[scottiemom]

I admire you for learning even what you described as “imperfect” French. That is exactly what most tourists to France (and indeed, to any European country) need to remember. It is the attempt at speaking the language of the natives in that country that endears the tourist. Few Americans have acquired a second language, whereas English is required to be mastered in most of the European countries.

[thesharkboy]

Absolutely. I always try to learn at least a little of the language wherever I go, except for the Czech Republic, where I had to rely on bad German. Fortunately, I had French, German, and Spanish in school, so most Western European languages are related.