[Swizec]

> but even as an American with extremely bad and limited French, most people were very nice

The trick to Paris, I’ve found, is to start with broken French and then suddenly everyone speaks fluent English. But if you start with English you’re screwed.

Even saying “Bonjour” with a decent accent (you can learn it like a song almost) will make them significantly nicer to you.

But yeah don’t expect a big city person to actually verbalize anything if they bump into you in a crowded place. That’s just expected and normal. Not worth aknowledging.

[ethbr0]

100% agreed. Starting with bad French + a self-deprecating expression = much more helpful Parisians

The kids and I joked about how pleasantly lyrical all French greetings are. You have to try to make "Bonjour" not sound nice.