this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2024
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That's why no one learns French. Because if you try to speak French to a native they roll their eyes and start speaking English to you.
Zero appreciation of the efforts.
As I've been told, they* tend to be more polite to you if you make an attempt at least, considering it a gesture of respect for the country you're in. They may roll their eyes at how bad an attempt it is, but it's still a credit.
There is a similar phenomenon in Germany, where we may switch to English, not necessarily because we're annoyed at your bad German, but simply because we consider it more efficient or courteous to engage with people in English. Maybe the French have similar reasons.
I've caught myself in that reflex too: I learned English from the start of primary school, consume a lot of English media, speak English with international colleagues and consider myself fairly fluent. If you struggle with German, I'll be quick to offer using a language we're both good at because it makes things easier for you. That's not a lack of appreciation, it's an offer of convenience.
On the other hand, if you wish to practice your German, I'm more than happy to help. I get the impression that many generally are willing to humour you, provided we have the time for it. If you're ordering at a restaurant or asking for directions, odds are we'll switch to English to speed things up. But if I have the time, I'll gladly listen to your German and offer corrections and explanations.
*Possibly just a specific subset of localities or businesses; I can't give a first-hand account nor obviously make a blanket statement about a country of ~68 million people (1.66 times the population of california, for comparison).
Germans tend to say 'ah, our language is difficult but I think you mean to say...' or 'we pronounce it...' the French on the other hand are far more likely to say 'I don't understand what you are saying at all' or 'it sounds disgusting when you speak'
My friend that's French born but lived in the UK a decade went back and got the same treatment, the shop keeper literally ten minutes from where he was born did the whole pretending not to understand and acting superior thing - I've never known anyone in germany do that. Spain you might get scolded for not speaking the correct dialect especially in Catalan but it's rare.
France is beautiful and the people can be wonderful but they have some weird issues too especially around language and identity.
I'd rather someone force me to speak properly than just refuse to engage at all, which is what happens if you meet a German who cannot/will not speak English.