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From your experience, what European countries are the most supportive to foreigners trying to speak their language?
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France
Oh! Most? Not France then
The French don't even like people who speak French fluently but with the wrong accent. They don't like the Quebecois very much.
I don’t know how true it is but people have said in other threads that it is mainly the Parisian French that dislike accents .. even from elsewhere in France; but in like the South of France and things, they’re more relaxed
I studied abroad in Marseille and am fluent in French. Everyone I met there was extremely appreciative that I spoke French at all, and they thought I was from Paris originally because I was speaking so properly from what I had learned in school and not really knowing any slang.
When I would speak in public with random folks, they always assumed I was French, and they treated me way way way better than my American counterparts who couldn't speak more than a few sentences.
Marseille slang is something else
Yeah it took a while to adjust haha
Also no one ever spoke to me randomly in public, except one time when a woman told me to give my tram seat up to another woman lol. But I miss that place. Overall people were very friendly and I made a lot of friends. Also merguez is the GOAT sausage.
People in the south of France have never minded my accent or half broken french. They always continue to talk to me and tell me that my french is good afterwards. Never once have they corrected my pronunciation.
Honestly I really don't understand where the stereotype for France comes from. But then again, I've never been to Paris
I’ve been to Paris a couple of times. My French is gawdawful, but I’ve never had a negative experience because of it.
Same here. I had no problems at all in Nice or Alsace. I won’t comment on Paris since I’ve only ever been as a intermediate - advanced speaker so never need to default to English and can easily do more generic touristy conversations.