Speaking French

Those anxiously waiting for the warm weather so they can "cast a clout when May be out" might like the following, in the same vein:

En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil
En mai, fais ce qui te plaît
En juin, tu te vêtiras d'un rien

Hi, just joined this group and thought I'd pass on what I've learnt about learning the language here. When we first arrived with our 'Parisian' French, we didn't know what hit us! The southern accent combined with Occitan and Catalan....

We have found that listening to French radio, watching French tv (with subtitles in French) really helps. Also, try talking with older people in the village - they often speak more slowly and have time to talk with you and appreciate your efforts to speak in French. Most importantly, don't give up as when you learn you go through surges of learning and then plateau - it's normal. We also have neighbours who are patient with us and give us time to reply in our own way, which has now much improved since we arrived.

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I see lots of people asking for French lessons in their area - I take lessons on Skype with this guy, I find him very good, a Frenchman living in Philadelphia in the US! http://www.linkedin.com/in/jlbmyfrenchtutor

Thought some people might consider the online option. It worked for me.

Hello all, just joined and looking for any members around the 53 area. My French is bog basic and I am doing a Rosetta Stone course at home.

are there any french lessons / teachers in the 86 area close to Villemort (Saint Savin) I am one of those people that need structured lessons rather than self directed learning !

Hi John,

I will find you a French tutor/classes if you'd like me to. I've sent a friend request and then I can ask you more about your needs by private message.

Anyone know where we can get some french lessons near Macon in south burgundy?

Would like to let anyone living near Maubourget (dept 65) know that each and every Wednesday evening there is a free group of french & english speakers. We meet to get to know each other better and to exchange and share language and culture. Meetings are held at the Maison des Associations across from the Tresor Publique - if you'd like to know a little more just email me :)

Thanks Ruth - PTS instead of PTSD changes everything! ;-)

PTSD

Trouble de Stress Post-Traumatique, syndrome de stress post-traumatique, SSPT, or état de stress post-traumatique, ESPT.

Being the 'lucky' owner of a PTSD, I use all these here in France. By the way, did you know that in the US theynow dropped the D and only refer to it as PTS?

Nicer, for sure. The D for Disorder makes one feel rather ... disorderly?

Or even “J’irai au marché demain” :wink: On the subject of past tenses, wait till you come across the wonderful “J’ai eu fait…” which refers to something you have done in the past but not recently. “J’ai eu fait du vélo” means something like “I used to ride a bike but I haven’t done it for a while.”

I absolutely try to use tenses in the same way the French do. Past tenses are pretty necessary. I don’t advise saying “hier je vais au marché.” It’s very confusing.

However I do notice that the French don’t use the future as much as an English speaker would.

So instead of saying “I’m going to go to the market tomorrow.” “Je vais aller au marché demain.” They’d say "Je vais au marché demain."
Encourage your student to try their hardest to use the proper tense if at all possible.

Best to you!

One of my new students expressed his fear at using anything but the present tense in conversation. Do you have this problem? Do you refrain from using past tenses, future etc when you talk with French people even after living there for some time? I am interested in your personal usage of tenses other than the present.
Par exemple, do you say : hier je suis allée au marché"or do you tend to avoid the past and say “hier je vais au marché”?
Excellent week-end.

Tiens Josette! C’est ça! Merci beaucoup, il faut que j’ai des bons mots. :slight_smile:

Voici quelque chose de plus précis: État de stress post-traumatique complexe (ESPT complexe) .
I think this is much better and I hope it helps.

Merci Josette, ce n’est pas la même chose, donc, ma question. Peut être je dois essayer “Stress Post-Traumatique Complex”? On verra!!

Voici ce que je trouve: le Stress Post-Traumatique
I hope it helps.

Could anyone tell me what ‘Complex ptsd’ (post traumatic stress disorder) would be in French? First step to getting some help. Thanks.

Yes Steve it is one of these or a mix of several . Merci !
(la France vue par les Français)

Cute ! There is another one of the same type (les autres et nous) worth watching…but I can’t find it online. A friend in UK sent it to me 2 months ago: the French seen by themselves and by other nationalities.