A great way to improve your foreign language speaking skills is to converse with native speakers, but what do you do when they keep switching to English? How can you practice if people never respond to you in the language you’re trying to learn?
This is a common complaint I hear from English speakers who travel to Paris and naturally want to practice their French. The English speakers bust out their French and the Parisians just aren’t having it and switch to English at every chance they get. Why does this happen and what can a language learner do to stop it?
Why French people switch to English and how to get them to stop
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / Song_about_summer
There are two types of tourists who come to France: 1) Those who can speak French and want to practice their French with locals and 2) those who don’t speak French and are grateful when a French person knows a bit of English.
If you’re in the first camp, maybe you can relate to this. Several days of your vacation go by and you become fed up that all the Parisians are switching to English as soon as you get a few words out in French.
As frustrating as it can be, when French people switch to English, they’re not trying to annoy you. They’re not trying to purposely crush your language learning dreams or to be discouraging or rude (well, not 99% of the time anyway).
When I first moved to the Paris region of France, I had a low-intermediate level of French but had major trouble with understanding French spoken in real time. I could read and write rather well but comprehension was toughhhhhh. I always felt defeated if the person switched to English. But I appreciated it because the first couple of years were not easy.
Then as time went on and my level improved, I’d get so annoyed if someone dared to switch to English on me. Come on, dude, I’m here in France speaking your language. What’s your deal?
Then when I moved back to suburban France after getting married a couple of years later, it started happening less and less. I can probably count the number of times someone has switched to English on me on one hand.
There are several reasons why the French switch to English, so let me give you my take on why this is happening and how you can get them to stop.
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / Ekaterina Pokrovsky
There are 3 main reasons why French people switch to English:
1. Their level of English surpasses your level of French (or they think it does). This is the main reason. Because of this, the conversation may be quicker and easier to understand for all parties involved if you stick to English. They assume they’re helping you out by speaking in your native language, not realizing that you want to practice. They might not have the patience or the time to engage in a conversation of broken French.
In a business transaction of some sort (paying for a tour or shopping), the French person is used to tourists not speaking French, so to be efficient and friendly, they cater to your native tongue if they can.
Many times, even if you can make yourself understood but it just takes a while, random people you run into don’t always have the time to wait while you practice French on them.
2. They want to practice their English with a native speaker and then do their best to keep the conversation in English. It goes both ways. They want to practice English with a native just as much as you want to practice French.
3. They switch because they can. They want to show off their English skills. Even if you speak French rather well, certain types of people will want to bust out their English skills no matter what even if it doesn’t make sense for the situation.
An example of this is when we went to a veterinary specialist in Paris who had studied in the USA. Despite the fact that we were in France, he was French, my husband was French, and I spoke French, he wanted to speak to both of us in English once he found out I was American.
Getting the message across and making sure you’re understood is what’s important and since we all spoke English, it was understood. We just let him continue on in English even though it was odd. In this case, he probably didn’t get many opportunities to speak English at work, so he went for it with us and was happy to speak English.
What’s your goal with speaking French?
So when this switching to English thing happens, consider the following question: What’s your goal with getting the French to speak to you in French?
Is it a need or a want? Is it super important that you get your French up to speed ASAP because of a job or a move to France or are you a tourist just visiting who is learning French for fun?
If you need to be speaking French for your job, studies, or life in France, it’s really important to have trusted French speakers who know you a little bit and who can help you get your French up to snuff in the right context.
If people in everyday life switch to English on you, I think it’s best to let it go. It’s not the end of the world if it’s a short interaction with someone you don’t see regularly. As you improve, it’ll stop.
If someone you speak to regularly switches to English and you want it to stop, I think it’s worthwhile pointing out that it’s really important to you that you speak French together. Then explain why. Anyone who cares about you will do their best to honor your wishes.
Some French people are happy to see English speakers and want to practice too, so it’s a balance I think. Consider the context. Are you trying to practice French with a busy waiter or shopkeeper or are you striking up conversation in a relaxed environment at a party or someone who is clearly showing you they have time to talk?
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / Flotsam
Here’s how you can keep the conversation flowing in French:
-Get out of Paris and other big cities. Now, I know this isn’t possible if your vacation plans are taking you to the capital and only the capital for the week, but if you have the option to visit smaller cities outside of Paris, it’ll be easier to keep the conversation in French.
The majority of French people, especially in smaller towns outside of tourist hot spots, do not speak English comfortably so it’ll be much easier to converse in French when there’s no other option.
-Improve your French. Let me be blunt about this because it’s the truth. 99% of the time, the switch happens because your French isn’t strong enough to carry the conversation. Think about it. If you speak French rather well, there’s no need for someone to switch.
But maybe you’re thinking, “But Diane, how am I supposed to improve if people keep switching to English?” Well, the random people who are switching to English when you’re visiting Paris aren’t the ones who are going to help you improve.
Putting in the time with your language partner or French teacher, grammar books, watching French TV shows and repeating what you hear, etc. are all going to help you improve so the next time you visit France, you’ll have more confidence and people won’t switch to English on you because it’s easier.
-If it’s a casual conversation and both of you have time, politely ask to continue in French. Some people won’t, but still, go ahead and ask to keep the convo in French.
-Refuse to give in (if your level can keep the conversation going). Do not bluff here. If you legit can’t converse well in French, do NOT refuse to give in if it’s to save face. For example, if it would be rude for the context of the situation, let the French person switch to English if it’s easier — like with a busy waiter who just wants to make sure he has your correct dinner order.
Now, if your French isn’t bad and the context is right, keep speaking French even if the person continues to reply in English. They’ll get your point after a couple back and forths. If this is a hindrance to the conversation and your level of French is well below their level of English, then you may have to give in and that is OK!
-Pretend you don’t understand English at all or at least not their accent English. Use this one with caution. You’ve been warned. This method is only to be used when you’re desperate and if the person is being rude. It’s for when you can clearly communicate just fine in French and the person will not let up with switching to English.
If you can hold your own in French and they still switch to English, it’s up to you if you want to step it up a notch. When they say something to you in English, stare back at them blankly, blink and tell them, “Desolée, je ne comprends pas.” And continue along in French, as if you couldn’t understand their accent.
If you say you don’t understand English period (not an insult to their accent, but just that you don’t speak English in general), be careful. They may ask where you’re from, so if you say you’re Russian or German or something in an attempt to keep the convo in French and they speak one of those languages, you’ll look silly for lying.
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / fizkes
A few things to keep in mind about the above advice:
Pick your battles. If you need a quick answer and someone is rushing, at work, or has a screaming child in their arms, don’t push to keep the conversation in French. It’s not important to get your way in every circumstance.
You can always find a new conversation partner. If someone is monopolizing the conversation in one language or you find you’re the one constantly doing the teaching, there are loads of people out there who would love to do a language exchange.
Always be polite. Always. You’re the foreigner and first impressions matter. It’s not worth it to have the last word or get fired up over something that won’t matter in the long run.
Lastly, I wrote a post that complements this one all about how to get native speakers to correct your mistakes, so check that out if it’s of interest.
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What’s your experience been with French people switching to English?
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This is a brilliant post – thank you for writing it! I (Polish/British girl) went to Paris centuries ago, and my French back then wasn’t the best. And you are so right – the French who are in the business of serving people and don’t really have the time to ‘practice’ French with you, switched to English immediately. Though i must say they also visibly appreciated my attempt at French. But random French people who i asked for directions, for example, they happily continued in French, at a slower pace for me to understand 🙂
Thanks for reading, Daria! Yes, people in customer service/hospitality roles tend to switch faster and I totally get it. Maybe 1% of the people they see actually speak French so from an efficiency standpoint it makes sense. Context is everything. So glad that other people were happy to chat. 😉 I find that people generally want to help if they can.
The best advice I heard on bluffing is to say you’re from Albania. Nobody speaks Albanian (except Albanians and there aren’t many of them). My French is good enough that it’s rare for someone to switch. When it does happen I am always crushed even though I know shouldn’t take it personally. I usually just keep going in French.
Haha, David. That’s a good one! I only know 2 Albanians so probably a safe bet to say you’re from there. Thanks for reading!
Meant to comment on this when it was first published – I find this post really interesting and relevant, especially as an Asian. A lot of times, French people will automatically assume I don’t speak French because of my appearance, especially in touristy cities, and they’ll just speak to me in English. I kind of get it because maybe most of the Asians they encounter don’t speak French and are tourists. At the same time though, it’s this constant reminder that I look different, and I really feel for the Asians living in France who are constantly treated like outsiders, even if they’re French-born or speak French. I tend to just respond in French, and that sets the conversation straight haha, but it’s still unsettling to me.
Thanks for reading, Lily, and for sharing your experience. I’m sorry to hear about how you’ve been treated. I guess I kind of understand in big cities but it doesn’t make it right or any less unsettling if you’re constantly treated like an outsider. Your story reminds me of the baker, Quentin, from my bakery videos on YouTube. I had to delete so many rude, racist, and ignorant comments because people couldn’t fathom that an Asian guy is actually 100% French, no accent. Made me really angry that the “Asian baker speaking French” was the only thing people could focus on. I’m sorry again for what you’ve encountered.
Oh, that’s terrible to hear about Quentin! He’s really been such a star in your videos. I’m glad you took the time to vet those comments, as that is super frustrating and unfortunate that that’s all people could focus on. At the same time, I’m glad that those people are seeing that anyone can speak French and be French, not just those who look “traditionally” French!
To be fair the exact thing happens to me in Beijing and I have been learning and speaking Mandarin since I was 6 (I am 35 now), because my father was posted there through my childhood. Unfortunately that is how humans are.
I’m Asian too and totally relate. I was just in a restaurant in Paris. Even though I spoke French, and I’m a retired French teacher, the waiter asked if wanted a menu in English. I said (in French), that I wanted a menu in French. I quickly noticed that most of the people seated next to me were English speakers, and there were some other Asians who didn’t speak French. I’m sure the waiter was just used to having mostly English-speaking customers. Fortunately both he and I spoke French the entire time.
I would have to agree with Lily. Although I have not (yet) had the experience in France, I have had the experience in another country. I think you need to add another reason why people switch to English. The 4th being: discrimination. In the country where I had experienced this, my knowledge of their language greatly surpassed their level of English and when I asked if we could continue in their language because it would make communication easier, their response was “I am not going to speak to you in my language because you look Chinese”
Which also discredits point number 2 because if it has already been assumed that you cannot be a native English speaker and they can’t improve their English, then they see no benefit in even interacting with you.
The French can be incredibly arrogant by nature and usually their English is nowhere as good as they believe it to be. Therefore, if you can in fact get by in French, there is nothing wrong with insisting on French. Don’t let them play with you. Give it right back. You don’t owe them free English lessons in France. 🙂
To be fair the exact thing happens to me in Beijing and I have been learning and speaking Mandarin since I was 6 (I am 35 now), because my father was posted there through my childhood. Unfortunately that is how humans are.
Two experiences about “people are not there to let you practice your French on them”:
1) Some American colleague wanted to give professional talks in French when he was in Paris. Unfortunately, his French was slooooooooow (and not so understandable). We were in a professional setting where everybody attending could have understood the talk in English and it would not have run overtime.
2) Some anglophone tourist stops me in the street while I’m hurrying to or back from work. Starts asking me “où est la guerre?” (“where’s the war?”). I asked if she meant the army/war museum, but it turned out, after some difficult to understand sentences, she just wanted “la gare” (the train station), which was also a complicated issue (there are 5 main line stations in Paris, and many regional/RER stations). In contrast, “Where’s the RER station?” in English would have been very quick to answer.