When my wife asked me to talk to her colleague who teaches French in school, I was thrilled. Another chance to practice!
Here’s how it went …
She: « Allô! Bonjour! »
Me: « Bonjour! Comment allez vous? »
She : « Bien ! Merci et vous ? »
Me : « Moi, très bien, merci. »
Then she said something so rapidly that I couldn’t catch it. And my brain just froze. All I needed to say was: « Je ne comprends pas. Parler un peu lentement S'il vous plaît » But no ! My brain refused to work. I quickly switched over to English and completed rest of the conversation, all the while mentally kicking myself for not talking in French. I felt so stupid.
What a shame! I get this opportunity to speak in French in Bangalore and I let go of it. On the positive side, she is likely to be in Bangalore for some more time – I hope – so, need another excuse to talk to her. This time I will try to do so in person. Talking over phone in a foreign language can be a bit demanding.
Here’s how it went …
She: « Allô! Bonjour! »
Me: « Bonjour! Comment allez vous? »
She : « Bien ! Merci et vous ? »
Me : « Moi, très bien, merci. »
Then she said something so rapidly that I couldn’t catch it. And my brain just froze. All I needed to say was: « Je ne comprends pas. Parler un peu lentement S'il vous plaît » But no ! My brain refused to work. I quickly switched over to English and completed rest of the conversation, all the while mentally kicking myself for not talking in French. I felt so stupid.
What a shame! I get this opportunity to speak in French in Bangalore and I let go of it. On the positive side, she is likely to be in Bangalore for some more time – I hope – so, need another excuse to talk to her. This time I will try to do so in person. Talking over phone in a foreign language can be a bit demanding.
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