Lucky readers, last month you had the opportunity to learn French the easy way. This month, let me treat you to episode #2 of the critically acclaimed Learn to be a Frog series.
A post dedicated to my dear expat readers.
Filed under: Culture Frog, Frog with a Blog TV |
frog with a blog
Frog with a Blog 
Excellent as always but I feel that your missing THIS approach, as described by Matt (who is French BTW)
“- at the Bensimon store I wanted to know where the fitting rooms were, so I walked to a salesperson, asked her my question as she was looking at me…except she didn’t say anything, just stayed there like I’d just said the most boring thing in the universe (which might be true), then went away a few seconds later. I guess she just didn’t want to deal with my pathetic questions. Aaaahh, Parisian girls, sometimes you just warm my heart (except not really, but some of you are really hot in that aloof attitude of yours)”
Aaah, Pauline and I are smiling through our tears of bitter recognition.
I especially love “Josiane!…(plus smirk)”.
That’s just too funny.
Excellent !!! Very funny to see that in Spain, they noticed the very same thing about “ce n’est pas possible” as they keep mocking me at work when I have to deal with them. They think it is a French habit to find solution with this expression !
Ha, thanks for the lesson….I’ll be putting it into use daily now that I’ve been put in charge of customer service for all of our French clients.
I’m off to practice in front of my mirror….
So that’s what’s going on, inside the mind of a French customer service personel. My personal favorite/experience, thus far, was when a Le Poste employee picked his nose just before he handed me the stamps for my post card.
Priceless!
You are so fabulous! Here’s a thought. You should put all these great tips in a book of say…”The REAL survivor guide for tourist in France.” Think of all the book signings and personal appearances. You would really sell them than. Just a thought…
Hey Ang04, thanks for your thought, although I think that all my blah blah about France has already been published back and forth in various books. Actually I’d like to find a way to do all the signings without having to work for it. I’d like to be Paris Hilton really.
Now, you don’t have a blog and I’m dying to know more about you, like are you a man, a woman? I know you live in NYC but that’s all. More info required for a nosey frog.
Rhino, thanks for the link to Matt’s blog. I’ll be back there, sounds fun.
You must know by now, that I just live for this shit. So educational but I was wondering how you got my glasses? Did I send them by accident when I mailed the Krazy Salt? I was equally impressed w/your choice of music. ELO is my shit. You own my heart Micke.
Dunno about that…I think Paris H’s arse is ordered for 45 days jail time, if she doesn’t get a pardon from the *terminator* real soon.
I’m actually an Ang-elA, and not an Ang-elo. And, as you probably guessed I envy/appreciate all you French/expats living, loving, and writing in my favorite fab city of lights. Reading about all the happ’nings is the next best thing for me. So merci beaucoup on behalf of all us folks who can’t (not yet anyways) speak or read French for your posts in English.
As for a blog, gosh! I do have one, but it’s soooo elementary compared to all y’alls, I can’t…way too shy. Maybe after I’ve filled it up with pics from all my ’07 travels, and painting…maybe then?
Thank you for your interest. U R a very articulate, talented, sweet, and charimastic Frog. Oh, and obviously handsome too.
Cheers,
Ang04
C’est pas possible… combien tu m’as fait rire !
OH MON DIEU!
Without reading the other comments (I’ll read them in a sec), I have to say THAT was hilarious! You are hysterically funny Frog! I love it, especially the stamping…the screen, just moving ever so slightly further away from the focal point, just cracked me up. (Yeah I know, I’m weird).
It’s just so spot on! I loved it from beginning to end. More, more, more! S.V.P.! 🙂
I really enjoyed your programme !
Have I told you lately how much I love you?
*WINK*
you are ridiculously funny!
delphine
I love this, but any tips for telling peopleto f-off over the telephone without actually using the words? My public interaction is rarely face to face.
OH.MY.GOD. I finally got to watch this on my computer at home today, and you are BEYOND hilarious. Have I emphasized that enough? Spot-on, yes, and perfect. I love it!
(And I, too, particularly love the “Josiane…” part… And “Ce n’est pas possible!” in all its varying versions.
Thanks F.W.A.B.!
just found your blog and it is very amusing. this video made me laugh. you should do a special one on french waiters- they have that specific customer service style that is the perfect combination of disgust and grace.
The fonctionnaire was right on. I use the “ce n’est pas possible” right back at them all the time. It’s a good prase.
Gotta show this to Julien tonight. He’ll be love it. See you tomorrow, I hope!
Bises.
j’en rigole encore tellement c’est vrai, et tellement bien fait, j’adore tes mimiques, surtout celle des “c’est pas possible”.
Very funny, thanks for the tears of laughter~
This was completely hilarious…omg, I must show this to a certain huggable someone who loves to use this phrase all of the time when he doesn’t understand something. Hmmm.
[…] the Gare du Nord when I was on my way to London to visit Charlie one humid summer morning. In true French customer service, when I asked the guy to be careful with my bag, he looked at me like I had forgotten to put my […]
Awwww I laughed…
Just went to the SECU today trying to sort out some paperwork with our oh-so helpful administration and it did look like they applied the F.R.O.G technique with me (+ 30 minutes in a crowded waiting room to start with…)
Brilliant blog!
A bientot au prochain picnic!
That was hilarious… my personal favorite is the look of alarm that crosses the face of the woman at my local boulangerie when I start speaking French. (It really isn’t that bad, i know. I am normally understood!)
Hilarious.
And you look quite fetching in that black wig.
I hate to be redundant but you are hilarious!
Your English is so perfect with only a slight accent…by any chance did you spend a lot of time in your childhood in either the U.S. or U.K.? I know people that have lived in the U.S. for over 25 years but have thicker accents than yours.
So please tell us of your early history!
You are fantastic…
F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C!
I’ve loved this video for years and I always get a kick out of showing it to friends! Is there another place where I can watch the video on French Customer Service? The content above seems to be unavailable at this link.