HELP GUIDES

Income Tax in France

Healthcare in France

Inheritance Law and Wills in France

Visas and residency cards for France

HELP GUIDES

Income Tax in France

Healthcare in France

Inheritance Law and Wills in France

Visas and residency cards for France

Letters

Spoken French is harder to understand than other languages

Reader notes that French has many peculiarities

Pronunciation in French often goes against English-speaking instincts
Published

To the Editor,

I can only agree with a former correspondent about contractions such as “shupas”, the pervasive use of argot, the machine-gun speed of most native speakers, and the apparent redundancy of several letters at the ends of words — all of which can make French, uniquely among the six languages I speak, virtually impossible to understand when spoken.

English, of course, presents many difficulties for non-native speakers, but it is generally easier to follow in conversation. 

George Bernard Shaw famously illustrated English’s own inconsistencies by pointing out that “GHOTI” could be pronounced “fish”: “GH” as in “laugh”, “O” as in “women”, and “TI” as in “nation”.

All languages have their peculiarities — disappearing “d”s in Spanish, split verbs in German - but French takes perseverance to a whole new level.

C.M. by email

Do you get by without speaking French in France? Let us know how you manage at letters@connexionfrance.com

magazine letters and comment

More from The Connexion