|
||||||||
Katie's French |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#1 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 93
|
Katie's French
I'd be interested if any French speakers on this forum (native speaker or second language) found Katie's use of French to be overly-familiar and lacking in a certain amount of "politesse". Whenever she said "merci" or "au revoir" she did it in that awful, overly-familar "I learnt colloquial French when I did a season in Meribel" kind of way.
I found it disrespectful, the sort of French you would use to impress a ski instructor whilst p***** in a ski bar, not the language of business. Or am I just looking for yet another reason to hate her? ![]() ![]() ![]() What do you think, fellow francophones? |
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#2 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: in this thread
Posts: 4,468
|
I certainly didn't rate the french that any of them spoke.
Jeez.....my french is as good as those who were saying how wonderful they were and I don't think my french is very good. They don't half know how to blow their own trumpets.:yawn: |
|
|
|
|
|
#3 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 25,385
|
i liked it when Lohit was trying to ask"are you interested" and he ended up saying [according to the subtitles] "are you interesting" Little things.. little minds..
|
|
|
|
|
|
#4 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 207
|
Although Kristina has grown in my estimation lately, I thought it very lame of her to class herself as a 'non French speaker' having studied it at A level. Surely she could have retained enough vocabulary to flog a few sausages?
|
|
|
|
|
|
#5 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 35,432
|
Quote:
Although Kristina has grown in my estimation lately, I thought it very lame of her to class herself as a 'non French speaker' having studied it at A level. Surely she could have retained enough vocabulary to flog a few sausages?
|
|
|
|
|
|
#6 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 93
|
Quote:
Although Kristina has grown in my estimation lately, I thought it very lame of her to class herself as a 'non French speaker' having studied it at A level. Surely she could have retained enough vocabulary to flog a few sausages?
In Katie, I detect someone who has spent time in France, but who equally has no appreciation of French etiquette. Imagine, if you like, a French contestant on "L'apprenti" trying to negotiate with "yeah, alright, cheers geezer..." That's my impression of her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#7 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 82,800
|
Quote:
Although Kristina has grown in my estimation lately, I thought it very lame of her to class herself as a 'non French speaker' having studied it at A level. Surely she could have retained enough vocabulary to flog a few sausages?
Kristina seems to me the type who if she feels she has no competence or confidence in her ability about something will say so. It could have been that she heard some declare themselves expert and let them have enough rope.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#8 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 13,143
|
It's a shame that Adam and wotshisface didn't spot how wrong the French on that banner was, they could have said it doesn't make sense so we're not paying for it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#9 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 82,800
|
Quote:
It's a shame that Adam and wotshisface didn't spot how wrong the French on that banner was, they could have said it doesn't make sense so we're not paying for it.
So smug he would rather lose money than help Adam, after all, he was saving money with the jelly burner and leaving Adam to cook on it was setting him up to fail? My A level French was 2/3 of my life ago, but I still thought it was a dodgy translation and the grammar bad, until I saw Margaret's expression and then knew it was wrong. |
|
|
|
|
|
#10 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,376
|
Quote:
Kristina seems to me the type who if she feels she has no competence or confidence in her ability about something will say so.
It could have been that she heard some declare themselves expert and let them have enough rope. ![]() I suspect Kristina is someone who doesn't want to stick her neck out unless she can 'shine', and perhaps felt embarrassed about being on national TV speaking French badly. If she had been the team leader, I think she may have overcome her reservations more quickly. |
|
|
|
|
|
#11 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 4,813
|
I did leaving cert french back in 1990. Can just about string a sentence together now even though I was pretty good at it back then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#12 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: up a gumtree
Posts: 18,284
|
I got A level French at an A pass.
I went to France the next week and couldn't understand a word. Anything written like signs was fine, but school French is not conversational French. |
|
|
|
|
|
#13 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,412
|
I spend every holiday when I was a child in France and got a GCSE A...
but I couldn't speak it now! |
|
|
|
|
|
#14 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,884
|
No matter what their level of French, it should not really have been beyond any of them to memorize a few phrases and at least have a go. As team leader, I'd have bought a phrasebook on the ferry and passed it around!
(Even if it was only "Je m'excuse, je ne comprends pas"!) Ok, they made a few mistakes. I'm sure one of the girls asked a customer "Voulez vous arreter...?"(Would you like to stop?!) instead of "acheter" (buy!) but I respect those that tried. As for the sign, if you're getting something printed up in another language for public display, you make damned sure that the translation is correct, and if you don't know - find someone who does! They shouldn't have paid that bloke a penny, but they didn't know it was wrong and didn't want to admit that. The lack of common sense of these people never ceases to amaze me... |
|
|
|
|
|
#15 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: up a gumtree
Posts: 18,284
|
Quote:
No matter what their level of French, it should not really have been beyond any of them to memorize a few phrases and at least have a go. As team leader, I'd have bought a phrasebook on the ferry and passed it around!
(Even if it was only "Je m'excuse, je ne comprends pas"!) Ok, they made a few mistakes. I'm sure one of the girls asked a customer "Voulez vous arreter...?"(Would you like to stop?!) instead of "acheter" (buy!) but I respect those that tried. As for the sign, if you're getting something printed up in another language for public display, you make damned sure that the translation is correct, and if you don't know - find someone who does! They shouldn't have paid that bloke a penny, but they didn't know it was wrong and didn't want to admit that. The lack of common sense of these people never ceases to amaze me...
|
|
|
|
|
|
#16 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 15,052
|
Quote:
Her A levels were half her lifetime ago, and she may have done Leaving Cert Higher which is more like AS. Unused, languages fade and it takes more than one night in France to get back above Tre's level.
Kristina seems to me the type who if she feels she has no competence or confidence in her ability about something will say so. It could have been that she heard some declare themselves expert and let them have enough rope. ![]() |
|
|
|
|
|
#17 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 98
|
All the french spoken was terrible really... I can sympathise with Kristina to some extent as when I have had english friends visit me in France they have really struggled with day to day french in the town even though they have french A level etc. Katie has the (over?)confidence that comes with a good education and so bluffed well, I couldnt tell whether she was over familiar (lack of politesse) because she was unaware of the rules of the language or because she doesnt feel the need to as she treats most people with distain and lack of respect!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#18 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 424
|
I got a French A Level a quarter of a century ago and can get by in France ... I agree, she bottled it. But, then again, she managed to blag her way into a kitchen to fry her sausages, so maybe not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#19 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,492
|
I'm French born to British parents - - speak the lingo and as for Katies attempt at french, well it was similar to Amanda Holdens attempt at acting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#20 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: in this thread
Posts: 4,468
|
Quote:
I'm French born to British parents - - speak the lingo and as for Katies attempt at french, well it was similar to Amanda Holdens attempt at acting.
Even I could tell that it was pathetic. What did you make of the 'francophile' who knew everything about France and french?
|
|
|
|
|
|
#21 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,139
|
[quote=marks thespot]I'm sure one of the girls asked a customer "Voulez vous arreter...?"(Would you like to stop?!) instead of "acheter" (buy!) QUOTE]
That was Kristina with her A-level French! |
|
|
|
|
|
#22 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 424
|
All very reminiscent of The Armstrongs trying to flog conservatoires, highly amusing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#23 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,492
|
ah! the armstrongs!!! she was incredibly daft!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#24 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 424
|
Whereas the public school twits on The Apprentice are the intellectual cream of Britain ... supposedly. I note that Katie was sponsored by Sandhurst at University, that's probably why she gets on so well with Paul, they're both officer class.
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 01:48.


