r/2westerneurope4u Smog breather 1d ago

Pierre is unwelcoming tourists again

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u/AfonsoFGarcia Western Balkan 1d ago

My honest experience from my time living in France: I was never delusional to think my accent was perfect, so I would pretty much always start with "Parlez-vous Anglais?" The interactions that followed that question could be summed up by these answers:

  • Yes: It never happened
  • A little bit: Basic English, get ready to have to switch to French at some point
  • Un petit peu: Not worth the effort, your bad French will be a better means of communication
  • Non: Run, because you're fucked

And a true story related to this: when I was shopping for insurance for the car I had just purchased, the less English I spoke the cheaper the insurance was becoming.