We know their French is impeccable, but do people speak English in Paris?

 

A quick “bonsoir,” and we were soon petting the cutest, scruffiest dog my wife and I had seen during our time in Paris.

 

“Comment tu t’appelles?” I asked the dog in the universal, silly voice Americans use when talking to a cute furry friend. “Well, my name is Marianne,” the dog’s owner said, “but I think you wanted to ask what his name is. Il s’appelle Isidore.”

I smiled sheepishly; the jig was up. I was trying my best to speak French but came up a bit short when I asked a dog, “What is your name?” when I should have asked his owner, “What is his name?”

Even if I’d gotten it right, I don’t think the dog could have answered me.

 

Do people speak English in Paris?

This question rises to the top for many Americans about to make their first trip to Paris. In fact, there’s a decent chance you found this article because you googled “Do people speak English in Paris?” or “Do people in Paris speak English?”

The short answer is yes, you will find that many people in Paris speak English. Hell, oftentimes they speak it better than many native English speakers. What’s more, there’s a good chance that the person you’ll be speaking with in Paris also knows Spanish and German on top of English and, of course, French.

As Americans, we’re at an advantage in many ways when we travel. One of those reasons is that English is the most spoken language in the world, to the tune of nearly 1.5 billion people! So when we have a question, it’s oftentimes not terribly difficult to find someone with not only an answer but an answer in a language we can understand.

What’s more, Americans tend to make friends easily. We’re fairly outgoing and friendly by nature, so we have no problem striking up a conversation with someone new.

However, there’s also a good number of ways we find ourselves coming up short when traveling. We normally don’t speak any other languages as well as we speak English, and some of our mannerisms, along with this, tend to peg us as Yankees before we even open our mouths. Often times this won’t lead to anything negative, but at its worst, you can encounter some less than desirable treatment from people you meet in Paris, especially when dining or shopping.

Luckily, there’s a few easy things you can do to prevent this, and it won’t require years of language classes.

Say “Hello” to the Bonjour Effect

There’s a great book I highly recommend to others looking to learn French as a second language called The Bonjour Effect by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow. It gets very in-depth on the French Language and what makes the French so, well, French. The book itself is perhaps more geared to folks who are really committed to learning French, but there are a number of key lessons that anyone who’s visiting Paris soon can learn from.

Say Bonjour, politely and sincerely, at the beginning of every interaction.

This is, bar none, the most critical tip for interacting with people in Paris and French people anywhere. Whenever you walk up to a server in a café, open the door to a vintage clothing shop, or hand your ticket to an usher at a concert: in France, always greet people with a sincere “Bonjour.” You’ll be amazed at the doors this opens for you, not only from a service standpoint but with generally friendlier interactions overall.

In fact, if you go to your favorite review site right now, you can almost instantly separate the reviews from America between “those who started their meal by saying “Bonjour”” and “those who didn’t.”

So, if you practice no other French before starting your trip, practice your “Bonjour.”

Most people in Paris speak English, but it’s better to ask.

Let’s say you’re sitting down to a delicious lunch at a carefully selected café in Paris. You greeted the server with a perfect “Bonjour” and proceeded to get settled, but now they’re looking your way and asking “​​vous désirez?”

Well, the bonjour was easy enough, but now what?

You’ll likely get to this point a lot; I know I have, where your understanding of French has fallen behind your enthusiasm to speak it. Pas de problème (No problem). You’ll just need to see if you can switch over to English.

Now, many times the person you’re speaking to will pick up on this and make the switch to English almost seamlessly. It’s not an insult; they’re just trying to stay on task and keep the interaction moving. If not, it’s up to you to take the initiative. Simply ask “Parlez-vous Anglais?” (Do you speak English?) before you make the switch. By asking this, you’re able to demonstrate a few things that will keep the conversation nice and smooth.

• You’re trying to speak the other person’s preferred language.
• You’re not just assuming they can speak English; you’re confirming it.
• Above all else, you’re being polite. Manners and etiquette are huge, especially when dining, in Paris. By keeping that in mind, you’ll instantly be perceived more positively.

Try as we might, until we’re more comfortable speaking French, we’ll be defaulting to English. No need to fear, simply having some simple French phrases to fall back on before making the switch will keep things friendly and, above all, polite.

Don’t take no for an answer….most of the time.

Alright, it’s dinner time in Paris, and you’re hoping to get into a restaurant you found with great reviews and a perfect menu. The only problem is you have no reservations. Even with your polite “Bonsoir” (Good evening) and friendly approach, the maître d’maison is apologizing and saying “Non,” there’s nothing he can do. But don’t lose hope just yet; this “non” can become “oui” with the right kind of approach.

In one of the most interesting chapters of “The Bonjour Effect,” we learn:

“Luckily, non is often a oui in disguise. The trick is figuring out how to turn no into yes. The French don’t take no for an answer, and neither should you.”

So, how do we go about doing that? As you’ve likely already guessed, politeness will be critical. It’s also going to require a bit of finesse.

“Non can be merely a starting point for negotiation in many interactions,” The Bonjour Effect clarifies. So let’s take that into consideration. At a restaurant with no seats, you can start by accepting there’s no room now, but perhaps you can leave your name on the list and provide a phone number. Then the restaurant can call you if there’s any cancellations or a table otherwise opens up. Take this chance to get a drink at another bar, or even just stroll around the block until something else grabs your eye.

This little trick works surprisingly often, and there’s a great chance you’ll receive a call sooner than you expect with the good news that a table opened up.

Personally, I used this method before I picked up the Bonjour Effect and didn’t even realize it. We were able to get into a popular restaurant in Saint-Germain by leaving a number and saying we’d be happy with anything that opened up, and complimented the owner on how much we’d heard about his restaurant. On another occasion, we were able to talk a bar owner into staying open way too far into the wee hours of the morning for an ice hockey game after he’d told us it wouldn’t be possible.

Yes, one of my favorite moments in Paris was the result of my friends and me turning a “non” into a “oui” with a little bit of patience and a lot of politeness.

Accept that there will be a breakdown at some point, and that’s okay.

We’ve established that most people speak English in Paris. This alone should already have you feeling more confident about your ability to experience this incredible city to the fullest. And now that you know a few of the rules of engagement for getting off on the right foot with French people, you’ll be even better equipped to have a memorable and fun trip.

However, there may be times when communicating doesn’t go as planned. And that’s okay. Maybe you received the wrong directions because the person you asked didn’t quite understand the question. Or perhaps you missed a train stop because you misheard the name over the intercom on the Metro (I’m guilty of this way more than I care to admit, but oh well!). Even if you encounter some less-than-friendly interactions in Paris, don’t let that put you off.

When things don’t go to plan, and this applies to all of your travels, don’t be deterred. Take a moment to regroup and get back on track. Your trip will be headed in the right direction sooner than you think.

Final Thoughts

We’ve established that most people speak English in Paris. This alone should already have you feeling more confident about your ability to experience this incredible city to the fullest. And now that you know a few of the rules of engagement for getting off on the right foot with French people, you’ll be even better equipped to have a memorable and fun trip.

Most importantly, learning to communicate well in another country doesn’t necessarily mean being fluent in a new language. Sometimes it’s something as small as a new greeting, or approaching a situation with a bit more intentional politeness than you normally would. Luckily, these tips are straightforward to implement and will likely make a world of difference in how you experience Paris. Comment below with any stories you have from communicating in Paris, or France in general, whether it’s in French or English or another language entirely.

But always remember to say Bonjour!