Wednesday, December 14, 2011

First Genuine French Conversation

Finally I got my chance to have a complete, not a bit artificial, French conversation.
That’s the advantage of visiting tiny towns in France. You are unlikely to bump into many English-speaking people. My taxi driver who drove me from Lorraine TGV to Hambach did not know a word of English, and this is how the conversation went …
Amitabh: Je voudrais aller à Hambach.
Taxi Driver: Bon!
A: Ce sera combien?
T: … (could not catch) … cent vingt.
A: 120! Hmmm… C’est loin d’ici?
T: … (could not catch) … quatre-vingts kilometres
A: Combien dur le trajet?
T: … (could not catch) … une heure.
After that I left him undisturbed for about an hour, after which he discovered that he had overshot the exit. Then he switched on the navigator and found his way back.
T: Pas facile… pas facile … pas facile …
He went on and on and on.
The bill came to about 150 Euros, but he took only 130 Euros, because it was his fault.He should have switched on the navigator before.
A: J’ai besoin d'un reçu.
T: ok.
A: Merci. Bonne soiree.
T: Au revoir. Bon soir.
Just then a strong gust of wind blew the proof of hotel reservation from my hands and I had to run some 10 metres after it before I could retrieve it.

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