Foreigner

I think I can speak french, or more importantly I guess, the french-language media here in Montreal think I can speak french. Enough to slap me on their breakfast TV show an hour ago, at least. The fact is though, I'm pretty dang bad at french. I picked up a bit of french growing up in Vancouver, but the bulk of my "learning" took place several beers deep at bars and parties in Quebec over the last couple of years - and it shows. I'm a bit of a "foreigner" here, but I can hold my own around a campfire...or with 130db of "Juke Box Hero" backing me up. It's funny how everyone is bilingual, in any language, after a handful of beers...or with 130db of Juke Box Hero to back them up. (I still have no idea how a song can legally rock that hard.) But Live TV in french is whole 'nother ball game, especially live morning TV in french. After watching this video, I really think I should allocate Dom as my offical french representative, or at least I should abstain from morning television. If Quebecois french is Parisian french with a chainsaw, then my version of french is Quebecois french with a wood chipper. It's funny how you can go on live TV and think you're doing great, but then come home and watch the video and realize that 95% of the viewing audience likely had NO IDEA what I was talking about. At least I said "oui" a lot...or probably more accurately "way". Oh, and "paperclip" in french is "trombone". How rad is that?



Oh well, it was super nice of TVA to invite me to "Salut Bonjour" this morning. Thanks guys. I hope you don't mind me uploading the video to the internet. Maybe somebody out there will understand what I was talking about. And if you do haul this video down from youtube, at least we'll still have Juke Box Hero to back us up.

Salut et fait un bonne journee - Kyle

PS - just got this comment: "I feel like I am going to dinner with my girlfriend......WOULD YOU FREAKIN DECIDE ALLREADY!!!!"

Hold that thought.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought it was great...I don't speak French at all and I didn't understand a word...so you must have done really well.

Anonymous said...

I speak French but I sometimes have trouble with Québecois French. I understood you just fine in that clip
:)

Anonymous said...

I just saw you on TV tonight, in french. You did well! I've seen a lot worse than you! In fact, I've seen prime ministers that were a lot worse...
BTW, I'm a french Québécois.

Anonymous said...

I am currently listening to you on the 17pm news of TVA and your french is pretty good! You speak french better than some people I know!

Good job! Bon travail!

amelyn said...

Do you have a clip with subtitles?? :) I don't understand French, but it sounded really cool... LOL

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I am from Montreal and I just watched the clip on youtube and I am telling you, your French is ok. And, another thing I can tell you is that your efforts are appreciated, really. and... my english is not perfect!

Spat said...

Your french its pretty good.. keep it up :-)

Anonymous said...

i'm a french from France, and "québécois" is really hard to understand, so you speaking french "québécois" perfectly ! :D

In France, "Salut et fait un bonne journee" isn't right, it is : "Salut et passez une bonne journée !"