Talking to Plumbers in French

I’ve come to find out if you want to test your command of a language, try to arrange for your car to have an oil change in that language, for example. Today, I told a plumber that our sink (evier) was not broken and that we did’t need an appointment. I am so glad for his patience. My French would make most speakers wince, but the more opportnities to practice the better, especially when the meaning that gets comminicated has real consequences in the world.

  1. johntynan’s avatar

    Update: It turns out they sent the plumber anyway. I don’t know if this is a commentary on my ability to communicate successfully or on French bureaucracy or both. Either way, it was another chance for me to say, “Je ne peux pas un rencontre aujourd hui” which seemed to do the trick.

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