MadmoiZelle speaks English

[¡Laaatina!]

Hi there! I'm from a city called Medellín, located in Colombia! I just randomly found this page and it really caught my attention, because I'm learning French as well.
As a native Spanish speaker and Foreign Languages student (French and English) I've had difficulties on my mind when trying not to confuse both languages in class; it's hard enough to start thinking in another language that is not your mother tongue, and manage to not confuse words, syntax, grammar, sounds, phonetics, and so on...
Usually, it happens that when i'm walking in the street, just thinking nonsense or random things and fooling around with my poor knowledge of English and French, I mix them and i don't even realize immediatly, but a few seconds after! (and it's funny how writing in english, the word 'après' came first to my mind, but not 'after').
Frenglish rules (i guess ), Spanglish (and the combination between French and Spanish, if it actually exist ^.^) also rules!
Naah, just kidding... these problems of 'verbal identity' just happen to me when it comes to English and French, not in Spanish. In fact, I should learn more about my native language! Isn't it ironic how today people tend to start learning other languages, but they don't even care about improving their basic communicative skills in their native language? (myself included)

 

[Ancien membre]

Hi girls ! It's been ages since I last came here, what a shame ! My english is beginning to be so crappy, I improved a lot in spanish so I'm starting to mix it all up in my head. I'm sitting for my entrance exam in just a month, I really need to read/speak more english ! My former boyfriend is going to give me a few old issues of The NewYorker (I loved reading it when we were together !), and last week end I ran into old english novels my mom had, so I started reading it and filing some vocabulary that may be useful for my entrance exam ! (can you really say "filling vocabulary", btw ?)

Anyway, I have a question for you girls : does anyone know what the expression "make a low bow" stands for ? I encountered it in The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde, the exact sentence was : 'Shall I love you ?' said the Swallow , who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples.

 

[cherry69]

Hi girls! I'm so happy to find an english discussion group. I probably go in England in two-three months to visit the country, learn the language and learn my future job : receptionnist in a hotel.

I need to prepare my mind for this travel, can you help me to work my English?

 

[Delbaeth]

-Edité-

 

[Afar]

Hello,
I have been selected for the Erasmus program:icon_4laugh: but my year abroad will be divided in two: 4 months in Limerick, Irland and 6 months in Grenada, Spain.
So, I'd like to know, to really improve my languages, what kind of activities do you advice me to do abroad to come back without regrets and knowing that I've done all was on "my power" to progress (Actually the only thing I planed to do is read newspaper, has I do now, before sleeping)

Please I really need advices and experiences from yours...

 

[titi_cia]

Hello there!
I moved in London with my family at the end of 2009. I can't believe that it has been nearly 3 years already! Even doe I always go to France whenever I can. I work in a customer care environment and sometimes it's HORRIBLE. My French accent is VERY strong, I try to make some efforts but...it's still not working! One day, a customer even said to me ''Can I speak to an ENGLISH person please?'' In a very rude way, I guess it just confirms how bad my accent is. Sometimes I get very nice customers, they love my accent and they even try to speak French . The worst thing is that sometimes, I'm on the phone with French customers and I feel like my French is getting worse and worse.
I think it should be a special language for people that mix French and English by accident lol.

 

[Ithurielle]

Hello there!
I moved in London with my family at the end of 2009. I can't believe that it has been nearly 3 years already! Even doe I always go to France whenever I can. I work in a customer care environment and sometimes it's HORRIBLE. My French accent is VERY strong, I try to make some efforts but...it's still not working! One day, a customer even said to me ''Can I speak to an ENGLISH person please?'' In a very rude way, I guess it just confirms how bad my accent is. Sometimes I get very nice customers, they love my accent and they even try to speak French . The worst thing is that sometimes, I'm on the phone with French customers and I feel like my French is getting worse and worse.
I think it should be a special language for people that mix French and English by accident lol.

If it really annoys you to have such a strong accent, I suggest you read some books about linguistics and phonetics in particular (David Crystal has some excellent ones, very easy to understand and very interesting as well). You'll find pictures of where your tongue can be placed in your mouth when you speak, with indications as to what sound it produces. For example, the first one is a representation on the tongue and the 11 places where you can position your tongue in order to make such or such noise, the second is useful when you come across expressions like "uvular consonant" and wonder what they really are.

You can train your tongue to automatically go to the places where it should be when you speak English, and I suggest you record yourself, listen to it and try to change it until you can hear an actual English accent. There's a book called "Get Rid of your Accent" available on Amazon if you really are that desperate, but really, it comes with patience and practice for free.

 

[popart.]

Vous connaissez un site tchat du type conversation echange anglais-francais assez sympa ? Merci

 

[Yuga.]

Here we are.. Last day in France. Time goes so fast ! But I really enjoyed these 10 days seeing my family and friends. I'm damn lazy to go back to work, besides my host family will arrive tomorrow from Florida, that means I'll have to work as soon as I'll be back. And I've got to be up at 6 tomorrow, I can't imagine how tired I'm gonna be tomorrow night.. The good thing is tomorrow's wednesday, I'm working three days and then: Week end ! I'm planning to go to Camden Market and clubbing in the night. Yay



Bathilda Fritton: I know what you mean about the fact that your family and friends thinks you're pretending not to know how to speak french anymore. It was the same for me during these 10 days, especially at the beggining. It's like the word "ouais", at the begginning I kept saying "yeah", and yesterday I was in a drugstore and when I left it I realised that everytime the woman talked to me I sayed "ouais" instead of "oui" cause in english saying "yeah" is not as "rude" as it is in french I think (I heard people saying "yeah" all the time and to everyone).

 

[Yuga.]

Oh my god I totally know what you mean haha. It's like the other day I went shopping with my friends, and the cool thing is that Montreal is a bilingual city, so you can choose whether you cant to speak french or english to the cashiers or whatnot. So we went to Zara, and at the cash I started saying "bonjour" to the cashier and eventually before paying I said "I won't need a bag thanks". But she didn't mind me switching from one language to the other because it's usual here. But it also often happens to me that in France when i'm going for coffee with my friends I accidentally start ordering in english, or stuff like that... and also anglicismes, they'll be the death of me one day... "laisse moi savoir" "j'étais actuellement en train de lui parler" "il a des expectations plus hautes" "j'approuve vraiment de ton choix"...
Question if you don't mind: are you living in London? Whereabouts? I used to live in Chiswick in the west-end if you can place that

Aw Montreal seems to be the right place for people like you and me who cannot choose between english and french haha. Anglicismes are awful ! I always say " laisse moi savoir " as well, and also once I said "cette actuelle fille" instead of "cette même fille"

I live about 40 min away from London by tube. I have no idea where Chiswick is, is Chiswick Park the same place ? Cause I check on my tube map and there is Chiswick Park which is Zone 3.

 

[Yuga.]

"cette actuelle fille", haha tellement typique Um more precisely Ilived near Turnham Green tube station, which is on the district and piccadilly lines. Chiswick park was the station right after mine when you go towards the west end
How long have you been in London? That's such a great city. Actually the best in the world haha. If you would like some tips on the best spots to visit or shop or juste nice areas to wander in, lemme know! I have an obsession with this city and when I lived there I visited absolutely every part of it -even remote parts in the East

Okay I think I know where it is. I've been living here for 5 months now, dunno when I'm leaving, it's not something I'm wondering about for now. I'm enjoying my life But I think I'll be really sad when I'll be back for good. Yep I'd like some tips, it's a shame but most of the time I go to London for clubbing..

 

[Ithurielle]

Oh my god I totally know what you mean haha. It's like the other day I went shopping with my friends, and the cool thing is that Montreal is a bilingual city, so you can choose whether you cant to speak french or english to the cashiers or whatnot. So we went to Zara, and at the cash I started saying "bonjour" to the cashier and eventually before paying I said "I won't need a bag thanks". But she didn't mind me switching from one language to the other because it's usual here. But it also often happens to me that in France when i'm going for coffee with my friends I accidentally start ordering in english, or stuff like that... and also anglicismes, they'll be the death of me one day... "laisse moi savoir" "j'étais actuellement en train de lui parler" "il a des expectations plus hautes" "j'approuve vraiment de ton choix"...
Question if you don't mind: are you living in London? Whereabouts? I used to live in Chiswick in the west-end if you can place that

There's a bridge in Chiswick. I rowed under that bridge at HORR