 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello
We are likely to be off to Les Arc 1950 . We are beginners , never been skiing before , and will book lessons with an English speaking ski instructor to teach us .
None of us speak French  , and my mother is very worried about how we are going to order food , get around etc .
How much of an issue is the language likely to be , will we be ok in 1950 with no French ?
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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no issuse at all, a polite oui and merci is all you need. As its a resort the local workers can speak English and understand it even with my poor langugue skills.
Dont worry.
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brian
brian
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Alorko, no problem - most places people speak english, but it is worth learning a few phrases, such as:
"Par lay voo on glay?" (do you speak english)
"moor see" (thank you)
Although, given the title of this thread, I'd warn you about language issues in Kent...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4734350.stm
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Vous ne parlez pas francias? Quel dommage.
I won't be a problem, it's an international resort. Still it's fun learning new languages. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Alorko, I came back from 1950 last weekend, I tried speaking French but it didn't work - they all just replied in English anyway
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| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
"moor see" (thank you) |
More like "mare see"?
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Alorko. Arc 1950 was built by the world's largest ski resort development company - Intrawest - which is Canadian. I get the impression that Intrawest has more affinity with English-speaking Canada than French-speaking Canada, and they operate resorts in the USA too.
All in all, you'll have no problem. A very high proportion of apartments in Arc 1950 are owned by Brits, so I'd be astonished if English isn't almost universally spoken.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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laundryman, sorry, it's my accent 
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 that is unbelievable , unless he shouted it out at the top of his lungs and there was a load of kids about, but even then a warning should do.
Just talking to a mate and saying f*** all. It’s a good job they don’t patrol where I work.
Talk about a nanny state.
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brian
brian
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| laundryman wrote: |
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
"moor see" (thank you) |
More like "mare see"? |
Were you guys taught French in Birmingham and Liverpool ? It's just "mer see" isn't it ?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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brian, nearly, I was born in a town on the "mer see" (Warrington). 
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brian, problem is that someone may pronounce "mer" like "mare".
I was taught mine in Ballymena and Marseille, which makes it an interesting dialect!
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You know it makes sense.
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Enjoy your trip to Les Arcs. Let us know what you think of the resort development as its construction is only marginally less controversial than Wembley Stadium!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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kevin mcclean, the development is actually very good. It certainly doesn't look too "new", the apartments are roomy, luxurious and very good value and the resort has all you need for your holiday break.
But, if you look hard through cynical glasses you see it was planned so that there little competition between traders and that prices for everything other than the apartments are high. So they give with one hand and take away with another.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Peter Ross wrote: |
| I won't be a problem, |
It is good to know you wont be a problem, I suppose, but how does that help Alorko's group ? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alorko, Another handy exclamation for when you fall while skiing under a chairlift, is 'oh putain!' (pronounced Oh pute AHN) with much feeling
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Alorko: If an instructor advises you to schuss down the moguls underneath the Arandelieres or to take the Kilometre Lange then don't!
The former I have tried, alas, with a big, big crash (snapped monoski, 1991).
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obelix67, I think my French is better than my English! kevin mcclean, Monoski - shame on you, dinosaur!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Peter, my wifes sisters are coming over here for paddys day and they are not too sure about going skiing on the Saturday, I got a maybe for the Sunday - I would have thought they would have left Kerry for Good Friday ....but then I never even try and understand women now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Peter Ross wrote: |
| obelix67, I think my French is better than my English! kevin mcclean, Monoski - shame on you, dinosaur! |
To be fair, the incident was in the Jurassic Period (1991).
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Similar experience to Marc - tried speaking French in various places accros Les Arcs and invariably the reply was in English... probably more a reflection on my French than anything else
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brian
brian
Guest
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austin7, easiski explained this to me last summer. The way they view this is that you're being polite and making an effort to speak their language, so they reciprocate.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You should make at least a token effort! Get a phrasebook and master the first couple of pages - it's not that hard  However les arcs is pretty strongly english so you'll be fine even without. aj xx
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And remember if you meet any "real" French people - start talking about the 6 nations and what a surprise with Scotland V France
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In les Arcs all you need are the basics - which in France means the common courtesy of saying Bonjour (or Bonsoir from late pm) when you enter a shop/bar, go past a liftie, enter a room full of people, etc. It's really is difficult for the French to get used to this phenomenon of Brits taking their personal space with them everywhere they go, no eye contact when they enter a public space, etc. Just saying "hello" breaks the ice and not doing so is considered rude.
More than the basics, well in Arc 1950 English is spoken everywhere. But a quick Bonjour, even to a fluent English speaker, works wonders!
A quick anecdote from today....
There's a lovely lady who often works in the lift office at Villaroger at the bottom of the Arcs domain. Not the easiest person to upset! But who should come along this morning but a bunch of self-important Brits on a day trip from Val who a) couldn't be bothered to say good morning (in any language), b) launched into top speed English without any consideration for the fact that they are in a foreign country and could have taken the trouble to speak a little more slowly and distinctly, c) simply tried speaking ever more loudly to get the message across and d) then proceded to give her an ear-bashing for overcharging their English 'guide' who allegedly should have been entitled to a reduced rate for his pass (absolutely not true, he had no ID on him at all).
It was embarrassing, and as I watched her growing disgust I felt I had to apologise for my fellow Brits. Somehow these pompous types are even worse than the lager louts, in my book.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 23-02-06 20:03; edited 1 time in total
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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PG, how embarrassing - though it shouldn't be, it's not your fault. It's all too frequent though. 
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I hate the B word 
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You know it makes sense.
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| obelix67 wrote: |
| I hate the B word |
Bottom? Banana?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Deux pression sil-vous-plait should just about suffice I would have thought
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Poster: A snowHead
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Charlatanefc, with a few encores.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PG, I also dont want to know about you with banana's and bottoms thank you very much
Brits - it really grates - the b word
Charlatanefc, peents or shops - phonetically
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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obelix67, ah Brits, thought you might have meant Blades for a moment
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PG, nah I like the word blades, there are a few it would seem that it would be an appropriate b word for though
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It might be more the swiss french side - they do shops rather than peents
then has you head over the swiss german side - hoompa for pint and stanger for half pint
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obelix67, what's "gallon"
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Charlatanefc, Antique and very anti european
in some bars they do a 10 litre self pour thing which they stick in the middle of your table - essentially a big tube with a tap on the bottom and a stand to keep it standing
great if you dont like queues or sharing
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| obelix67 wrote: |
It might be more the swiss french side - they do shops rather than peents
then has you head over the swiss german side - hoompa for pint and stanger for half pint |
Think the chope is just on the Swiss French side these days. But if you're desperate for a beer in a proper glass, some establishments will serve up... or used to not long ago....
Un parfait (1 litre), or...
Un sérieux (2 litres)
But if that's not big enough for you, there's always the 'Formidable' (3 litres)!
Less than serious drinkers can order un 'galopin', or un 'bock' (12.5 cl, barely a sip)
Then there's the run of the mill 'demi' (25 cl)
Closest equivalent to the chope these days is a 'pinte' or a 'baron' (50 cl)
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| obelix67 wrote: |
in some bars they do a 10 litre self pour thing which they stick in the middle of your table - essentially a big tube with a tap on the bottom and a stand to keep it standing
great if you dont like queues or sharing |
I believe they call that une girafe , 'cos of the long neck I suppose
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