An Open Letter to the French who Think They’re Doing you a Favor by Responding to you in English

Stop. Before you open your mouth to put this struggling aspiring francophone out of their misery by offering to speak English: think about what you’re saying to that person.

You’re saying: “You have an accent, and it’s obvious.”
You’re saying: “My English is better than your French. Let’s stick to that.”
You’re saying: “Don’t even try.”

We aren’t all in France as tourists. We haven’t all taken a quick crash course in your language before arriving here. Some of us have studied for years, and are eager to get out there and finally speak in a French speaking country. If we are constantly being responded to in English, it can become really hard to have the confidence to keep trying.

Here’s some other things to keep in mind:

We know that your English is likely to be better than our French. You’ve been given the resources to make that happen since you were a kid. We have not. You’ve had to study English in your schools for years. We’re only required 2 years of a foreign language. Your educational system is more strict and has therefore forced you guys into learning it – our system is (unfortunately) not as strict.

Why am I pointing out all of the obvious? To make the point that when an Anglophone does make the decision to live or study abroad, they’re truly committing to learning a new language. Giving themselves opportunities that were not available to them. And they are already starting off at a disadvantage, so when you undermine their ability so quickly, you’re making a difficult situation even harder. Stop making it harder.

We know you think you’re being polite and convenient. But just trust me, most English speakers have no problem going full-out English if they don’t have the confidence or resources to attempt your language. In fact, we’re known for it. So please, please, keep in mind that if someone is trying to speak to you in French, it’s because they want to practice. You don’t need to check if they’d prefer to speak in English. If they did, they’d have started that way. And if that changes at any point in the conversation, trust me, they will let you know.

I promise you that you will be okay without reminding them that their accent is obvious.

*This entire rant can (I’m sure) be applied to any language and other westernized countries.