More French Progress

French progress - Finally having some daily chit chat with the Parisians is very satisfying. I don’t always understand everything, but catch just enough to respond with a ‘Pour quoi?’ or ‘Bien sur!’ Although customer service in most shops is appalling (usually from the women), the male ‘vendeurs’ are more friendly and forgiving of your bad French, a real treat to chat with. They may be fromagers, bouchers, or poissonniers, but they all have a passion and respect for food and take great care in helping you choose your product with helpful advice on how to store it and cook it. I love this banter with them, get a thrill of understanding a few words and being able to reply simply but correctly. They seem to appreciate the effort being made, and the ‘Bonjournee Madame’ makes my day.
Loving Ruby’s interpretation of the language at the moment. A lot of ‘Mommy, know what so-and-so is in French? It’s…..basically the English word with a long ‘aaaah’ on the end, for example chocolate is ‘choclaaaa’. Then when she comes out with her ‘oh la la’s, and ‘voila’s’ I can’t help but crack up. The other day she lost a ticket for the carousel as we were messing about on the bed, then a few minutes later I hear her say, ‘Ah, voila!’ as she pulled the ticket out of her knickers. A right little madame she’s turning into, or ‘mademoiselle’ should I say.
Sam’s accent has surpassed both Tom and mine’s in accuracy, he can spit out his French ‘r’s’ with more authenticity than we’ll ever have, and often corrects us when we don’t do it properly.