Useful French Phrases

[Goodtime Charlie]

Originally posted by Uncle Larry:
My wife is going to Paris (not Paris Kentucky

) for work & I'd like for her to be able to well...sorta blend in with the locals

Thanks!!

Uncle Larry:

I was in Paris all of July, 2005. I'll give you what advice I can. Read books by Polly Platt, she has good advice on the French. Subscribe to the newsletter at expatica.com so she can be familiar with what is going on in France before leaving. Of course, learn as much French as possible. Study maps of Paris and learn the metro and bus routes for the area that she is going to be traveling. Find out which arrondisements are good to live in, which ones to avoid. Have your wife list on an internet pen pal site, and make some contacts in Paris before she goes. Tell your wife not to take a lot of clothes from the US with her, because she will want to buy clothes in France to blend in better--and that pertains to shoes, especially, I think (unless she buys French shoes, anyway!). The voltage in France is 220, so most electrical devices that she has will not work without an adapter of some kind. She can buy voltage converters at Radio Shack for use with some things, otherwise just have her buy some things there in France. If she is going to be taking the metro or bus quite regularly, she can buy a monthly pass, and that is the best deal (IIRC, it was cheaper than buying tickets each trip). If she cannot make any contacts there ahead of time, and you need some good contacts of trustworthy people, email me and I can give you names and contact info. If she has any other questions, just email me.

When is she leaving, and for how long?

 

[glypnir]

I loved the quotes.

The French get a bad rap. They didn't surrender in WWI. Most of the war was fought in their country, at least once the Germans plan of sending Lenin to Russia worked out.

The French, if I recall correctly, took more casualties per capita than any other country in WWI.

The French people were ready to fight the Nazis in WWII, but they were let down by their generals, who didn't understand the changes in warfare. They were also let down by their corporate leaders, who didn't like the Leon Blum and his Socialist Government and said "Better Hitler that Blum". The French corporations basically staged a corporate strike.

So we should really make fun of French industrialists.