Thanks, Rashmi.
To follow up on this, a week after the email that I’d asked Survive France for help with, I got this email: “C’est ok pour nous, c’est ok pour vous?” I responded oui, so we were all set. When we went for lunch, I asked how their vacation had gone, but it wasn’t their vacation, just a one-day closure. The restaurant is really popular, so an extra day off would cause an immediate backlog.
Well worth the wait to sit at their table again!
French is actually a very clear and precise language with little ambiguity, which is why for a long time it was the language of diplomacy and international treaties.
I do think you Anglophones have an unfortunate tendency to romanticise us and our language.
Bonjour @vero,
I think we have very different experiences. I think I understand your point of view though.
Glad everything went well. 
It seems like the indecisiveness between formal and informal. I personally would use c’est ok pour vous, yet everyone understand so ç’est bien. I find it amazing how in France, restaurants can just take off whenever (even when there is no holiday) and everything is still ok and normal. I don’t think some South American restaurants have such a luxury except on major holidays; mostly.
They are usually shut one and a half days per week because we have laws about maximum working time etc. Very often Sunday evening and the whole of Monday.
September 5th was a Monday so it isn’t at all surprising they’d be shut then. It is just how we do things.
Major holidays are when there’s likely to be more potential customers so often we don’t close down then.
And a restaurant may shut for a couple of weeks so the owners and staff can go on holiday, which seems to surprise foreigners too.
Well yes 
It used to strike me as significant that when the French explain why they’re not going to be providing their usual service, the usual formula is Merci de votre compréhension. Like they assume everybody understands that sometimes, you take time off. You do it, they do it, everybody has a right to a personal life outside of work, where is the problem.
Whereas in English the usual formula is We apologise for any inconvenience, as if you feel you ought to be at your clientele’s beck and call the whole time and you should not be taking a day off.
I think France has a healthier work/life balance.
Please, please, please do not rely on Google Translate to give you an accurate sense of meaning in a translated text.
Bonjour @_Brian,
I don’t use google when I personally make language translations. I mentioned it just because of the surface subject of Google/DeepL in this topic. I already understand the concern though.
I am confused by what I put in bold - I don’t think you entirely understood 
the answer cmartin got, it means “it’s fine for us, does that suit you?”
How long have you been learning French? Which other languages do you translate?
Sorry. I’m completely baffled by your response.
@vero @_Brian
I apologize for the miscommunication for it seems that my messages are not coming off as understanding and clear. I will just like and observe the comments and not respond.
No no no don’t do that - surely it is better to communicate? Anyway you haven’t said how long you have been learning French. Or which languages you know.
keep your comments coming… and we’ll do our best to understand… so you and we can all benefit from the exchange… 
Incidently… question to the world in general… why do some folk think Google Translate is not to be recommended… ???
If I’m reading Sud Ouest for example… I translate in my head and wander on down the page…
but sometimes I think a little about a phrase or an odd word… have I guessed correctly ?? so I copy/paste that bit/phrase into Google Translate and see what churns out…
Sometimes the phrase is slang/not translateable… but mostly it makes a fair go at it…
either confirming my own thoughts or giving me something to ponder on…
It’s using it the other way round Stella. To write something in English, pop it into Google and assume it is acceptable French is a route to miscommunication! You’re using it more like a dictionary, which can work well.
I do the same as you @Stella and use it to ensure my understanding of French is correct. Also use it to check my spelling of a French word or whether a word is masculine/feminine. Now I’m back in the UK i use it much less than before but, for me, it’s the quickest and most familiar translation tool to use.
Izzy x
Whilst I have sympathy with this, the practicality is that there are times when some French, even imperfect French, is better than nothing. I understand my French friend when she writes to me in English even though she still makes a few mistakes (and she’s a retired English teacher) so I’m sure when I produce my less than perfect googel/Deepl translation on the whole it is understood.
I use Deepl translating from English to French (on the advice of some on here). Then I take the French and back translate into English on google. I use Bon Patron to check grammar. I use Reverso for more technical stuff because it usefully gives several full sentence examples in both languages.
Frankly, when writing in French, I tend to use short sentences…
I don’t waffle on and on before finally reaching the “full stop”.
Works for me and that’s how I advise others… whether they write in French or English…
“If it’s your second language - keep it short.”
So excited, can’t wait to go back to France.