Want to have conversation on Champs Élysées? This is for you!

WANT TO HAVE CONVERSATION ON CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES? THIS IS FOR YOU!

So, Champs Élysées will be open to pedestrians every month, the first Sunday; next event is October 6th.

This is amazing news for some, and you can see how busy the street is when people start strolling freely.

Read the article below to give you an idea on how to have conversation on Champs Élysées – with strangers – and watch the video for a tune you’ll never forget.

(Photo: AFP)

Yes, in Paris people do strike conversations with strangers at a drop of the hat. Go to a café and ask someone from the other table a simple question, and you may end up listening to their entire life story.

How convenient is that?

However, many people have a real anxiety around conversation in French, and don’t look forward to listening to a story they can barely understand.

I understand.

What you can do is to listen to the story and look for the words you DO understand. Then ask a question about those words. Your partner of conversation will automatically slow down and repeat the things related to the word you asked about. You then ask questions about the next word and so on.

This way, your partner of conversation will get the idea that you are not fluent, will slow down and happily answer your questions which – after all – prove that you are genuinely interested about their story.

You’ll make this way a lot of friends, while training your ear to understand better the faster spoken French, as well as practicing your own conversation skills

To prepare for this, you can make a short collection of verbs that you use most. Write a one or two page story about yourself in English, and underline the verbs you used. This way, you know which verbs you need to know how to conjugate in French too. Find them in Bescherelle, write them down on a cheat sheet and learn them.

Oh, and if you need another place in Paris where you can practice your conversation skills, here’s another surprise.

The plan to pedestrianize the right bank of the River Seine is in full steam, a project that is expected to come into fruition soon.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Tell us in the comments below, what is your favorite thing to do on Champs Élysées?

Let me guess.

Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?

Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.