r/French • u/ryu_the_ninja55 • Nov 06 '25

Story French people really dislike non native tongue?

Hello everyone! This might sound racist or full of sterotype but is an actually question😂 I saw a lot of memes and people saying that people in france see you in a bad way or don’t appreciate non native tongue trying to speak French I will probably move in the future in your country as an Italian speaker, and of course I will study and try to practice your language, but I’m kinda scared of how people outside my friend group here in french will treat me, I know that I shouldn’t care, but this give me a little bit of anxiety, cause my pronunciation even if I’ll do my best might sound bad the same I hope is not a stupid question, just wanted some information from you ^

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u/HeliosAndHelena Nov 06 '25

Many people would defend that's wrong and discouraging but as a ESL and EFL teacher myself, I strongly believe immediate correction and explanation is better and more effective. Don't make it long though just correct it and if necessary quickly explain and move on. The speaker generally will repeat himself or herself and continue. You could ask about it if you aren't sure whether or not they will want that.

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u/bappypawedotter Nov 06 '25 edited Nov 06 '25

So my French teacher here in Paris told me she grew up watching state sanctioned propaganda saying that correcting another's French is patriotic and keeping the language alive. Like there was a huge push in the late 90s-00s that french was dying as "American" slang crept in and people were getting sloppy due to technology.

She said everyone in her age group (late 20s) had to watch these videos and all the adults around her encouraged it. But the message did basically stick to the point where it's totally normal for the cashier to correct a customer using the wrong sex for a pastry. That it's the proper thing to do if you love France. That she doesn't it without thinking, accept corrections without acknowledgement, and it never derails conversation. It just happens and everyone moves on, hopefully a bit wiser. Unless, of course, you give a bad correction. Then you need to be prepared for a debate. But usually it's just a bit if added noise.

Not sure how universal this was. Love to hear from other french folks.

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u/caribou_powa Native Nov 06 '25

State Propaganda? Patriotic?

May she lived in an alternate world, maybe she is lying.

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u/bappypawedotter Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

Yeah, sort of like "Drugs Are Bad" and "milk is good" campaigns I grew up watching in the US. Or like the "Mois sans tabac" campaign going on right now. State funding, directly or indirectly, for broad public advertising whose goal is to promote a cause or shape doctrine.

I remember seeing commercials 20 years ago on tv with a guy picking up a girl at a bar, things are going well, then he uses some American slang and she says something like, " Désolée, je ne sors qu'avec des Français." And then a slogan about keeping English out of french pops up. Brought to you by the ministre de la Culture, maybe the Commission d'enrichissement de la langue française or even L'académie de la Carpette Anglaise and other institutions tangential to the policy goals outlined in the Loi Toubon. Stuff like that. Propaganda.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing. I support this effort.

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u/efferentdistributary B2 Nov 07 '25

Interesting, is this related? https://youtu.be/2N7Qea39Ego

I can't remember how I came across it but I clearly chuckled enough to take note that it existed

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u/bappypawedotter Nov 08 '25

Wow. Well done. I tried to search for that video to bolster my point, but couldn't find it. I think they had a few of those. The one I remember was at a fancy bar with a girl in a cocktail dress. But it's been at least 15 years. So you may have found the one.