How To Ask ‘Do You Communicate English?’ in French
65.9K
If you wish to say “Do you converse English?” in French, you’ve got two choices. The primary is the formal/well mannered model, Parlez-vous anglais ? The opposite is the extra relaxed, casual phrasing, Parles-tu anglais ? Typically, you must use the casual model when talking to kids, pals, household, or these you meet in an off-the-cuff social setting. The formal model is finest for enterprise, in shops, when addressing somebody older, or whenever you’re uncertain of which kind is most acceptable.
Rosetta Stone’s language studying packages construct confidence in talking and understanding French, from the fundamentals like “Do you converse English?” and “What’s your identify?” in French, to superior and proficient French conversations the place you received’t need to swap languages in any respect.
Formal methods to ask ‘Do you converse English?’ in French
Your finest guess in French is to start out with the extra formal Parlez-vous anglais ? till somebody tells you in any other case. Right here, vous is the formal French phrase for “you.”
You may as well assemble your query with est-ce que whereas remaining well mannered.
- Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ? = Do you converse English?
Barely extra informal, whereas sustaining vous well mannered types of the verb, is to kind your French query with intonation alone.
- Vous parlez anglais ? = (Do) You converse English?
You’ll discover that none of those questions use the verb faire (to do/to make), as a result of, in French, it isn’t essential to kind questions with “do.”
Find out how to ask ‘Do you converse English?’ in French casual settings
As soon as you already know a French speaker effectively, they may recommend on peut se tutoyer, in different phrases, “we will discuss to one another utilizing the casual tu types.” It may also be apparent from the context. In instances the place tu is extra acceptable, you’ve got a number of choices.
All three imply “Do you converse English?”
- Parles-tu anglais ? (makes use of inversion of the topic and verb)
- Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? (makes use of est-ce que)
- Tu parles anglais ? (makes use of intonation alone)
Understanding whether or not to make use of the extra formal Parlez-vous anglais ? or a relaxed different comes from not solely understanding how French works, but in addition a cultural understanding of when to make use of tu vs. vous.
To construct fluency in talking French, you’ll need to start by studying the fundamentals after which transfer naturally right into a extra nuanced understanding of the language. That’s why Rosetta Stone’s French language studying program relies on an immersive strategy. Rosetta Stone classes introduce phrases together with visible and audio cues designed that can assist you be taught within the context of real-life, on a regular basis conversations.
Find out how to pronounce ‘Do you converse English’ in French
Some French pronunciations may be tough as a result of they’re extra nasal-sounding than pronunciations in different languages. Even the best newbie questions and solutions comprise uniquely French sounds that don’t essentially match what you’d count on primarily based on the spellings.
The French ‘r’
The French “r” sound doesn’t exist in English. It’s extra guttural, coming from the again of the throat, so keep away from the American English-sounding “r” within the phrase parlez.
Silent letters
The ending “ez” of parlez is pronounced like “-ay” in English, whereas the ending “es” in parles is silent. Each français (French) and anglais (English) finish in a silent “s.”
Vowels
The vowels in vous sound just like the “oo” in “meals,” however with tu, you’ll want the uniquely French “u” sound. Kind your lips such as you’re making ready to say “oo.” With out altering the place of your lips, say “ee” like in cheese.
Accent marks
There are 5 totally different French accent marks to know, and the Académie Française affirms their use and significance, even on capital letters. For those who say français, do not forget that the ç with the cédille mark modifications the pronunciation to “s” like in “sit.”
To good your French pronunciation, you’ll need fast and correct suggestions. Rosetta Stone integrates our TruAccent speech-recognition engine into each language lesson to offer exact and on the spot suggestions that can assist you align your accent with that of native French audio system.
Responding to ‘Do you converse English?’ in French
For those who’re the one who may also help a traveler needing help or somebody you meet in your travels, listed below are a number of methods to reply to “do you converse English” in French and speak about varied languages.
- Oui, je parle anglais. = Sure, I converse English.
- Oui, je parle espagnol couramment. = Sure, I converse Spanish fluently.
- Oui, je parle un peu de français. = Sure, I converse slightly French.
- Oui, je parle anglais, mais je voudrais pratiquer le français, si ça ne vous dérange pas. = Sure, I converse English, however I want to follow French, if that doesn’t hassle you.
- Non, je ne parle pas italien. = No, I don’t converse Italian.
What to do if nobody speaks English
You could be asking, “Do you converse English” in French in case you’re touring and have an emergency. It’s comprehensible to need to converse your first language in a high-pressure scenario. If nobody may also help out in English, a part of your repertoire of French phrases for journey ought to be some phrases to get assist.
| French | English |
| Aidez-moi, s’il vous plâit. | Assist me, please. |
| Au secours !/ À l’aide ! | Assist! (emergency) |
| J’ai besoin de/d’… | I would like… |
| …une ambulance. | …an ambulance. |
| …aller à l’hôpital. | …to go to the hospital. |
| …un chargeur. | …a charger. |
| …faire un appel/faire un coup de téléphone. | …to make a cellphone name. |
| …la police. | …the police. |
| …un traducteur/une traductrice. | …a translator. |
| J’ai un problème. | I’ve an issue. |
| J’ai perdu… | I misplaced… |
| …mon passeport. | …my passport. |
| …mon portefeuille. | …my pockets. |
| …mon téléphone transportable/móbile/cellulaire. | …my cellular phone. |
| Je me suis perdu/perdue. | I’m misplaced. |
Preserve the essential French dialog going
In case your aim is to converse fluently in French, chances are you’ll not need to swap to English instantly, even when somebody responds to your query with oui, je parle anglais (“Sure, I converse English”) and has wonderful English.
There are a number of generally used phrases and conversational phrases that make up the spine of the French language. Past greetings like Bonjour (“Hiya”) or s’il vous plaît (“in case you please”) that you will want, it’s additionally advisable to be taught the phrases for questions in French, akin to:
- quoi (what)
- où (the place)
- qui (who/whom)
- quand (when)
- pourquoi (why)
- remark (how)
Now you’ll be capable of keep on a extra detailed dialog, asking and answering questions on your languages.
- Pourquoi est-ce que vous parlez anglais ? = Why do you converse English?
- Je parle anglais pour mon travail. = I converse English for my job.
- Quand est-ce que tu parles anglais? = When do you converse English?
- Je parle anglais en classe. = I converse English in school.
- Avec qui parlez-vous français ? = With whom do you converse French?
- Je parle français avec ma grand-mère. = I converse French with my grandmother.
- Où parles-tu français ? = The place do you converse French?
- Je parle français au Québec quand je voyage. = I converse French in Quebec once I journey.
