French culture is so wonderful.  Great food and wine, great architecture, and the most wonderful sounding language in the world (Shut up Spanish, your language is overrated and can not touch the French!!!).\n\nDon't miss out on the best culture in the world.  Go to France and see for yourself how to truly live.
128139
You are right; French culture IS wonderful.  France has produced some of the world's greatest writers, artists, and philosophers.  The French way of life is one that is envied by people around the world.  I am conversant (but not fluent) in French, have visited "la belle pays" several times, and have always been entranced and beguiled by the warm hospitality and joie de vivre of the French people.\nThat being said, I think the French are slowly being hoodwinked and conned by their gutlessly charismatic, directionlessly pragmatic, arrogant politicians.  They are quickly abandoning any pretense of being reliable allies for anyone else in the world.\nTheir actions will come back to haunt them in the future.
257717
The French don't like foreigners much but if you speak their language quite well then they like you a lot more.  One thing to know is that every one in Paris goes on holiday in August so the roads are horrendous the first couple of days and the last couple of days so don't plan any long drives then.
286719
I learned Spanish when I was in my thirties, and it has opened up my world immensely. With every new language I learn (Portuguese and Hebrew are next on the list, and I already speak English, French, and German), I can communicate with so many more people, thus increasing understanding.\nI have worked in milieux where I have spoken French (a bank in Montreal), Spanish (midwifery training in Texas), and now German (serving the German-speaking immigrant population as a midwife), and it is challenging and thrilling to work and live in a language other than my mother tongue.\nI thank my parents at every opportunity for exposing me to languages at a young age - it is an inestimable gift.\n\n(also, of all the languages I have learned, Spanish is by far the easiest!)
331639
france definitely.  think about it, great food (always number one); art, that may never be shown outside france, as well as the museums in which it's shown; architecture, illustrating 1500 years of western history; the many different regions of the country, from north atlantic seacoast to the french alps, and in between the wine country (nothing like Napa valley), and world class mediterranean beaches.  add to that, you can get on a train and be practically anywhere in europe in a matter of hours.\n\ni guess the best part is the cultural thing, if you've never been outside usa, you can only have a very limited perspective.  unless your heritage is asian or african, you probably have roots in europe, and you owe it to yourself to experience that culture.\n\ni suppose i'm somewhat biased having been to california often enough, but i gotta say the same company that built all the ugly malls in california built the one in this town as well, and taco bell in california is no better than taco bell anywhere, the same worthless crap on telivision.  you might stay in a nice comfort inn, but it's no different than the one out by the freeway in your town.  on the otherhand we have a better disney than the one outside paris.
6732
Immersion in a French-only culture is the best way to learn the language as an adult.  While I grew up hearing French ocassionally around the house and studied it for years in school, it was not until I lived in France for a year that I felt completely comfortable speaking the language.  If this is not an option, I would suggest taking a class that uses TPRS or a similar approach.  Otherwise, you will learn a lot of vocabulary and some grammar, but not a sense of the language as a whole.
442337
no man!!!, even better you get to know a whole new culture and maybe the possibility of traveling to that place.\nI say Go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
104719
I am not from Romania but I find Romania to have a wonderful history and culture. Vlad Tepes was a very interesting kind, a person I do research on. Romanian is also a magnificent language and LOVE the accent.
47146
If I lived in France I would.... live in France.  Why?  'Cause the question says so.... duh.\n\nSeriously though... I would live in the country somewhere around the vineyards.  Some place where life is slower than the fast city pace and the simple things matter.  Plus, there would be loads of French wine to enjoy it with.
500640
Hi,  One of my clients is traveling to China for employment I will pass your email along to him...Thanks then\n\nI am traveling to Paris in about 6 months and am studying French...seems easier than Chech....\n\nI feel everyone needs to at least learn some of the basic language to make the experience more enjoyable. ..:)
450072
I speak English, Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French; studied Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and Farsi...\n\nI can't even BEGIN to list the advantages that weren't even mentioned in the previous replies. But just for the sake of showing some effort, here are a couple of things that make you really appreciate understanding (and using, eventually) a foreign language:\n\nI. Humour (you learn to "get" all the jokes). This is also the shortest way to make friends and become accepted anywhere. Also gives a profounds insight into the culture. Understanding another culture's humour is 70% of the culture per se already. Usually, humour is applied to the most important issues in a society.. Once you get that, you're in.\n\nII. Money.. Obviously. I don't think anyone can deny the fact that languages are "useless" in the INFORMATION AGE. \n\nIII. Respect -- to me personally, knowing a language (in any and all of its aspects) has become a source of healthy self-esteem and significant satisfaction in respect to my social status and interactions.\n\nIV. It's SEXY -- if you know how to use it, it can be the most potent aphrodisiac served on the most succulent plate of all: the tongue ;) I would advise every one to serve themselves in that sense.. ;)\n\nV. It's intelligent -- the philosophy that everyone "educated" already speaks English, so there's no point in learning other languages is the most self-destructive one that a culture can present to the world. It is a philosophy of arrogance and ignorance. The worst thing one can do is not learn. Learning, of whatever you want, is the definition of an intelligent being. The important thing is to avoid following boring, conventional methods when you study... Learning is all about innovation, about finding new things and information, about enriching your ways. So, there's no reason why you should go with the established system. You should experiment and try different little ways and find the one that is most pleasant to you :)\n\nOn this positive note, I bid you good night B-)\n\n\nVeronika
665030
The best thing to do when learning about people's cultures in my great experience is simply to watch documentaries. Reading books is an easy way to do so as well. Variety counts, but the news broadcasts are always the bad news anyway.
441988
If you're going to be here - you should be able to speak the language - its as simple as that.   If you go to France, the French won't learn English for you, you'll have to learn French.  Just like you'd have to learn Greek to go Greece and so on.  So why shouldn't people coming here have to know  the language and speak it?  I, for one, am getting sick and tired of going into the stores and seeing Spanish spread out all over the place, picking up products and having to sort my way through Spanish and on and on.  I'm all for the Dallas ordinance and wish more cities had the guts to put one through like it.
448031
Hola,\nHay pocas diferencias entre French y Cajun French, el Cajun French usa frases de ingles traducidas literalmente en francés, pero se entiende bien (si una habla ingles...) y en el caso que evocas me imagino las diferencias.... \nAsí se diría en francés  "notre passé, notre présent et notre futur... C'est un beau voyage. Que vienne le bon temps!", pero pienso que lo pronunciarían  y tambien lo escribirían así en cajun : Not' présent,not' passé et not' futur... C't'un beau 'trip', on 'go' pour l'bon temps!"... 'Trip ' usado por viaje, y 'go' por anda....\n\nMe alegro si te sirve para algo.
186002
well French is not my mother tongue and I learned it in my twenties. I feel in English and that is why it means more to me as I can understnd every nuance. I will go so far though to say that sometimes something will be said or sung in French that just touches my soul.
262006
i went to a school with complete french immersion, and i am now fluent in french. this brings up my recommendation: i think that a great way to learn french is by listening and having conversations. there are many softwares that do this, and you can have your choice, you may want to contact the national foundation of french materials, ie. books, tapes, dvds, etc... you have gotta be determined, but it will be worth it because you will be happy to learn french, its a great language. \n\none last thing- don't try teaching yourself from books, you won't. you might learn some vocabulary, but everything else including speaking will be messed up. hope that helped!!!
323290
Latin is great from an intellectual standpoint. But if you want to learn an alternative language for productivity and business purposes, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish are probably the best languages right now to learn and each has its own reasons. Spanish obviously for businesses based in the southern part of the US, Japanese for big and well established businesses, and Chinese because the economy over there is exponentially expanding and upstart businesses there will probably become fortune 500 within 2 years. Its a matter of opinion really.
636596
Yep! I'm French but live in London. I started doing it on the American version. I pretty much never go to the UK one as you can find those questions on the American one. It's good for language practise and also cultural. \n\nI have to say that I'm quite appalled by the French spelling and grammar! But it's fun to go to the different sites, to see what people talk about. For ex., if you go to the American religious section, it's kind of scary! The French one is a bit less extreme!