Hello.
I’ve been a long time lurker and a few days ago mustered up the courage to sign up, though I don’t really have much to say!
A bit about myself -
I’ve been in France for close to 15 years and my French is still rubbish! I live close to the border of Dordogne and Haute-Vienne, and am on the Haute-Vienne side.
I enjoy gardening and am teaching myself to oil paint.
Well, I think I’ve bored you enough, so will end with saying “À bientôt”.
Welcome @Beanybag
No one is ever boring, we all make a valuable contribution to life. I look forward to your future partispation.
Have a look at the members map, it seems we are near nieghbours.
Hi @Beanybag and welcome to the forum…
I chuckled at your comment about your French 
If you are doing your best to speak French, you’ve won a gold star for effort… so keep at it.
(I gabble away to my neighbours, doubtless with horrendous grammatical errors… but who cares… we manage to understand one another and life is fun.)
You’re right of course, no one is boring.
Yes we are sort of neighbours tho’ I’m on the other side, closer to Nontron.
Thank you Stella.
I find I tend to panic if I have to speak for longer than just asking a question in a shop! I’m fine if I don’t think about it and just blurt it out, but when if I start thinking ‘what’s the word for …’, ‘how do I say …’ then i go into a complete tiswas!
Ha ha… been there, done that. I think that’s why I gabble now… doesn’t give me time to wonder/worry…
I used to have phrases written down, so if I floundered, I could simply wave the piece of paper and all would be well.
Struggling with French can actually bring out the best in the folk to whom one is talking…
Just remember, it’s always better to try, than not, as people will be far more appreciative, and normally fully understand the difficulties in learning another language 
And I’m sure your French is most probably alot better than the English spoken by most of the folks you’re communicating with
Hi Beanybag and welcome to SF
That’s often the best way… works well for me
Because you try, the French will often help you along.
I remember an early encounter with the lady serveuse at the local boulangerie. I used to ask for une pain, un baguette until, one day in an empty shop, she told me « messieur, c’est un pain, une baguette » with a broad smile. It would be very easy for a typical anglais response “who the hell do you think you are… and storm out” but her educative response was most welcome and I’ve not forgotten it.
The other shopping lesson learnt was in the local supermarché. An arrogant anglais stood at the meat counter with her fists clenched and firmly placed on her (ample) hips and demanded “pork” in a load voice. The server rolled his eyes and replied “comment?” at which she just repeated her single word request in an even louder voice.
The assistant then ignored her and moved on to the next customer who commenced with the (almost) mandatory “bonjour messieur” and proceeded to request her requirement…
The first lady was incandescent! “don’t you ignore me!” she demanded but she was totally isolated and stormed off in a rage.
Another salutary lesson learnt. As much as learning the language, the nuances of the French culture are just as important 
We think it is normal to be corrected and correct other people, it happens all the time and it isn’t meant nastily, it’s just something we all do. You are doing someone/they are doing you a favour really. Of course you don’t say it in a “ha you halfwit worm here am I the grammarwhizz putting you right” way.
I understand what you say but many years ago…
We were B&B’ing across France. Armed with dictionaries and a few French words (bonjour, merci…) and some phrases… we’d had a wonderful time until our last overnight stop.
Delightful lady, retired teacher… and she corrected both of us every time we opened our mouths. This broke all our concentration, set OH back 100 years and even got me to be silent for the rest of the stay. We just listened as she prattled to us, no idea what it was all about as she talked too fast… but neither dared open our mouths to ask her to slow down… we just smiled politely… and that was that.
Nowadays, I prattle…
More or less at the beginning of a conversation I apologise for my French, for getting “le” and “la” wrong… and I admit to being too old to take it all in…
and folk rise to the challenge and confess that I speak better French than they do English… and not to worry about my little errors… just keep talking…
Phew.
EDIT: “school is always open” as far as I’m concerned and I’m glad to learn new words while reading/chatting, but gently, gently… or my mind closes-down.
exactly my point; it was very helpful and very much a cultural thing.
Sadly, I see (or hear) too many such folk in the shops, but mostly during the holidays 'tis true… and I cringe and try to look very French… 
Hello Beanybag and welcome.
When I first came to live in France 30 years ago, I was so embarrassed by my schoolboy French that I’d wait ‘til last, ushering people in behind me in the post office, because I’d forgotten if ‘stamp’ was masculine or feminine, and felt painfully vulnerable in the front of a queue!
But I’m amazed that the French do understand what I’m saying when I know full well that my grammar is up the creek. I never persevered with learning French, but I get by, whether I’m pounding the desk in the tax office, talking to a neighbour, or explaining to the doctor why I’m there.
But I do so wish I had persevered!
Good luck with your oil painting. Maybe we’ll see something soon? I’m watching the Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year competition on TV which I find amazing, and so transfixing!
Welcome, a nice part of the world, I tried learning french 26 years back in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche and still trying
Hello, as others have said the main thing is to try, generally if you can say bonjour s’il vous plait merci au revoir and even if that’s it, people will be nice to you and helpful 
And sometimes we even give the French an opportunity to laugh.
Such as when I asked someone in Leclerc last year if a particular jam had preservatives. Didn’t know what I’d done till I saw her try to stifle a wide grin from ear to ear and fail.
For some time I always bought more than one stamp so I could avoid un/une! They were always used eventually
I managed a worse one than that. I was planning to pickle cornichons and I asked “vendez-vous des bouteilles pour préservatif”.
Did they manage to explain about the foil sachets?