Why Don’t French Pay Phones Take Coins?

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Mar 312009
 

(asked by Samayi C. from Canada) Why don’t French pay phones take coins? Such a pain! You mean French pay phones still exist? OK, the reason is pretty simple. French pay phones used to take coins, but they were: -unpractical : you always needed to add coins during your conversation, which would be cut if you didn’t do it fast enough (remember that local calls are not “free” in France). -always vandalized : in the late 70’s, early 80’s it [Read the rest]

How do you recognize gay men in France?

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Mar 262009
 

(asked by anonymous) Let’s see if I can formulate my question French men dress very well (for the most part) and a lot have very feminine gestures but are totally straight. Men in the US, when they dress as put together (no offense to metrosexuals) and have feminine gestures, one can pretty much knows that they are gay. But in France, how do you tell? I find this question interesting, not because it’s interesting in itself (we all know that [Read the rest]

What do French people think about Dutchmen and other Northern-Europeans?

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Mar 162009
 

(asked by Michel M. from the Netherlands) I hope you can answer my question.My question is: What do French people think, in general, about Northern-Europeans? By ”Northern-Europeans” I mean Dutchmen, Germans, and Swedes for example.I’ve heard that French people think that Dutchmen and other Northern-Europeans have a ”cold personality”, that they are less ”chaleureux” than the French (Cause France, is the country of ”amour”). Is this true? Greetings, Yeah, I guess this is a general stereotype about Northern Europeans. But [Read the rest]

Do you have any suggestions on how to be an un-annoying American student in Paris?

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Mar 112009
 

(asked by anonymous from New York) Hi Mr. Frenchman,So in poking around your blog I have noticed that, simply put, the French don’t seem to like American study abroad students much. Living in New York, I can certainly understand the hatred for obnoxious and slow moving tourists, but I think in general Americans find foreign students interesting and exciting. Or, at least those who really have an interest in learning about America and trying to practice and improve their English. [Read the rest]

Do I have a chance in Paris?

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Mar 082009
 

(asked by Miena K. from Philadelphia) Ok, so. I am currently a sophomore in college. When I was younger, I went to a French immersion school and the culture never left me. Though I am not as close as fluent as I was when I was younger (hey, I’m working on it!) and a million other reasons, I need France. I must move there. So here’s my 3-part question:1) Is it difficult to get a job as a foreigner?2) What’s [Read the rest]

Do most French speak another language?

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Mar 012009
 

(asked by Holly P. from the US) Often Americans are accused of being monolingual and not learning other languages or expecting everyone to speak English-although we are becoming more bilingual with Spanish practically becoming a second language in the US. However in France, do most French speak another language…English…German…? And do they secretly make fun of Americans who do their best to speak French? Thanks,Holly We’re tackling three issues here. First, the fact that Americans are becoming more bilingual. I [Read the rest]