Petitechick

ooooh, sounds intriguing I might have to hunt it down & have a listen just to check it out!

Thanks for the input everyone! yes, one thing I'm definitely going to do is sign up for an evening class not necessarily one that involves exams etc but one where there can be a focus on conversation & also going over some higer level grammer which I can't quite remember from french A-level! I have spoken to my boyf about it all- I think he gets a bit frustrated as he knows I do speak a pretty decent level of french, but he really wants me to use it more with him for a start & he feels it's wasting an opportunity, which he is totally right about. I suppose I look at it as a 'bad habit' I've developed by reverting to english most of the time...I really need to fight the urge to reply in english and let french take over. I feel bad about it as I've always loved the french language since I started it at school and then when I was living in France- I never thought I'd be a person not to take a chance to speak it/stick to english even when surrounded by 'frenchies'. Cooperlola- you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with some of the situations you describe...it's all that 'unstructured chatter' that gets me lost & I honestly really do want to join in with it! Sometimes, familiar speech throws me if there are certain words or idioms that I'm not familiar with so I lose the gist of things quickly or makes me slow to comprehend the overall meaning.                I think that's a really good idea to have some thinking in french time each day...sometimes I find it tough to be thrown in to full-on french conversations without a bit of a 'warm-up' beforehand if that makes any sense. Never used the Mr Thomas cds although have heard of his course, think I'll prefer to use the option of pulling my finger out a bit, sorting out a class/self-directed study and diving in a bit more with the french conversations- obviously once I've got warmed up by speaking to myself! Thanks for the replies, glad to know it seems others all seem to have experienced something similar to me.  

Hi everyone! I used to speak french pretty well as I lived in France for approx 18mths doing seasonal work, although when I was there I was in a totally english environment so it wasn't that great for any 'immersion'. Anyhow, am back in England now, recently acquired myself an french boyfriend so you would think it would be great for improving my french. Well, the problem seems to be i am totally in the habit of speaking english with him...he has lived and worked in england for several years so his english is fantastic, I by comparison feel that my french is crap when it's not really that bad at all (from my view point!) So, any tips how I can get round this? I think it's mainly me having a confidence crisis and also feeling a bit self-conscious about the whole thing...you know when you try to speak a foreign language with someone who is much more proficient in your own mother tongue i.e. english. My boyfriend does try to get me to speak french and helps with french DVDs etc, although a couple of times he did say I was a bit crap cos I didn't understand something he was saying which really pissed me off, although i was probably being a bit oversensitive! I think part of the problem is I don't have any continuity with my french as we only see each other once a week due to busy jobs & sometimes it is easier to speak english. I've met with his french mates, but honestly feel quite lost when I'm trying to follow a 4/5-way conversation in fairly fast french with all the usual slang etc thrown in- I feel pretty stupid in these situations, although i know i should just be making the most of the opportunity! In french sometimes i feel my personality is lost as i try to understand what is being said, then try to get a response together & start to feel self-conscious if i struggle a bit as i know the conversation would be more easily done in english (not copping out, just a fact) Sorry this has been a long old ramble but it's really starting to get to me as I don't want boyf to feel I'm not bothered to improve my french but at the same time i feel i'm not taking the opportunity to improve when I do want to be able to speak better french, I just i feel i no longer have the same confidence- v hard to explain. Any advice gratefully received!  

Hi everyone, thanks very much for all your replies- it's really helpful to get some feedback/info from people who make this crossing. Think we'll go for the St Malo one as there is much less driving on the other side & also is the most direct route down to Bordeux. Thanks!

Hello all, am looking to book a return ferry crossing (with car) in April time- most likely before the Easter holidays...am currently looking at the Portsmouth- St Malo/Cherbourg crossings, then travelling on to Bordeaux. Just wondered which are the 'best' crossing operators to go for- in terms of cost, reliability etc. Usually do the Dover-Calais crossing so not very up with what else is out there! Thanks in advance.

Saw that a new french film is out soon- un long dimanche de fiancailles, with the actress from Amelie, was surprised to see Jodie Foster in the list of actors and even more surprised that she is in fact a fluent french speaker! Not sure if she has a french parent or whether she grew up partly in France. Does anyone know if she has done any other french speaking films? am intrigued that she is an accomplished speaker, not that it is anything that unusual.

Thanks for this, heading over to Amazon to see if I can find a copy there!

Hi there, I'm studying As french and am having trouble with my reflexive verb conjugations in the passe compose. I'm ok with stuff like going to bed, getting up, having a bath etc. However, am struggling with putting things such as 'se sentir a l'aise', 'se faire des amis', 's'ennuyer', 's'ameliorer' etc into the past tense - it's the past participle that I'm not sure about (am ok with which person it is in) are these regular or ones that just have to be learnt? I imagine this is pretty basic stuff but am getting frustrated as my textbooks aren't giving me the answers! Many thanks if anyone can shed some light, though I'm sure you all have better things to do on a sunday morning. Chick