French accents and pronunciations don’t come naturally to English language speakers. It doesn’t matter if you don’t pronounce words right as long as you’re understood. Most people will understand that you’re a beginner and probably help you with the pronunciations.
However, certain vowel pronunciations can change the meaning of what you’re trying to say.
You’ll need to beware of your expressions and make sure they match what you want to say. So keep speaking, and before you know it, the French language will flow more fluently.
As a business owner, your customers will appreciate that you’re trying to speak the language. It is best to find out how to pronounce words correctly, ask appropriate questions and make corrections. It helps to read, watch videos and listen to music in the language you’re learning. You can also practice speaking the language by talking to yourself.
A while ago, some friends visited me from Nigeria, and we went shopping.
On getting to a supermarket, a shopkeeper came and asked what we wanted to buy. The word in the French language for ‘to buy’ is ‘payer’ (pronounced ‘pay yeh’). My friends were wondering why they wanted them to pay before buying anything. They just heard the sound ‘pay’ in the conversation and thought it was for them to pay. When I explained to the shopkeeper that the word confused them because it means a different thing in the English language, we all laughed it off.
Let me know if you have any similar stories of word pronunciations or translations that were misunderstood. I hope you didn’t let it stop you from learning a new language.
Share your story in the comment box below.