Real English Lesson 16a - The French - Long Version

[MusicNhoops]

French people go back and forth. I'm best friends with a girl from France whose family is to die for. Where as, I went to Paris 2 years ago and was literally shoved off an open sidewalk by an angry man. Back and forth :p

[yabba234]

"i wouldnt make a friend of a french person" -- how stupid can u get .........

[janeausten05]

I'm french , and I find this quiet funny ...

[mouna28]

Interesting !

We have some national tendencies, as other peoples, but there are several kind of persons, several kinds of groups of persons... So , generalisation is not the truth !

[septip123]

1:42 - the stick in this guy's ass has a stick up its ass

[MusicNhoops]

@septip123 Agreed. He's had nothing good to say about any ethnicity.

[septip123]

:50 - yeah, neither does your hairdresser, Poodle Boy

[realenglish1]

I must admit, that's the funniest comment on a Real English video that I have ever read.

However I made the 5 different nationality videos for teaching adjectives on the Real English site, not for any other reason. This channel is for non-English-speakers who are learning English.

[abnehmendermond]

"they have a good sense of smell" xD

[22annoula]

"Individually charming, but collectively somehow difficult".

The smartest and most appropriate remark goes to this last British gentleman.

This is the best way to explain the French in a nutshell.

[realenglish1]

That's what I thought too. He loves his villa in the French countryside, likes many of his neighbors there, but he can't stand the French tendency to go on strike... to settle injustices.

[22annoula]

i don't quite understand "settle injustices" ...

I was thinking of the French despising their

OBLIGATIONS as a social group. They ignore the collective interest since it's at the expense of some of their personal interests (they just WON'T give them in), and care even less about long-term collective benefits, since they will not personnally enjoy them in the near future. They're extremely selfish in society, which is not the case when it comes to individual relationships.

[realenglish1]

You and I both live in France. I've been here since 1976 but I'm American. What's your nationality?

I prefer the French attitude of questioning all authority and authorities to the American attitude which is more docile.

[22annoula]

I think the French way to react against authority is just very different from yours. Here, it rather ensues from a Latin tradition that both embraces a very firm hand and slaps it at a time, as teenagers do to their parents.

Our May 68 for ex, was only a ripple effect from across the Atlantic and the Channel, after years of frustration hearing about sex drugs and rock'roll, youth counterculture and political unrest, and social changes over there.

C'est l'avis d'une Française!

[realenglish1]

Changing subjects, your English is excellent. Have you spent a lot of time abroad? Do you speak as well as you write?

[wolfgangle]

@22annoula i agree although I`m a robot German :)

[ironiedusort]

Interesting...

[Hondaboy27160478]

'The FRENCH' I never generalize, as everyone is an individual.

The English aren't all repressed and The French aren't all passionate and expressive.

On the whole I like to Live in England and Holiday in France.

[Europeanaddict]

You're right. And on the whole I like to live in France and spend my holidays in England (especially London). That's why we're good neighbours ; ).

A good video.

[jembrasil]

yes that is true. it depends on who one meets and how one conducts him or herself. thanks for the uploading the video, it was really helpful and it gave me some insights to what to expect!

i called the university of st. etienne and they will send me an acceptance for their one year french language diploma program. i am really thrilled!

deep down i would like to learn french in paris.. but the cost of living there is just crazy!

[jembrasil]

im planning to study french in the university of orleans this coming september. hopefully my year there will be pleasant!

[realenglish1]

The French are wonderful. Nobody's perfect, but you would have to be really unlucky to fall into a unpleasant situation here!