it. So for the most part I've been shielded from it. But we're kinda trying for a baby now, and I know it's gonna come up eventually.
Love stories like this. My frenchie fits way more into the "generalized" version of the French when it comes to the volume of his voice, but some people are just naturally loud. What can you do!
I found the baby weight to be a lot of pressure in France. But with that being said, it totally depends on your doctor so go with someone that you feel comfortable with when you need to make that decision!
I am French and don't really talk about politics. Even within a family we don't always like to tell who we are voting for. So, it is not general. I guess Paris is different from the province.
American here: re: loudness -> do you think it’s because we stand much further away from each other than in other countries? You’ve commented before that Americans are way more into personal space than the French.
I am an American who travels to France with my wife annually and we agree with your complaints about loud Americans and their assumptions that everyone should speak english. I have been studying french for years and because I have let my studies lapse periodically I am only at a B1 level and that disappoints me greviously. Of course, I only have myself to blame. I believe to not speak french in France is to act with disrespect to people in their own country which to me is repugnant. I also agree with the french attitude towards obesity and politics, however, I am one of those Americans who find myself at least somewhat hesitent to brng up politics to someone I don't know well. Thanks for an excellent commentary.
So, it's so important to learn another language. What language would that be? It only makes sense that Spanish would be the language Americans would encounter the most. So now I'm in France and speak Spanish. Does that make me less disgusting to a French person? Why am I going to learn French when I will spend possibly 48 hours there? The absolutely only reason so many people in Europe speak English is because it is the universal language of commerce. If it wasn't, Europeans would be just as much in the dark as Americans. I live near Walt Disney World and encounter massive amounts of people who only speak their native language. I don't judge those people because they are just visitors. And if they asked me for help, even if it might getures or a game of Charades, I will do my best to help them. I don't laugh at them or ignore them. This is a bit different than people who spend 30 years in America who do not learn to speak English. That should be necessity.
Italy is your place, Americans:
No one expects you learn Italian
Loud is fine
You come here for the food and you learn how to eat healthy, we have daily tons of carbs with no consequences
Politic? No way, even if had trump presidency, after Berlusconi we can't even think talking politics
You know I absolutely LOVE italy and i wonder if subconciously it's because Americans fit in naturally a bit better in Italy :)
Love it! 🇮🇹 Greetings from New York🙂
We love ITALY ❤️!!!
♥️♥️♥️
I agree with all points made. If the pandemic hadn’t cancelled my trip, I would already have been there.
Having a second language is amazing ! Like Charlemagne said: “To have another language is to possess a second soul. "
Wow, thank you for sharing that quote!!
Nice one!
I didn't knew this saying, I would take it back!
It's true.
O FUGEGEGAGD EHASJDBWIE
Hello Kate, I like your take on French culture and way of life. I'm a Frenchman who moved to the US in the 90's. I became a US citizen a couple of years ago, so I took the opposite route compared to you, but I share many of your observations.
Whenever I come back to France, I always end up in some discussion with friends or family about US policy, like now that I'm "un Américain", I'm responsible for what the POTUS does or says... When I'm in France I tend to find myself defending Americans, and when I'm "back home" in the US, I tend to defend the French.
I remember in 2003 when the US invaded Irak, I was on a scuba trip to Cozumel, of all places. We joined a small group of divers on the small boat that picked us up at the hotel pier, and as soon as one of the divers found out I was French, he started talking about how disappointed he was that France was not supporting President G. W. Bush's decision to go at war with Irak, blah, blah. On a dive boat. During a vacation. I was not very diplomatic that day.
Right, Iraq was based on lies and arm sales/oil. Bush is a war criminal. Good for France not to get involved, even with Ukraine/NATO war with Russian tipping in to ww3 or nuclear war. Stupid Biden!
And I am an American. I just came back from London and Paris, amazing places with beauty, but man traffic was terrible lol.
He might regret now.
Comment votre pays avez fin avec un président dément aux la maison blanc ?
Not going to war with Irak , i think you get it now but let's explain what we saw from our side in the news :
America says stupid improvable stuff about irak and to be polite we where agreeing to send inspector to see if US claims where legit knowing it was not (it was silly seriously) , so yeah when they make the move : no matter the inspector we go ... it was obvious lie and nothing has remove people trust more than that in french eyes , if gvt lies he cant never be trusted ever again until he's fired entirely , witch never happended .
And i talk just relations between allies , now geopolitiquely
Taking out Irak leader was an let say okish thing to do moraly , But the stupidest thing you could have done in the middle east : and i dont talk from todays point of wiew but back then most informed people knew S. was evil but was a necessary one , he keep in check all the crazy at bay from irak .
and finally S. was screwed by US on koweit so he drops US and Bushes involvement that make them mad , and few year latter they attak irak how convenient , ok we get it .
Its too much ,we know they are organising lies and désinformation, so ok ,we say nothing cause " we get it " but going to war in this nonsence , was not possible !
its like a childish friend asking you to do smght wrong just because you are friend ... noway .
Now everything is gone very worse than what we knew at that time and we pay now with war like in Mali against terrorism ( and not chasing old grudges or petrol just defending who are in need ) because France sees the problem and want to help , but where is USA on poor country that represent 0 gain for them .
USA act like a dangerous kid , and get mad for the silliest thing and act childish and greedy ... freeing the world often by force, most likely freeing some part of the world they have an agenda on for profit :)
As a French woman who moved in the US in the 90"s I love your comment. I flirted with the idea of moving back to France recently and finally I am staying here.
Americans don't bother to learn new languages because they live on continent surrounded by vast oceans. It takes over 10 hours to air travel to Europe, flight tickets can cost over 1000 dollars which majority of Americans can't simply afforded. On the other hand in Europe almost every country speaks its own language, countries are close to one another, that's why Europeans have incentive to learn languages of their neighbors.
Gee, Mom, thanks for the geography lesson!
no, not at all, it's because English is spoken all over the world. Once abroad, an American will easily find natives who speak some English.
As an American wh travels, I love learning languages, but French is the only one where the natives have shamed me for trying.
Mexico and the US share a border.
Up until 20 years ago, families in the US travelled in the US when they had vacations. How uninteresting to study French when you'll won't meet any native speakers until you travel over the ocean. A Swiss, French, German, Belgian child will have many opportunities to actually speak the language they are learning in school. Americans shouldn't be trashed for not studying languages. Think about this: before the Second World War German was a major language -- you needed it in the sciences and in many other fields. They lost that edge, didn't they?
Hello Kate, I am a Hispanic American, English is my first language, Spanish is my second. In High school I had French classes, and I was pretty good at it but did not pursue it like my other high school colleagues. Now at 50 I am taking French courses online (sorry not what you were promoting but as good as it gets) I am a freelance photographer and my company is based in Paris, France. So, my goal is to learn French as an intermediate for now and as a third language. Wish me luck. A bientot! And yes, Americans are loud.
after several years of living in france without a trip to the us and living fully in french when i finally came home i truly saw that americans do indeed shout at each other when talking 😭😭 i lost my voice after two days
Je suis curieux pourquoi êtes vous rentrez 🤔🤔🤔
@@hervedupont6955 bah pour voir sa famille déjà, ça vous traverse pas l'esprit ?
@@rowenn1729 VOUS ÊTES 🤔🤔
@@hervedupont6955 Une personne qui a répondu à ton commentaire 🤨
@@littleflower2430 Vous êtes 🤔🤔
There's something to be said about tourists being loud and enthusiastic early in the morning in public places and public transportations they share with people who are NOT on vacation, who are up early to go to work and could do with a bit of quiet... and believe me we don't need Americans to have an annoying situation here. It transcend nations.
Hahah i feel like it's often americans that I hear driving everyone nuts on the metros. But true that this instance can also be an "i'm on my way to work" and you're "enjoying a day off" difference.
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified No, I love Americans, but they are loud. I went on a cruise with my parents and there were two American women on sunloungers behind us loudly discussing which of their children were a vaginal delivery!
Everyone says I talk softly. It is the Finnish in me. I guess I inherited the quiet, I am theatre trained, so I can be heard, but seldom talk a lot. Lately have been afraid to discuss politics in America as we have bullies, who know nothing but say too much.
This is true! Also, when you have tourists speaking a foreign language, it stands out
@@camerachica73 😂😂😂
Actually most Americans actually DO learn a foreign language. And then they grow up, get a job, start a family and those skills simply erode. I learned German, carried on with it in college, was fluent to the point I could THINK in German, understand the radio, its not 25 years later and my German is terrible. There is little to no opportunity to speak German here. Live in France travel a short distance and you're in Germany, Denmark, Spain, England. Travel that same distance from where I live, they STILL speak English with a slightly different accent. Yeah, sure, there's enclaves, particularly of Spanish.
This is true.
Learn to actually look something up before you make a statement based solely on your own experience. According to the U.S. Census bureau, only 20% of Americans learn or speak a second language, so "no" most Americans don't learn a foreign language. On top of that, many of the 20% come from families that are bilingual, which further reduces the amount that learn 'anything' about a foreign language if not required to by their direct family or environment. Finally, polls in America which measure this will more often than not count a single class in school (whether or not the students actually learned "anything") as countable, which by any but an American measurement would hardly count as learning anything. Perhaps in your school system, in your time of going to school, it was common to require a language class, but that is far from common.
Yes, but that still is no excuse. The way to become comfortable and fluent is to read books and publications in those languages one attempts to learn. Viewing films or having foreign language access in libraries, or on the Internet, has made this all the more easy and feasible.
Most Americans? Uh no!!
American here! I was on vacation in Paris during the 2016 US Presidential election and once people found out I was American they were so quick to ask me my opinion on our new president and how I voted, etc. It was surprising but also nice to get perspective from somebody looking from the outside in!
😂 I'm Swiss, and we tend to find the French loud and, on the whole, not very good at learning languages...the French are our Americans 😁😉
Les Suisses-Allemands, sont nos Américains à nous.....
hahaha it's true the French don't have the greatest reputation for learning languages among European countries, but trust me, compared to the US they are AMAZING. :)
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified by the time we leave school in France, we speak at least 2,or 3 languages, and then in university you can pick another one again like I did, so it’s 4 languages altogether for me anyway.Maybe some people are not good at following up on their languages;)
@@MmeCathy01 mmm...il est vrai qu'il n'y a pas de barrières des langues entre Romands et Français. Mais la comparaison n'est pas très juste, car les Suisse-Allemands, en moyenne, parlent bien mieux le Français que nous parlons le Suisse-Allemand, ou même le "bon" Allemand - comme on dit. (surtout sachant qu'ils sont largement majoritaires)
@@sabrinag4512 yeah... it also depends on what you mean by "speak": I could get by in Germany with my level of German, and that might be enough for some people to say that they "speak" the language. I wouldn't be comfortable saying that of myself though.
I agree with the criticism about Americans and languages, but as an American my experiences in France have been different. I am from South Louisiana and grew up in a town where French is commonly spoken and my family speaks French and English at home. Obviously, I spoke French when in France and the people would instantly notice my Louisiana French accent. It was fun and interesting comparing my Cajun speech to European French and the people loved my Cajun stories and jokes. We are loud though, that's for sure. As far as discussing politics, I don't do that here in America anymore with the political divisions so hostile. Anyway, I love France and love the French. Vive la France, vive la Louisiane!
A funny and honest video, but 3 minutes is a bit too long to advertise your sponsor. One minute should be sufficient to draw the attention to its online language learning website, and if anyone is interested in such a thing he or she can look up the details. For everyone else it is annoying to listen to something totally irrelevant for three minutes.
Thanks Peter! Glad you enjoyed the video and point taken on the sponsor shoutout. I tend to fast forward sponsor shoutouts that aren't relevant for me, but totally understand if you listen to the whole thing, 3 minutes is long if you're not interested!
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified so maybe you could put the sponsor shoutout at the end? Or put a time code for the ones who would like to fast forward?
Great video btw, I love your channel (yours and Rosie's) and it's very interesting to learn how you feel as an american living in France :)
you can jump it
Yes, I was going to say the same thing, very disappointing.
Yep....
I lived in Finland during trump and I eventually told people that I'm not their personal political embassador
WTF does that mean?
You do speak too loudly: it's obvious on this video! It's not just French people who are quieter - all Europeans speak more quietly than Americans. It's horrible for us to be in a restaurant and hear the conversation that an American couple are having broadcast right across the room - talk only as loudly as you need to for the other person to just be able to hear you.
I just rode an Amtrak train from NYC to Fl, where I had a number of ethnic French folks sitting behind me. During the entire log of the journey, the French were hardly audible. The Americans on the other hand, especially African Americans, talked non stop, and at high volume for the entire journey. Label me whatever. I call it out as I hear it
Sat next to some frenchies here in the US. Loud as eff, we had to hurry bcuz they were so effing annoying
Hello there, I'm french and I really like your videos ^^. It is surprising to find an english speaker to speak french fluently honestly. In my own experience, I only meet english speaker for professional matters and some people/workers stay in France up to 3 years and most of them (to not say all) didn't put any effort to learn even the basics (not that I care much tbh I don't expect them during work to learn speaking fluently but to just say Bonjour) because when we didn't understand them clearly it's like they don't really care because "english is the international language. Everyone in all countries can understand me, if you can't you're wrong" this is not the subject here but to me, this is the reason I think we are surprised in the good way when we face someone that is speaking fluently. Sorry even if it's pretty obvious that after 10 years you speak french fluently it's not something that we're used to I guess ^^.
Tbh, I don't feel like US are the only one to be loud. Most of french people want everyone to be quiet and when these very same people talk it's the same if not worse :D. Except at home or a restaurant. Specially at home ^^
About obesity ... Body culture here is one if not the greatest social pressure that you can find. If you're not a fashion model (man or woman) you're not normal, and those who aren't normal are sick. (yeah, we are weird. I think like American tho, people live as they want to ^^ who am i to tell them how they must look like). The healthy side is just an excuse tbh.
You're right on the part of " not having an opinion ". It's another social pressure. If you don't have your own opinion (not repeating something you read on the internet right) you are often seen as simple minded. (well we're not thinking that way if it's just about politics tho)
As always thanks for your video ^^ It's really interesting for me to listen your point of view and also to read the comments below ^^. Sorry if my english is not correct. I don't think bad toward anybody or anything in my comment ^^ I just wanted to precise.
♥️♥️♥️
As I said earlier, the French are the only people who have shamed me for trying to speak French. In many other countries they coach and correct without shame and frustration. After several try’s, I may go to another language.
@@barbaraolson600 First i'm sorry to read that but I thank you for sharing your experience. I'm often in the same situation when i speak English because often i'm a toy. People ask me to repeat 1-2-3 times until you find that it's just because they are laughing (in a good way) about the french accent.
We don't see (well most Frenchies) the language as a tool to share and discuss but more of a part of something really important in our culture. My english is far from being perfect but yet people try to understand me and i try too. With the current situation in France where our language is just being deconstructed piece by piece people tends to get angry, impatient, nervous and impolite, not really engaging or they didn't want to put an effort to understand too. I don't want to be pretentious, it's not a reason to push this frustration toward people who want to learn French tho, i agree.
Maybe we, both, didn't find the right people. I don't know.
Thanks again and I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
I’m an American and I’m learning French on my own because I want to move there. Personally, I think it’s quite rude to move to a country without learning the native language, unless you are there for work or military reasons. So that’s why I am learning to be fluent, because I think it’s respectful. But is it extremely common for French people to make fun of accents? Or is it just a few ignorant people? I don’t have a lot of confidence in speaking French so I’m scared that I’ll get made fun of a lot. I feel like in the US, people don’t say anything about someone’s accent, but they’ll take the person less serious.
Also, I am sad that there’s high beauty standards. Although I am only 120 pounds and 172 centimeters tall, I don’t like that others have to deal with that pressure. It shouldn’t matter what people look like. I hope it’s not as bad as Asian beauty standards though, you have to be a skeleton over there.
@@melmelyn3877 I agree with you on all points :-)
I'm currently learning how to speak the french language. It's difficult sometimes, but it's getting there.
French here, wishing you good luck and a good time (you will need it!)
Writing as an Israeli, living in Belgium- right on the border with France (and so i visit every week for food shopping and days off). About fat people. It is not an American problem, for the last years the obesity is all around. And there are A LOT of fast food restaurants in France. The difference in my opinion is that most of the French eat other food when they are at home. Not so much processed as in the US. So they still think it's an American thing.
I travel between the US and France often. In France, Belgium or other EU country, it is overweight, in the US, it is obesity. It is going worse by the year.
I'm an American who recently went to Spain for vacation and I ALWAYS knew when other American tourist were near by because they were so loud to the point where I was annoyed because I was trying to escape American culture by going to Spain. So I totally get it.
Same when I went to Rome
Nice video, Kate. I'm from the midwest too and have visited France, have family who work there, etc. I can see both sides of the obesity issue, because things can be extremely frustrating if you're trying to live healthy here. Our urban planning, lack of food regulations, hustle culture, and more really fosters obesity in my view. I think it's kind of crazy how it's treated as an individual failing when 80% of our population is overweight or obese. It also completely lets food corporations off the hook.
There are many cities in the U.S. that are categorized as "food deserts", meaning that there is no access to fresh produce or fresh meats. The only thing to choose is a small convenient store where there is only processed food. I know it's hard to imagine, but look it up online. I am a Registered Dietitian and when I'm interviewing a new patient or client I have to ask where they live and what stores they have access to. Imagine if the nearest supermarket was 15 miles away and you had no car or public transportation.
The U.S. is very car dependent. We don't walk to bus stations or train stations usually. We sit in our car and drive from door to door of our home to the destination. How many of us will circle the parking lot just to find a space closest to the entrance of the store?
Snack food is everywhere we go in the U.S. too.
Thanks Kate. I suspect we talk loud because our sense of space us so different for starters. Many Americans live in places with a lot of space. Loud talk across large rooms is normal. Also we tend to think being excited is a good state. Whereas in Eastern Europe being loud and excited was the kind of thing that would get you reported.
As far as talking politics goes I think we Americans have the wrong end of the stick here. The jokey three things you're not supposed to talk about, which we repeat to ourselves often, is actually the kind of barrier that goes into the current political insanity. If we knew how to talk about these things maybe we wouldn't have gotten into the two realities situation we find ourselves. I love the fact that the French, Czechs, or Georgians, like to ask political questions. But then again I was never a 'normal' American on that score. And these other countries have their issues here as well.
But for me space is always an issue. Whether driving or walking down the street my sense of space is radically different from Europeans.
Regarding politics, I think the election system causes that only two parties are visible, which is partly responsible of splitting the American society in two camps that can't stand one another. Bit if you look closely the French society is also divided (not so frankly and not in only 2 sides but it is), and it is quite common. People should be educated about debate and especially not considering people that don't have the same views as the devil (or simply idiots). Most of the times people have reasons to think what they think (even though they are bad reasons).
Unfortunately the divide is not only about political views.
Great point on the fact that being excited is seen as positive thing, whereas it's not the case in Europe and you naturally talk louder when you are excited!
Totally agree about the two party divide. i talked about this difference in my election video this year and how you have like 11 different parties vs 2 in the US. it does really pit you against other people right?
I thought about space, but what about India and China? I am not sure that Indians and Chinese speak in low voice
Would love to see you shoot with a view from your balcony. One of my fave things about Paris is the architecture
Imagine Europe was one country and spoke a single language. And then imagine that each state in the US spoke a different language. Now how likely do you think it would be that a European would know the language in Mississippi for instance? Would you not think the Mississippians arrogant if they thought less of someone for not knowing their language, or the languages of the surrounding states? Would they not be seen as provincial and narcissistic for exaggerating their own importance in that manner?
Europeans never get the fact that the proper comparison is between their countries and our states, and have a really poor grasp of the size of the US. But we do not shame their education system for it. The multilingual rate in the US is similar to Europe where we border a region which speaks another language. There just aren't as many of those regions because geographically the vast majority of the continent speaks the same language.
My mother tongue is French, and I learned English and Italian at school. What about you ? Perhaps this could be the starting point
I've learnt german and french as a child and later I learnt Russian because I lived there from 2000 to 2004. The mother of my kids was Russian. The very last language I've learnt is english. You have to be interested in other culture to learn a new language. It's not a matter of size of the country, it's laziness and lacking interest.
FanTASTic episode! I’m an instant fan! Good to be informed and also made to laugh. Thank you!
I'm french and you're very right about politics: I would say that for a french it's just the politeness to speak about politics of your country and to ask you what are your political opinions. it's indeed a way to show we're very interested in your country, as we surely are and as politics is just the french's passion. France is the only European country like that. Probably since the century of lights and the revolution. You can have the worst political arguments and stay best friends after the discuss, because we consider you have the total right to disagree, and we just expect your arguments.
On obesity, you are right, people will think it very strongly but where I disagree is I think they just won't tell you, even if they think it deeply, which is even worse. I think they are too hypocrites for that, and they will do as if it was normal, but will be shocked and will think it's not normal at all. They will think you are not reasonable but without telling you their disapproval. That's at least what I think.
About the noise, you could also ad the emphasis: In France, it's polite to be moderate, as the americans like to exagerate, so we always think the American tourists want to do a show! Everything is absolutely amaaaazing!!!!! as in France, when we find something good, we would just say: yes, it was not bad, not bad at all... meaning it was excellent.
About the language, you're right, most people won't expect an American to speak another language than English. It reminds me a European joke:
- How do you call someone who speaks two languages?
- a bilingual
- good! Now, how do you call somebody who speaks three languages?
-a trilingual
- excellent! Now, how do you call somebody who speaks only one language?
-???. I don't know!
- In France, we call him...
an English-man!
This is a joke but that expresses the frustration of the french facing the unwilling of the English to learn other languages (even if some English people are francophones and sometimes even francophiles) .
I would also add that, coming to France, americans absolutely need to learn one french word, which is: Bonjour!
The only thing is in France, we educate the children since very young to do so: before even addressing to somebody, you are really expected to say hello.
and for somebody coming to the country of France, to say hello in French is just a minimum. In French, hello is said "Bonjour !". You say Bonjour when you meet somebody, but also when you come into a shop.
If you don't say it, people will just not pay attention to you and won't answer you. Nothing is worse than addressing to you directly in a foreign language exept not to say Bonjour in French!
Once you have said Bonjour, OK, now we can speak English and we can get relaxed, because we suppose you don't know any other language. Most french will make the effort to speak English as far as you made the effort to speak at least a few words in French.
As you can see, Americans may be very strange for us, but french can be even more!
I am french. I totally agree with everything. Not often the case when i read french comments.
Hi-I just found your channel and wanted you to know how much I have enjoyed it. You have that ‘certain something’ that makes a RUclipsr stand out in a good way. Love your take on things and I look forward to listening to more! I am a bonafide Francophile but haven’t lived there ‘Yet.” I have lived in Copenhagen and miss Europe so much!
Not knowing other languages is the major reason I’ve held off going to Europe. I am now going to Portugal first for a few days - just a few days - as it is mostly paid for by others. After that I am flying to Paris. My bucket list trip is to visit Normandy so, gulp, I am renting a car and driving from the airport. I am actually dreading it as I feel like such a typical American. Only good news is I am meeting up with a friend and his wife and child. She is Swiss (German) but speaks French fluently.
I was in Paris in 2003. My black skin got many hostile looks in any place I went from cafes to the pharmacy...UNTIL I opened my mouth and the folks figured out I was Black American. THEN my presence almost became celebrated. People all wanted to help me. Didn't want me to want in line (moved me to the front), offered to take pictures and wanted to know WHY Americans hated them. They loved it when I spoke the small amount of French I know and were charmed when I told them I dad fought there in WWII.
It works the other way around. The first time I have been in NYC 30 years ago (before it got gentrified), I was residing in a hostel in Harlem. As a white man, at first, I got the same kind of hostile looks as you've experienced. And then I started to chat with one of them and said I was French, and then their attitude totally changed and were super friendly to me.
@@zorglub20770 ❤ France
Wow! I was so worried about being black in France!
@@iisces2953 Why for most people to be French is to share the same values...
@@zorglub20770 my dad had the same experience as you !
The US is a very aggressive and competitive country and this manifests in speaking loud and aggressively in order to be heard.
Yeah, and it's as obnoxious as heck!!!!!!!
This is not the case with everyone or in certain areas. In the cities, yes.
Very helpful. Thank you!
I don't think the language issue is an "American" thing. It's more an "English speaker" thing. I get exactly the same - I'm British - and whilst it's nice to be complimented on my French, it reflects badly on my fellow nationals.
BTW, I don't mind in-video adverts but 3 minutes? Really?
I feel like the English put more effort into learning languages though. Because you live in Europe, you are so close to other countries with different languages that it's way "closer to home." In the US, you might need to take a car like 40 hours to get to a place that speaks another language and so it seems easier to stay isolated. That's just my perception though! And noted for the sponsor shoutout. Someone else said 3 minutes was long so i'll stop rambling next time :)
Many years ago I worked as an long distance operator and spoke to French directory assistance to get a number for a customer. Our equipment didn't allow us to mute the customer at that time, and the customer asked if they had an English language number for the business. The operator said we are in France we speak French and that was that.
"we are in France we speak French" Yes, even to this day, this is the dominant point of view. We may make some efforts to try and speak english, or spanish, or german to foreigners who are visiting, but we really don't like foreigners trying to push their english on us, while in France. Definitely. Most of the times, those who complain about that are native english speakers, and only them. I believe spanish, germans, south americans and such consider it normal. Because many english native speakers really come across as obnoxious for expecting everyone to learn their language while they oftentimes make no effort whatsoever themselves. Which tends to reinforce even further our " we are in France we speak French".
The culture around food and meals is a huge factor in our consideration of moving to France. In the US we don't respect food the way the French do and many of us have a terrible relationship with eating, let alone the chemicals the FDA allows!
That subject on being overweight is so accurate. Going on year number 2 in France and as an American I am always asked what do I think about the levels of obesity in the USA . I do think it’s a problem in the USA but I’m sick of discussing it .
When the French discuss American obesity as a terrible financial strain on the healthcare system, I agree. So is smoking!! The French still smoke all the time and everywhere.
@@jakuho4984 it's been reducing over the years, also government is taxing smokes like crazy to try and prevent people from smoking.
@@jakuho4984 Exactly. Personally, I think the correct attitude about obesity should be about halfway between the accepted American approach (because, let's be honest, there is still a lot of "fat-shaming" in the USA) and the French approach. However, so long as they have so many smokers, they probably need to get off their public health high horse a bit.
If I may, I don't think french people are speaking about obesity like they are very interested in the topic. They are just looking for the first idea of common topic to speak about and slighlty less shallow than the weather. And obesity comes. It's like if an américain was speaking of strikes to a french. Would be a good topic to have an interesting conversation.
I am an American living in France and I have already run across the whole asking me about politics things. I just politely explained that in my very southern family I was raised that we did not discuss religion, politics, or money in mixed company so I was sorry but that was not a conversation I intended to have with that person. They were very nice about it and changed the subject. I have heard so many stereotypes about the French in my life and I find everyone of them to be untrue. I love my new life here and am hoping that I will become more fluent in the language in the future. You are right though that what we are able to speak out of high school language classes is a joke but I find being here has helped more than anything I tried when I was living in the states.
The french will accept not to speak about politics if you explain why you don't want to and give arguments, but if you accept it they will be more than pleased to speak politics with you!
For most french people it is so unbelievable that Trump got elected that this is the very first thing you think about related to the U.S. So I guess when people have no idea how to fill a blank in a conversation they just bring this topic. And I guess you will hear endless times as well questions regarding Irak war, racism, guns... But you are also likely to find out many fun french people speaking to you about american movies and music for instance.
In anyway always keep in mind that we are overwelmed by American culture and news and so meeting american people is seen as the possibility to discuss hundreds of different subjects.
And bienvenue :)
This is what we were taught in my family (English)
As long as you explain why. We dislike people who state things without bringing any argument or reason. But if there is some constructed logic behind it, everything is fine. Even the worse ^^.
@@nox8730Would “Because it upsets me and I don’t want to be upset “ be enough? I think I would want to just walk off.
Compared to Italians and some Spanish people i know, americans are average in terms of noise.
Ha! Most!!!!
When travelling, the loud ones were American, Chinese Brazilian and South East Asians. Watching Italians and Spaniards travelling in Paris, I found them really quiet.
Right? Italians are VERY loud! Much louder than Americans.
I have been living in Spain for a few years and I think Spanish people are getting better at not being so loud^^ it used to be way worse. I went to a bar in Madrid a few years ago and it was the loudest place ever. The level of noise was UNBEARABLE.
Lived both in Italy and America. Italians are loud but they don’t hold a candle to the Americans.
Having an opinion on everything. Definitely a french thing ! I realised it going to Canada. I discovered it was actually an option not having opinions on things we are no experts about. I had no idea this option existed !!! 😮 and it was sooo relaxing 😀
I've been doing my studies in France and I have been able to integrate into the e society. The way they do things here is convenient for me and it suits my personality. It's not for everyone. But I agree most American tourists, I stress the word tourists are very loud and very obnoxious, one even forbade me to speak my own language because he thought we were gonna talk shit about him. Nobody cared lol and the nerve to forbid me to speak another language than English. I've met others nicer, thank God.
Hey can I book my trip ???? To France /south of France !!!
Have you been to Central America? I moved to Costa Rica and I thought people were angry when in reality they are just casually speaking. I guess my voice is very quiet for them
I've also been here for 10 years. The only two I've experienced are 1 & 4. People often comment on my ability to speak French well, which is nice, of course. On the other hand, they often switch immediately to English. Many don't speak English well, but those who do seem to want to demonstrate that fact. It's not malicious. I think it's usually an effort to connect. It's annoying for me because I need to speak French. Though I've been here 10 years, I work in an English-speaking environment. I still need practice in French. The issue of politics always comes up with me elderly neighbors. They take great pride in their knowledge of U.S. politics and I was constantly defending the situation. I was expected to explain the phenomenon of Trump and, of course, I couldn't, because I didn't fully understand it myself. I felt pressured to perform!
Just tell us that you want to practice your french, no problem. Just be opened about it. One important thing to note though. I learned english by myself over the years at home, without using any methods or having any teacher. But i never ever have any occasion to use it. I only ever had one occasion... 4 years ago ^^. So, probably, people who actually learned a foreign language look for opportunities to get more experience actually using it. It is probably not about english exclusively.
Mais je considère clairement que Kate a raison. Tu ne peux pas juste débarquer dans un pays sans t'intéresser au pays et à sa langue. De fait, je suis certain que ceux à qui tu parles français adoptent un regard positif sur toi et t'accueillent avec plaisir. Quand ces étrangers qui vivent ici depuis des années mais n'ont jamais appris un mot de français, sont considérés comme des parasites qui s'incrustent.
Hello, Kate! Follow midwesterner out here too! One thing French people notice about me personally, is how FAST I eat and drink... I never really noticed it before I came out here. Like you said, it was "second nature." Perhaps, eating quickly comes from that "go go go" life style in America. I worked in retail and food services for years. You don't have a lot of time on your breaks. 30 mins - 1 hour. So, when I came out here, people constantly had to tell me to slow down.
"America has a terrible reputation for not being proficient in other languages"
Good, one common point with France ^^
Have you studied in France?
I am French myself LMAO
I am French but I have spent 7 years in the UK , languages teaching in France is a disaster
C'était vrai , il y a une ou deux générations , ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui ; beaucoups de français parlent deux ou trois langues généralement : allemand , espagnols , anglais .
il ne faut pas oublier que les générations qui ont connu les deux guerres mondiales , ont de très mauvais souvenirs des anglais et américains . Nous les enfants du baby-boom ,l'Angleterre était la perfide albion qui avait fuit à Dunkerque sans prévenir les français , nous avions tout un laïusse contre l'Amiral Ramsay ?
dans les années 60 , j'ai le souvenir cocasse de l'enseignement de l'anglais suivant les régions françaises ; des profs d'anglais , étaient des français ! en Alsace Lorraine ,ils avaient l'accent allemand , dans le sud est l'accent marseillais , sud ouest l'accent gascon-béarn . en Bretagne les profs s'affichaient mélange d'accent breton et anglais . a Paris et Versaille c'était l'accent des snobes . je gardes toujours en mémoire l'énervement de deux américains , qui ne comprenaient pas que dans la plupart des pays sorti des grands hôtels et en dehors des capitales , les gens ne parlent pas anglais et vu leurs attitudes , j'avais décider de faire aucun efforts de traduction
@@ybreton6593 tout à fait. Personnellement, j'en parle quatre.
These are the reasons I want to leave America everyone is so sensitive, loud, and lack basic knowledge 😂
Literally
It is unfortunate that in the US we don't talk openly about politics. Not discussing politics prevents people's opinions from being challenged, resulting in overconfidence in the legitimacy those opinions, resulting in believing those opinions are true and unassailable. Politics is not a religion that one believes disregarding objective evidence or intellectual analysis. Politics is position and action for the benefit of the public, supported by values, and evidence. As such, it should withstand publicly voiced intellectual scrutiny. Also, politics is not personal or private, because the consequence of one's vote or support can affect everyone. Wake up America, (USA), start talking and practicing your critical thinking skills.
"Wake up America, (USA), start talking and practicing your critical thinking skills."
This line, i have written it many times. And was called off for not being American.
@@nox8730 Regarding "And was called off....", frankly, IMHO, the importance of critical thinking transcends religion, politics, nationality, patriotism. If one can't properly use their critical thinking skills, one is little more than a puppet of the influence peddlers.
@@granitfog "If one can't properly use their critical thinking skills, one is little more than a puppet of the influence peddlers."
You are my soul mate. This is the first principle by which i live. The second one being "be curious and seek knowledge and information everywhere it is, or all you will be able to do is react to things like an amoeba: stimulus >>> reaction, without having the information processed by the brain".
This is one of the reasons why i learned english and plan to learn some more languages if i can.
@@nox8730 Regarding "second one" (principle), they come from my pseudonym: "Think Rationally, Act Thoughtfully" - i.e. empathy and compassion.
Yes, but in our culture dish of a fragmented, polarized society, where cancel culture has been allowed to germinate and fester, that open arena is a dreamers dream.
French guy here.
i don't know what you call fat-shaming or how rude or not were the people who did that, but i think you're forgetting something in the equation here. as you know french people talk a lot about politics, we are very opinionated, and lastly... we have nationalized healthcare.
so someone who lets himself becoming fatter that a walrus not only appears to have miserable life discipline, but is also someone who will cost to society in medical bills, because being fat you _will_ have medical issues you wouldn't have otherwise.
also i don't know how much that relates to politics and being opinionated, but this "fat acceptance" and stuff isn't really convincing. being fat is inconvenient (clothes size, stairs...), it's unhealthy, and generally unappealing to others. overall you'd have a really hard time convincing anyone that being fat is a positive force in your life. so learning to love your grease rather that trying to get rid of it really feels like the lazy solution : just give up !
and i'm saying all that while being myself a good 10kg overweight based on my regular weight, which is itself 5-7kg above what i really should be (not skinny but "normal"). i'll go jogging every morning i guess, despite deeply hating that.
Agreed :). We can't understand all this "i am fat and i feel so well for it" idea.
Et oui, carrément, ça donne clairement le sentiment que tout ce qui n'est pas majoritaire devrait être non seulement accepté, mais célébré. Ca a commencé avec les mouvements gay, qui après avoir, fort légitimement, demandé l'acceptation, en sont maintenant à revendiquer la fierté supérieure d'être gay. Ce qui était une bonne cause est devenue excessive, comme l'extrême féminisme. Juste un autre délire venu des US.
I agree, completely with your assessment of being fat. So many Americans are obese, and not just fat, or how many try to sugar coat it by calling it, " full figured " The attitudes towards fatness, is tinged with ridiculous," inclusion." Airplanes, and other modes of transport, must be made accessible to fat people, at the expense of everyone else. Everyone must walk on egg shells and behave as if this is something wonderful, desirable and attractive. Life is hard, and it carries on roughshod over one's personal feelings. So many of our attitudes and public policies today are guided by feelings and not lucid, rational thought, proving again, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
body positivity doesn't work well in France, true. Although there are quite a few fat people here too though, and I don't really notice any real body shaming. I might be wrong but on average people tend to be still quite respectful regardless of your weigh compared to Asian coutries where anything above skinny will be openly and universally shamed really hard. those who do make comment in France are usually concerned about health, but I rarely see anyone getting rude about it. On the other hand i'm not fat myself so i don't really know what it feels like.
Are Americans loud? Having lived in China, Latin america, and the Middle East, I can see that Chinese, Arabic, and Latinos can be loud as well. Also, have you been in touch with Frenchtastic Marie - your alter ego. And finally, I think I may sign up for Lingoda if it's free - I am a fluent Spanish speaker but need to brush up on my high school French, my market Chinese, and my nonexistebt Arabic
It’s not even close. Americans win by a country mile over those you mentioned
second language is learning a culture ? when learning english ? which culture ? where ?
Liked and Subbed. Texan resident, but would like to make it to France one of these days.
Being French, I'm surprised about your comments on politics. I was raised with the mantra of never discussing politics or religion either. This is my experience in my family and with my friends ; those two topics are never, ever discussed. By politics I mean French politics. International politics is a different matter as disagreements are less likely to provoke a heated debate and resentments.
Interesting…that has always been my rule at my dinner parties…or in general no religion and no politics…there are so many other topics…and I lost a friend because of religion discussion (and we were both the same denomination)
I was raised the same way. Pareil pour moi.
Same here, I don’t even know what my parents or friends are voting for.
Surprising. My parents always encouraged me talking of politics or religions
I was brought up not to discuss politics , religion and money.
13:53 Possible reasons:
- Italian immigrants to the US exported Italian loudness across the Atlantic.
- Greater physical space between American citizens due to lower population density than in Europe.
- No recent experience of dictatorships, revolutions or civil wars where people were killed or worried when they expressed their opinions too audibly, or the cultural association between loud speeches and historical violence of dictatorial figures.
- The practical need to distinguish between normal communication and more exceptional communication in the context of ritual street demonstrations with political demands.
- No active education at US school *against* loudness
Woohoo! Glad to be part of the 1%!
Living in a state with lots of US-Spanglish and Spanish, my French is very poor but, I can talk with like a 5-year old about their day. or ask directions.You're right about learning a second language, it does open up the mind and it's almost like learning a "secret" code or need to talk in private among people who would know English.
Edit: When we were in Canada ith my French best friend it's true; Canadian French is a little different such as how Tex-Mex, New Mexico or anywhere in the U.S.A vs Mexico dialects.
I wonder if you can speak Spanish, since you said that lots of people around you speak it. I assume you do…
@Anthony A I can read it much faster than speak it still. I'm in a place that has more German-speaking and Vietnamese than Spanish rn. It's still helpful with my job though, sometimes it is a little embarrassing to ask them to write down some things.
@Anthony A If you have any tips on keeping up my Spanish in the workforce, I'd be appreciative .
Just came back from France, I noticed supermarket produces like lettuce/salad there are much more tastier and fresher than USA. You hit many good points there. I see a lot of runners and always bikers on roads - keep in shape and have fun. One tip for the French, it will be nice to reduce smoking out door. Too much smoking there, talking about health and cancer lol..
On French words, we learn and do say Bonjour, Merci, Pardon and a few more. It is nice. fun, to learn and able to communicate with local people (ask for help on directions etc), make some new friends and create good impression. My daughters are bilingual, and trilingual, and now learning French as 4th language. There are still vacating l in Nice.
Thx
Thank you for your video. This was very insightful. I am a "U"S passport holder living in Germany and hoping to emigrate here. I've lived in 5 other countries before I moved here, so I am pretty experienced with life as a foreigner in other countries/cultures. I particularly appreciated what you said about Americans and language. I feel very guilty for not learning the languages of the other countries where I've lived and just taking for granted that the people around me wanted to learn English and use it more than their first language (Mandarin, Korean, Arabic).
This is not the case for Germans, thank God. Germans really incentivise foreigners to learn their language by making their incredibly frustrating bureaucracy accessible only in the German language, as it should be. They speak English pretty well here (if they are under 40 years old), but they do not want to replace German with English. I'm currently in my 3rd year living in Germany and my speaking/listening skills are only at an elementary level, sadly. Moving here during the hard lockdowns of the pandemic did not help me advance in this area. But I've never been more determined to learn a language in my life as I am to learn German. I would like to be in the 1% you spoke of who actually learn to speak another language proficiently.
Merci und vielen Dank!
ahhh c est vrai , most are speaking only English .
As a Québécois , when we go in USA we speak in english and when US people are coming in Québec we also speak in english .
Hahahahahahaha
If you think Americans are loud, don’t go to a Brazilian bar 😂 I guess we are the loudest, followed by the Italians.
About politics, it is harder when people who ask your opinion already expect that you’ll have the same opinion they have.
I spent one year in Paris and the French don’t know 10% of what’s going on in Brazil, but they feel entitled to discuss politics with a native, even if their opinions are forged by mídia already aligned with their political views. Shame on them.
p.s.: as always, love your videos! Thank you for your time and effort.
My family is Polish (from Midwest USA), and I need to wear earplugs when we all get together. Also, my neighbors are from China and when they all get together to play Mahjong you can hear them a block away. Every country has its culture and it's nice to learn something outside your norm.
Hardly anyone knows what is going on in Brazil, and most simply don't care.
The American point of view about fat is laughable for me. In US you have people that are deadly obese but that s so cool they are so proud of what they are... They are 20 years old and will die at 40 but that s so cool. So for me us people just do not give a sh. t about others health.
About politics, I never ever try to explain French politics to an American person. Dem VS Rep in US. A single political group in France you can have up to 4 different streams of ideas and we have 7main political groups 😂 so..
Haha so funny im asian married to a french man and we visited Washington DC with my french in laws and they spotted french tourists as well and they said ohh la honte !! Haha because they found that those french people were for them talking so loudly. Haha. I find it funny because whenever i see a group of my fellowmen somewhere talking "loudly" i also feel quite ashamed haha. Love love your videos !
When my son and I visited France 18 months ago. I knew I had to at least try to speak their language and not simply think they speak English, so we created a list of 50 French words and phrases to learn. We heard several times that the French people really appreciated us trying speak their language. I found no negativity from them at all. In fact the many were more than willing to help with annunciations and nuances of their language. The whole experience made me realize there is speaking French, then there’s thinking in French. I think in English, then trying to come up with the French equivalent.
I am Canadian and many French ppl that I have met just consider me American and I have been actually told Canada and the US are the same....🙄 it’s annoying. So going to the meetups in Montpellier I would always get these weird comments about how my culture is over sexualized and how young girls dress slutty.... it was quite shocking. I would also get asked all about the US politics.... I am not American!
To be honest, all the french know about Canada is only Quebec! When we come to Canada, it's in fact almost always only in Quebec. There is a link between France and Quebec we don't really have with the rest of Canada. It's not we don't like the canadiens (we usually like them very much when we come to know them), it's just we don't know them!
We just know the people from Quebec and we admire a lot their resistance for francophony! Something we are not even able to do in France.
We don't know the rest of Canada so we just imagine it must bep like the rest of North America, that is to say like the USA, a country we know much better thanks to the 0american movies!
To be even more honest, even about the USA, most french think they know the country but they have a very false idea and only the french who have gone to the States know just a bit about it.
I'm french myself and I can understand what you feel, and I feel really sorry for you. I wouldn't like it either.
I've personally never been to Canada myself, but what I've seen is lots of americans coming to France with huge pre-juged ideas not trying to understand our country either. We can even recognize them very easilly because they dress the way they suppose is french, but absolutely no french would dress like that, with beret, marinière and so on. So I can understand very well what you feal.
Now, semantically speaking, I'm sorry to tell you, you are
an American!
The USA have indeed such an impact on our subconscient that we all call them americans! But I'm sorry, you are not a european, don't be ashame! (lol)
You could be proud to be Canadian American, as you are at least as much american as the inhabitants of the US!
Mexicans have a word for that: Instead of calling them los americanos, they call them" los estado-unidenses", which puts in evidence they feel American too!
We could do the same and not call them the Americans but the "United-Statesians!". But I think that contrary to the Mexicans, the Canadiens just don't care!
... and I admit in France too we call them Americans, by facility!
I admit you can't do much, It's just due to the fact that the french are ignorants about Canada!
The only way would be to export more canadian films, about canadian matters, but you can't improvise yourself a cineast!
So I'm afraid you can't do anything, and I feel sorry for that, even more because usually the french are not so ignorants and are usually quite good at geography!
May be they should learn more about Canada at school, but I admit Canada is not at all in the programs! We study Russia, the EU, the USA and China and that's all. We don't study Canada at all. And even on these countries, we learn about their economy but not their way of leaving !
Canada lacks of soft power in France but I'm sure the french are not the only one in that case in Europe.
I feel so sorry but I see no solutions.
The best may be to rise the exchanges of students between France and Canada, the same way we have the Erasmus programs between the European countries. This program is a success because it makes students of different countries know each other. May be we could extend such a program to Canada?
What is really rude is not to have asked you about the Canadian politics! And about the way the girls dress, we are very concerned about this problem in France too, but I am tired to give excuses to my compatriots. So sorry!
@@paulchapoy992 Canada does get over shadowed by our US neighbour and most ppl only think of Celine Dion, Justin Bieber and Drake. But there are many differences between our countries. We encourage ppl to keep their culture when you coming to Canada Making Canada diverse. Not all Canadians like this. But this is what we are know for. The US is a melting pot and you become American and drop your culture at the door. But yes our music, tv, fashion, our friendliness.... all pretty much the same. But politics are not.
I met my boyfriend who is French from France in Toronto but he lived in Montreal for 3yr prior going to school. I think most ppl from France go to Quebec mainly Montreal as it’s French so it’s not so overwhelming. He left and came to Toronto b/c he wanted to learn English and be submerged into the North American fast paced vibe more. I have been told a times that Canadians have a lot of similarities to the Finnish ppl. Well at least that’s what the Finnish ppl that I know that live in Canada all say. Lol. We are quiet, we like personal boundaries, it’s very important to be polite (I do not agree with all the time) we are very prompt, don’t like confrontation and we mind our business. For others it can come across as cold and passive.
I really liked your insight. Thanks for sharing your perspective
@@heatherheaney4060
As a french leaving in France, the only people I know about Canada are the people going to Quebec on vacation.
There are two exceptions
The first one, the best friend
of my sister, and a good friend of mine, who makes professional applications for cellular phones (for Apple) . He made his own company in France, that was working well. Then he decided to leave to Montreal. From France, Canada, like the states, is seen as an Eldorado where you can succeed very easilly. In fact, it was a complete failure, probably because what he proposed was not adapted to the needs of Canada. Anyway, he had to come back to France, after about five years, very disappointed. Back to France, his business was running all right again. That is to say going to Canada is quite an adventure, and you really have to analyse the market before with attention. The french tend to consider Canada as an Eldorado where you can succeed each time.
The only really happy of the experience were the children, as the scolar system seems to be more human and friendly than the french system. School in Quebec is a kind of community where everything is done to integrate you well, which is not the case in France where there is no special effort, it is the pupil that have to make the efforts to adapt to the system, not the opposite. In French system you learn lots of things but it's quite authoritarian, as in Quebec, schools seem to be a real community.
The second experience I have about Canada is my niece who received a Canadian in France and then went to live in her home in Alberta. What stricked me, and I didn't expect it, is how much schools can be francophone, even in what I would call the deep Alberta! All the students where speaking fluent French in Calgary. I had the image of Canadians out of Quebec speaking only English and in fact there is an important francophone pole in Calgary, especially in schools and universities. What a surprise for me! The second thing that striked me is, as she was from China, the family was living totaly a chineese way.
This wouldn't be possible in France because when you come to leave in France, you have to prove you really want to get intagrated: When you become french, you have to adopt the french way of life and the french values.
As you said, Canada is a melting pot. It made me realise how much France is not a melting pot at all, and why this is the origin of some conflicts.
We have in France lots of people coming from other countries, especially from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. But to become french, you have to prove, not only your level of french language, 0but above all that you accept to obey the values of the french Republic, which are: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and laïcité.
It is Laïcité that makes problems, because it insists that the republican laws are superior to the laws of religions, as some muslims consider the laws of god as superior to governements!
The reason why we had terrorism in France is because our laicity establishes that you shouldn't show any signs of religion (religion is considered as private) , that religion can't interfere with politics, and that you even have the right of blasphema protected by law!
It explains the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It explains also why millions of people were marching in the streets to defend their "right of blasphema" (a typically french notion) . It also explains why France is the target of Isis, because France claims exactly the opposite values of what Isis wants.
From France, Canada appears to be a land of opportunity but very dependant from the US.
We fear the cold in winter and as we don't really know Canada, so we idéalise it and we imagine Canada under the snow with frightening bears attracted by your food, beavers and lots of nature, playing hockey, eating poutine and pancakes with mapple and using scooter des neiges (snow scooter?)! . We don't realise for instance that in summer you can baith in the lakes! I've seen that on a RUclips channel and I was shocked because it was in opposition to the image I had about Canada!
I am sure that going to Canada, your ideas change. As we say in France, "les voyages forment la jeunesse", meaning you learn much more by travelling.
@@heatherheaney4060
As a french leaving in France, the only people I know about Canada are the people going to Quebec on vacation.
There are two exceptions
The first one, the best friend
of my sister, and a good friend of mine, who makes professional applications for cellular phones (for Apple) . He made his own company in France, that was working well. Then he decided to leave to Montreal. From France, Canada, like the states, is seen as an Eldorado where you can succeed very easilly. In fact, it was a complete failure, probably because what he proposed was not adapted to the needs of Canada. Anyway, he had to come back to France, after about five years, very disappointed. Back to France, his business was running all right again. That is to say going to Canada is quite an adventure, and you really have to analyse the market before with attention. The french tend to consider Canada as an Eldorado where you can succeed each time.
The only really happy of the experience were the children, as the scolar system seems to be more human and friendly than the french system. School in Quebec is a kind of community where everything is done to integrate you well, which is not the case in France where there is no special effort, it is the pupil that have to make the efforts to adapt to the system, not the opposite. In French system you learn lots of things but it's quite authoritarian, as in Quebec, schools seem to be a real community.
The second experience I have about Canada is my niece who received a Canadian in France and then went to live in her home in Alberta. What stricked me, and I didn't expect it, is how much schools can be francophone, even in what I would call the deep Alberta! All the students where speaking fluent French in Calgary. I had the image of Canadians out of Quebec speaking only English and in fact there is an important francophone pole in Calgary, especially in schools and universities. What a surprise for me! The second thing that striked me is, as she was from China, the family was living totaly a chineese way.
This wouldn't be possible in France because when you come to leave in France, you have to prove you really want to get intagrated: When you become french, you have to adopt the french way of life and the french values.
As you said, Canada is a melting pot. It made me realise how much France is not a melting pot at all, and why this is the origin of some conflicts.
We have in France lots of people coming from other countries, especially from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. But to become french, you have to prove, not only your level of french language, 0but above all that you accept to obey the values of the french Republic, which are: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and laïcité.
It is Laïcité that makes problems, because it insists that the republican laws are superior to the laws of religions, as some muslims consider the laws of god as superior to governements!
The reason why we had terrorism in France is because our laicity establishes that you shouldn't show any signs of religion (religion is considered as private) , that religion can't interfere with politics, and that you even have the right of blasphema protected by law!
It explains the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It explains also why millions of people were marching in the streets to defend their "right of blasphema" (a typically french notion) . It also explains why France is the target of Isis, because France claims exactly the opposite values of what Isis wants.
From France, Canada appears to be a land of opportunity but very dependant from the US.
We fear the cold in winter and as we don't really know Canada, so we idéalise it and we imagine Canada under the snow with frightening bears attracted by your food, beavers and lots of nature, playing hockey, eating poutine and pancakes with mapple and using scooter des neiges (snow scooter?)! . We don't realise for instance that in summer you can baith in the lakes! I've seen that on a RUclips channel and I was shocked because it was in opposition to the image I had about Canada!
I am sure that going to Canada, your ideas change. As we say in France, "les voyages forment la jeunesse", meaning you learn much more by travelling.
It’s not so much the loudness and the screaming, but the vacuity of what is being voiced out. You can scream, argue and be loud if it’s a meaningful conversation. The problem is when it’s screaming about saying how enthusiastic you are about seeing someone or eating something.
Oh yeah ! Right. Totally makes sense. This is all this "over the top" aspect of Americans that can get cringey pretty fast for many Europeans. "Oh it's fantastic my friend !" "wut? who are you again? You're scary"
@@nox8730 Oh my God, I am SOOO excited.... yes, I agree with you
Ita not only that, but the non stop chatter. Especially the women. American women do not have an edit, pause or stop button on their chatterboxes. Is it any wonder why a vacuous, sophomoric, and petty show like The View continues to air every morning.
Love your t-shirt and your watch where did you get them...sorry 1/2 bad American. 😍
I was a student in France in the late '60s (in Aix-en-Provence). There were about 50 students in the group I came over with from California. In those days, obesity wasn't much of an issue in the states. But there was one obese woman in our group, and boy, did she get a lot of negative attention and comments from the French. I really felt bad for her. Also, I discovered firsthand how much the French loved discussing politics. There were several cafes along the main street in Aix (Cours Mirabeau). Each cafe attracted people with a different spot along the political spectrum--one cafe for left-leaning people, another for the right-wing bunch, etc. I learned to hugely enjoy the political conversations that lasted for hours over an espresso.
Love All Of Your Videos From Kenya ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️
Kenya?
@@christinelachance8012
Yes Dear
Thanks!
@@christinelachance8012 you know that RUclips can be watched all over the world?? So yes Kenya
Good informative video!
I think we’re so loud because we’re always having to raise our voices over the constant loud music that’s playing in America. I will say sometimes when I’m excited I have to tell myself not to raise my voice in excitement. Since I’ve been here since Covid I haven’t been able to fully immerse myself in the French culture but things are opening up now so I’m sure I’ll experience a whole lot more. Great video 😂
Thanks Sam! Maybe it's the music. Or maybe we feel like we need to constantly shout over the person talking next to us hahah
True loud music and machines ! As a country that is constantly building an remodeling there are many things that cause us to raise volume.
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified In France we have a saying: "Ce n'est pas celui qui gueule le plus fort qui a raison" (It is not the one that screams the louder who is right). There is this idea that, in heated debates, some would just crush the opposition under loud screams, even when they know they are wrong. Considering how Americans tend to be assertive and... "friendly" (by their standards at least), maybe this is merely a habit that comes from that? And we have another saying: "Gueule aussi fort que t'es con" (Scream as hard as you are a moron). Screaming here, is normally accepted as a proof of low education. So it is more than merely being annoying.
Ooof I feel like I would fit right in! I went to France with my French club and everyone was extremely loud and I'm like... you know you guys are the only ones talking on the metro... everyone in the NEXT car can hear you. My French club, including me, was 5 people. I was mortified. I am not a loud person in general. I tried to pretend I wasn't with them until after we got off the metro!
When I see a person talking loudly in public spaces I instantly think to myself "who brought him/her up???".
Could you make a video about the bobos? There are so many of them in Paris.
And about the differences between “la Province” et Paris?
Which Province? Your name sounds french, so it may be a waste to write this. France is basically a union of many different countries with many different languages (French is the official one since 1539) and flags. Although the differences tend to blur over time. Most of our territory became french before the XVth century. Brittany during the XVIth century. Guyana (in south America) first became a part of France in 1797, then Corsica during the XIXth century, and some of our old colonies that chose by referendum to become french, during the XXTh century. That means that there is not one "Province", but many. An example to illustrate that. When i was still a teenager, we went to the "Pays Basque". We entered a restaurant, and the owner refused to accept us because we couldn't speak the "Basque" language. But now, they couldn't speak our "patois" from Bordeaux either, even though we only lived something like 300 kms apart (both are in SW France).
@@nox8730 La province : en France, l'ensemble du pays, les villes, les bourgs, à l'exclusion de la capitale (et, le plus souvent, de la campagne)
La definition du Robert est plus simple que la tienne 😉
@@TheFrederic888 Oui oui, bien compris. Mais il va lui falloir faire une vraie série de vidéos pour ça, comme je disais :p. Je vois déjà les Basques et les Corses tirer la tronche s'ils se voient mis dans le même sac que les Ch'tis ou les Bretons ^^.
Maybe Americans are louder because they tend to be more relaxed in their social interactions and its a socially accepted habit. An Americans can take a lot of space when speaking, it's more common for them to express their personality and temperament in the way they speak. And their feelings too. So maybe being loud is just a reaction to the pressure, stress and constant stimulation that we all get from the outside world. Americans don't have to suppress it and let it go by increasing the volume. On the other hand, this is not accepted in France. French is a very coded language in many instances of social interaction and it's necessary to be able to control your non verbal communication in order to sound more French and be like them. People often take a certain a role when speaking, even people who want to take more space do it in a certain way. It's not a judgement, but I see the French as quite uptight in communication because of all that was said before. The only time when the French really let themselves go is when they speak in a group and when they discuss things. There is a very nasty habit widely encouraged by the media ( just listen to TV or radio shows) that is people talking all at the same time , cutting into other peoples speech and playing what I call a language ping pong (but with many participants turning around the table). Sometimes you get only a fraction of a second to say something or else it's too late because conversations tend to be extremely fast and topics change at a great speed.
im an american expat myself. adjustments happen - including volume. has it ever been the opposite that when you visit the states, youre told to speak up?? lol
I must be the exception because people can't get me to talk enough and when I do I'm so soft spoken I have to repeat myself more than once and it drives me nuts. As for talks about obesity I don't really like it either and politics is a heated subject. Sometimes I'm more than willing to talk about it but other times when my brain is already overwhelmed I DO NOT want to hear anything about it. And in my area of Texas and my upbringing is kind of....unique.
See I come from a multi-cultural family that doesn't have deep roots in the U.S both sides of my family came to America in the 60's and 70's and had to learn English.
It was practically DRILLED into my head that "Oh you're an American and born in America. You need to speak English." So from that I was never taught Spanish or Tagalog. Any attempt of me showing appreciation or interest in Europe, the Philippines, or anything non-American in general was met with ridicule and criticism from my family as if they were ashamed for not being born in America.
My state of Texas has history of having non-White and non-English speakers go to speech therapy classes to get rid of their accents and force them to speak English both in school AND at home (as if you can control how people live their personal lives outside of school) This is exactly what happened to my aunt (dad's sister) She looks white but used to speak with a Mexican accent because my grandma used to speak Spanish to her.
She was attending Spanish class and her teacher (who was from Spain mind you) told her that she's speaking a low form of Spanish and that Mexican Spanish is "lazy" and not "pure." My aunt told me she dropped that class and found another teacher. When she was child though about the third grade she was forced to take speech therapy classes to get rid of her accent and she was also forced to speak English at home.
Though I would like to add that America in general has a history of having non-White and non-English speakers attend speech therapy and forced to abandon cultural traditions from their former countries when immigrating here and it was at it's peak in the 60's and 70's. It wasn't just in Texas. Look at the Cajun French in Louisiana. They had to go through the same thing and I think that the European people just don't understand there's more complexity when it comes to discussing why so many Americans refuse to learn any language than English.
So with regards to the 1% of languages I disagree especially if you take into account the immigrant families that DO care enough to preserve their culture and teach their children and grandchildren about it. My family did not though because they worship white people seemingly like everyone on my mom's side or they experienced subtle forms of racism and had to hide who they are to better assimilate.
As for not knowing any other language other than English basically what's above is the reason not to mention I think I might have some mental issues. I can't focus and it's hard for me to learn other languages and this isn't just because I'm older and have to work 10X harder than you to learn a different language. My brain just functions differently and I've long suspected I might have some kind of developmental hindrance that was never diagnosed. In my family any mention of mental health is a source of shame especially on the Filipino side.
Another issue is that most Americans don't have the money to travel even within our own dang country because plane tickets set you back a couple hundred dollars and driving between states is just as exhausting. I don't think Europeans ever take into account just how MASSIVE the US really is.
(Sorry for the long paragraphs I have an overactive brain that constantly overwhelms me and I overthink things A LOT. It's a real problem for me)
No need to apologize for getting your point across. I personally think that was what happened with my cousins as well. They can understand the Vietnamese language and respond in English but they would absolutely refuse to speak it. However, when my sister had children, she enforced (still does) the “no English in the house” rule and thus, my nephews are able to speak both languages despite being born in Ohio.
I personally think Kate means well but she sounds like she comes from a privileged background and doesn’t necessarily understand that the reason why many Americans don’t speak another language isn’t just because we are lazy. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, it was common for people to speak their ancestral languages. After both world wars, the attitude toward non-English languages became more hostile.
@@ThePerksdeLeSarcasmeSiorai Thank you, I'm glad me and my family aren't the only ones to have gone through this and I forgot to mention that the part of Texas where my family lived back in the 60's and 70's was largely undeveloped and were mostly filled with White families. For whatever reason they felt threatened by Mexicans and Asians and felt it was necessary to do that in order to force non-White Americans to assimilate. It's terrible when you think about it but this does explain to some extent why a lot of Americans are the way they are.
As an American who has lived in france, the politics thing is the MOST. ANNOYING. THING. By the end of it I was seriously getting mad 😭 every single French person I met was like, “Is Trump your friend?” like nooo???? not really LOL
Great and funny as usual 😁
Thanks!
Americans speak so loudly because it's the best way to hear your own voice when other people are speaking, because apparently there's nothing better than hearing your own voice... 🤣
How does someone else's weight affect anyone else in society? It's a personal issue, not a public issue.
In most European countries, health care is universal, so if you are obese and have constant health problems you are "costing" society a lot of money. In their view, they are paying for the poor food choices an obese person makes on a daily basis (this is of course assuming that the obesity is not caused by hormonal or something other than overeating and lack of exercise).
Actually this is also kind of true in the US. Private health insurance goes up every year and part of that goes to pay for all the health issues associated with overweight.
Lol we as Americans are very friendly to tourists. That's what I've been hearing from foreign RUclipsrs visiting the States. Personally, I do try to learn some basic phrases of where I'm going.
I can totally relate to the questions about American politics except for me it's when I visit my birth country of Canada. Not five minutes into a conversation and politics comes up. They're hooked on Cnn and know more about what's going on here than I do. And the weight issue- it's not unusual for my French family members to point out blatantly to someone has put on weight. It may be intended as a concern but comes across more as stating a fact. (I.e. a bit blunt) Also, my French family can be very loud. P.s. Side note and interesting fact: my Grandma Parisien (Ontario Francophone) shared a room with a lady from Quebec. They had to communicate in English because they couldn't understand each other when speaking French. Dialects too different. Do you experience the same in France?
I’ve never met anyone who’s French I couldn’t understand because of their dialect. There are a couple of small pockets of people who speak dialects, like in Alsace, but I don’t think it’s a widespread problem. There are some pretty distinct accents, I’ve noticed (ie: Marseille, in the south).
Some Quebec slang is hard to understand if you are not used to it. But i never had a problem to understand people from Quebec. Those who have a heavy accent are the most complicated to understand.
I had the "flipside" problem when I lived in the US, I got constantly asked "Why are the French mean to Americans, why do they hate us?" or "You know, I've always dreamed of visiting Paris but I'm afraid of the rude Parisians" (I promise I am not exaggerating on this) and I refused to get into it... just because I don't believe it's true and I have nothing to say on the subject...
Same here
As a travel agent, I heard this often. The French are perfectionists when it comes to their language and this puts people off the whole country and learning any of the language.
@@barbaraolson600 both sides of the Atlantic could do with learning a little humility and taking criticism in a constructive way. My French friends found Americans self centered and not friendly unless there's financial interest. I see both sides.
My mother is italian and my father is french. While french people are mainly positively enthusiastic about Italy, italian people have many prejudices against France and french people. And i find it really stupid. I see many come to France because they have no work perspective in Italy that keep complaining all the time about everything (pizza IS NOT like in Italy, people speak french, italians do everything better...)
They also believe french don't like them while it's not true. Sometimes i sense a real hatred that makes me inconfortable. It is not always easy and expatriation isn't for everyone. I have lived in 5 countries and had no difficulty to fit in.
@@annesikaddour7225 Yor French friends must not have visited the southern states. We are very friendly here...to your face, anyways 😏
To be honest, when you were talking about Americans and foreign languages I thought you could've been talking about the Brits! (And I can say that because I'm from the UK 😂)
All native english speakers !
I have had enough problems with English let alone another language. It took me 40 odd years to get my Eng language gcse/olevel pass. My french teacher at school gave up on me very early on i couldnt get it no matter how hard i tried. It just never made sense to me.
12:48 It's also because it's a typical response of the USSR or V.V.Putin's mafia regime, or tyrannies in general, when you're too afraid of being sent to the gulag or a death camp because of your opinions.
Looking as if you're afraid of your opinions only tells us that you're either ashamed of your terrible opinion for ethical reasons, or afraid of us because you don't trust us to be tolerant enough, or you despise us too much to consider us worthy of knowing you that much (snobbery).
In any case, it's a way of refusing to be part of a democratic society.
*It's much better to say "I don't know (yet)"* than to let think that you have an opinion that you want to hide. *It's perfectly acceptable not to have a political opinion, whether out of doubt or ignorance.* It's perceived as prudent or honest, which is good. *What's never acceptable is to hide a political opinion as if it were a weapon ready for a bad move.*
Probably the fact that some stores are not open as late. There are the occasional pharmacies that are but I still would love to have the freedom to be able to go to the store when I need something. 😂
I really miss it late at night! But in Paris this are starting to stay open on sunday afternoons, but without cashiers. So like monoprix, you can go pick up milk or quick things and do a self checkout, but you can't return clothes or buy liquor. Seems like a nice compromise between keep a bit of the store open and giving employees the day off!
Hello Kate! Good video. Could you please re-post the info regarding setting up a French bank account, in the USA, BEFORE going over to France? All my son’s attempts are going nowhere! Thank you so much
English is an international language, true. But so is French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. Yet, Americans demand others to speak only English to them, out of all the languages listed above...
I will be traveling to Paris in 6 months during the Christmas season, so I have until then to learn. I think I can become semi fluent because I am very motivated to learn.
You really think that you can be semi fluent in 6 months? 😂😂 Such a high self esteem!
@@emmanuellecas4124 it depends how much effort she puts into it 🤷♀️
@@perthfanny3017 6 months is unrealistic. Even children who are the best at learning languages require more than half a year to become proficient!
Still wish OP good luck even tho it's been 6 months
I subscribed you yesterday, liked your video, but its more of about french language learning and promotion of the school which sponsored this video. Will appreciate if you make more video with interesting content by going out and showing paris, french cafes, french people, things that are new
If you want to know about France, you can talk with french people too. Some, like me, made the shameful mistake of learning english, so, everything is possible ^^.
Oui oui. Je confirme, l'anglais ça pux.
I greatly appreciate finding your channel and learning about the French attitudes and way of life. I've been to France, and unfortunately I did not have the best experience there. However, I was traveling with fellow high-schoolers (loud and childish) and after this video, I can understand the French perspective so much better! Also, thank you for the warning: I am an over-weight US native and I'm already forming a script in my head for if/when I'm ever in France again. *There are so many possible reasons why US tourists are loud. I started to list my ideas here, and it turned into a blog. My shorter answer is that sometimes, we are loud because we think we have to be in order to be heard and understood, whether it's with the French, or with our own countrymen.
1%? Is that your own estimation or real statistics? I’d call bullshit.
It is actually estimated that 25% of Americans speak another language. Yes, percentage is low but it is a relic of the cruel “speak American” policy that was enforced during the 1920s and essentially stripped many languages off their statuses, robbing millions people the chance to be bilinguals. By the time it was reversed, the damage has been done tremendously to many vulnerable communities. For example, look at the number of French speakers dwindling in Louisiana (2 million French speakers => 100K-200K French speakers now). And Texas German is dying despite its status being recognized before Texas was ever a US state. Despite years of hostility, there are those who have been able and are determined to keep their ancestral languages alive and even though the number is smaller, they deserve recognition and respect. (For example, google these: American Norwegian, Michigan Finnish, Michigan Dutch, North Dakota German, etc)
If not for the “speak American” policy, the US would have these statistics by today: approximately 10 million German speakers, 5 million French speakers (from both Louisiana and New England states), 3-4 million Scandinavian speakers (I’m including Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish), etc.
And blame it on the inefficient public schools that do not teach languages properly. Those that do are immersion schools and they cost a lot each year. For example, not everyone can have $19K to attend a French-immersion school (Lycées Français) annually. Have some compassion for those who are robbed of their ancestral languages or can’t afford the ability to be bilinguals. Even if they aren’t bilinguals, they are more likely to send their children to language immersion schools so the percentage will shift in 20-30 years.
And give me an f-king break. The UK is just as terrible when it comes to acquiring bilingualism.
Have to say my Aussie and Kiwi co-workers made me sound like I was whispering. And if you’ve ever been to a Chinatown, no one is quiet.
I wonder if being invaded by Nazis in WWII informs their understanding of the need to be informed to keep the worst from happening again. They see the cemeteries filled with French, Allies, and American dead. They still care for all of them.
I concur partly to your comment. Geographic situation explains general public opinion. For example, continental people are keen to cooperate more than islanders. Same with people who have strong neighbors. In that respect, France is well surrounded (UK, Germany, Italy, Spain), contrary to anglosaxon ones except Canada. USA have weak neighbors. UK, Australia, NZ are secured by the surrounding seas. Yet, concerning military cemetaries, they are managed by concerned states. The land of the American cimetaries has been donated to the US, who are ruling them.
Ok, i will make a pretty big effort here and i hope it will be useful for you. Americans really need to understand that WWII was no more than the 100th war we had. While fascism was a pretty new thing, i believe it is more about overall adaptability than us learning great news with the nazi invasion. We have been at war with the whole of Europe for more than one millenia and WWII is merely the last occurence in History, although we happened to lose this one pretty badly. This didn't happen often, so it indeed came as a shock, but that is all. Admittedly, WWI and WWII were destructive modern wars, and they definitely convinced us that war, military affairs and imperialism were crap, and France finally let go of its colonial empire in the 1960's. But if you look at French History starting from the 5th century, you will probably understand how Americans give way too much weight to WWII. They know about Napoleon, but he merely inherited 1 millenia of History. It has been the same crap way before he was born.
If you look for a reason for our political awareness (or stupidity), you need to look at the "Ancien Regime". How the Capetian dynasty ruled over France for more than 8 centuries, and how our elective monarchy disappeared during the 10th century. How nobility and the clergy forgot their duties to become tyrants, and how french people got disgusted with monarchy and religion. Now you will have to look at the poor situation in the 18th century, where the average life expectancy was... 25. Yes, 25 years old. And it just so happens that the 18th century is the century of Voltaire, Rousseau and such who wrote things like "Du Contrat Social" or "Candide". Anger and revolt brewed once again in France. Afterwards, we made not one, but 3 Revolutions (1789, 1830, 1848). Finally, you need to understand how agitated and creative the political life was in France at the time. With no king anymore, the people had the create new things, and they obviously had to take interest in politics. Just a rough breakdown in order to make it clear, because if you are not french, i trust you have no idea:
400's to 1780's: Monarchy. Hughes Capet destroyed the elective monarchy when crowned in 987. The crown is now inherited. Around 1700, Louis XIV introduced the idea that the King was chosen by God and could never be contested, creating the Absolute Monarchy. It was merely to make the clergy submit.
1788: Day of the tiles. The population in Grenoble revolts again and attacks the army with tiles. Strife gets rampant all over the country. Louis XVI can't understand that an actual Revolution is brewing. Not a surprise, this is a pretty new concept.
1789: 1st Revolution
1792: 1st Republic. The revolutionary wars begin and will last 23 years, with the whole of Europe, dead set on killing the new republic, once again coalised against France. Generals Dumouriez and Kellerman repel the invading allied forces by the end of the year in Valmy.
1795: Directoire (3 directors ruled France, after the end of the Terror)
1799: Consulate (Only one director remained: Napoleon, who became Consul)
1804: Coup d'etat. Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims himself Emperor and becomes Napoleon 1st. First Empire.
1812: Napoleon continued the Revolutionary wars all these years and conquered the whole of Europe except for Russia and the UK. The UK is protected by a powerful fleet, as always, and by necessity France had invested a lot on ground forces, which is something the UK never needed, making the UK the most powerful naval force in the world (by the way, France had to defeat this fleet during the American Independency War, and it came at a hefty cost). So, Napolean decides to get rid of the potential threat that is Russia in order to finally end the wars by forcing the UK into reddition. He failed during the disaster know as "La Bérézina".
1814: Napoleon could never get back on his feet after the russian disaster, and is finally vanquished and exiled. Monarchy is restored.
1815: Restauration of the first Empire after Napoleon Bonaparte managed to escape his prison in St Helene. But a few months later, Waterloo. The 1st to 6th European coalitions go defeated, but in the end, the 7th finally manage to beat France, and finally manage to restore the monarchy. Hitler did not learn the lesson and will do the same mistake by invading Russia in 1942, defeated by winter, too.
1815: Monarchy is restored again by the end of the year.
1830: 2nd Revolution, and then another coup d'etat, and monarchy again
1848: 3rd Revolution, 2nd Republic is proclaimed, Monarchy has finally died.
1852: Coup d'etat, the President of the french Republic, Napoleon III, little nephew of Napoleon 1st proclaims himself Emperor. Second Empire.
1870: Napoleon III tried to create a new style of governance, that is not a Republic, nor a Monarchy or an Empire. He gave away all his power to the government but chose to bear all responsability before the people. So he can't oppose the popular will the avenge a provocation by Bismarck, who wants to unify Germany by finding a common ennemy, which has to be France. Napoleon III knows the army is in no state to wage such a war, and is proven right the next year.
1871: Napoleon III is captured and abandonned by the french government which ends the war by capitulating. Bismarck reached his goal of unifying Germany and the 3rd Republic is proclaimed in France (not the last one).
There will be two more republics later on, so i will stop there. Political stability was only reached in the 1960's with the Vth Republic.
In the USA, the same Constitution and the same system are still prevalent to this day. We had many different Constitutions. As you can see, the people in France took things into their own hands for centuries now. This is our heritage. We are ready to make a Revolution anytime. And again, you should stop giving WWII that much importance. If you are interested by french History, you will find out that what i wrote above is actually a good example of how things have always been here. Look for the Thirty years war, the Hundred years war, the wars against the UK during the 18th century (considered sometimes as the real first World War) and the wars against the Habsbourg, if nothing else. I hope this answers your question. Regards.
I believe you miss a implicit point when you analyse obesity only as a public matter because it's a health issue supported by the entire society over the public mandatory health insurance. It's an issue in the public debates, but I think food is a cultural anchor in France, and it's an important part of the self-control culture we grow up in. Being overweight is like talking too loud in the metro. You prove others you are unable to respect the basic book of rules we are supposed to have in common. Plus, obesity is very clearly a social fracture. The lower you are in the French society, the fatter you are. So, when you are in the middle class, or directly interacting with the middle class, you are under pressure to respect the standards of the cast.
A couple of things about obesity in the U.S. First, it is not universal. Many Americans eat well and exercise as a lifestyle. Go to Colorado, for example, and you will find very fit people in their 70s mountain-biking or hiking in the mountains. Second, obesity is often a result of poverty in the U.S. In rural or inner-city food deserts, the closest locations for food are often little corner stores or bodegas with a ton of snack foods. Fresh produce is hard to find and expensive in many places. So, obesity often correlates with economic hardship. And once you realize that, the constant harping on American obesity becomes a bit more callous and insulting. These people are not gorging themselves due to lack of restraint; often, they are just trying to put food on the table that they can afford, and that food often turns out to be less healthy.
Obesity to the degree that is common in the USA, is an addiction, no different than smoking, drinking, or drug use. Yet, while smoking and addition can be pointed to, obesity is the third rail of discussion, do not touch. Because obesity costs the USA more than twice what the USA spends on the military; so it should be talked about. And talking about is NOT body shaming, which too many do interpret it as.
Politics should not be a taboo subject, the reason it is a taboo subject in the USA is because Americans treat it like a religion, they choose a position without regard to facts and reason. More like a family tradition, cultural conditions, or because they like the way someone looks or talks.
So, lol, my French husband is actually quite a bit louder than me, and the more excited he gets the louder he gets. I guess sure when I get around a bunch of other English speakers (don't have to be native English speakers, but usually better with English than with French) i tend to get a little loud, but it's not my normal range, lol, but my husband 😂😂😂 his family jokes that he's actually American though he's never lived in the States or in an English speaking country ever, lol
So i'm a fat person in France (I qualified for slightly earlier for the vaccine because of it, even though with everything else I'm pretty healthy). Anyways, I haven't been here that long enough and been in confinement for most of it so I haven't yet really experienced the fatphobia here. I was lucky though the doctor I had for my immigration appointments when I first got here was super sympathetic. She took a look at the results of my last physical and the chest x-ray I had done that day and said everything looked good, nothing out of the ordinary, she said that if I felt like I could move ok and didn't get too winded and that my analyses were normal, that I shouldn't worried too much about my weight. I was extremely surprised how nice and receptive she was. And no one in my family here has mentioned it. So for the most part I've been shielded from it. But we're kinda trying for a baby now, and I know it's gonna come up eventually.
Love stories like this. My frenchie fits way more into the "generalized" version of the French when it comes to the volume of his voice, but some people are just naturally loud. What can you do!
I found the baby weight to be a lot of pressure in France. But with that being said, it totally depends on your doctor so go with someone that you feel comfortable with when you need to make that decision!
I am French and don't really talk about politics. Even within a family we don't always like to tell who we are voting for. So, it is not general. I guess Paris is different from the province.
I am an American moving to France for good next month. I like every single thing about all of the things she brought up about France)
American here: re: loudness -> do you think it’s because we stand much further away from each other than in other countries? You’ve commented before that Americans are way more into personal space than the French.
Irish in Germany here. Just checking in to learn more about how foreign nationals are getting on next door :)
I am an American who travels to France with my wife annually and we agree with your complaints about loud Americans and their assumptions that everyone should speak english. I have been studying french for years and because I have let my studies lapse periodically I am only at a B1 level and that disappoints me greviously. Of course, I only have myself to blame. I believe to not speak french in France is to act with disrespect to people in their own country which to me is repugnant. I also agree with the french attitude towards obesity and politics, however, I am one of those Americans who find myself at least somewhat hesitent to brng up politics to someone I don't know well. Thanks for an excellent commentary.
So, it's so important to learn another language. What language would that be? It only makes sense that Spanish would be the language Americans would encounter the most. So now I'm in France and speak Spanish. Does that make me less disgusting to a French person? Why am I going to learn French when I will spend possibly 48 hours there? The absolutely only reason so many people in Europe speak English is because it is the universal language of commerce. If it wasn't, Europeans would be just as much in the dark as Americans. I live near Walt Disney World and encounter massive amounts of people who only speak their native language. I don't judge those people because they are just visitors. And if they asked me for help, even if it might getures or a game of Charades, I will do my best to help them. I don't laugh at them or ignore them. This is a bit different than people who spend 30 years in America who do not learn to speak English. That should be necessity.
LMAO unintentionally frenchified... What an awesome name lol xD