Jun
05
Help with speaking and understanding french !?
ByMy moms good friends nephew has came down from montreal for 2 weeks. He can speak no word of english, only simple things like, hello and yes/no. Him and I are going to a camp together for awhile.
Is there any quick way i can learn to speak or understand what he is saying to me? I got a 97% in grade 9 french, but I still can barely hear him…
help 
3 Comments
June 5th, 2010 at 3:38 am
See if you can convey to him to speak slowly and simply – like he was talking to a three year old. That should bring it down to a level that one year of French in high school can compare to.
If it is really bad, use the Internet on your phone to use a translation website.
June 5th, 2010 at 3:59 am
Asking him to speak slowly is the right idea – in school, all we hear is “teacher French,” which is probably 50% slower than native conversational French.
If it’s still very difficult to understand him, focus on nouns. English and French have a lot of similar nouns, which can be easier to understand than the (also large amount of) similar verbs and adjectives.
June 5th, 2010 at 4:42 am
Maybe he talks too fast, tell him to slow it down and be clear.