madmoiZelle speaks English : atelier débat

[Cyns]

@Melimelofolle
Yes, i am au pair. It's a good familly, not a lot of money but not a lof of work too
If you want we can speak about it, by private message

I really like London but i'm feel French so I need to come back 

 

[PetitPlat]

I think if you want to go English, then we should discuss it in English as well.

As much as the movie/tv series is a great topic as it's casual enough to blabb about for days, the environmental theme is a bit tougher (even though very interesting) but if my guess is right, most people here are far from being fluent, so heavy subjects like the future of our planet might be a bit difficult to approach.

I feel the best is to give a general topic, something like "chit-chat about movies and tv series"
and the first post will suggest some questions (like you did) and so people can answer those questions or just discuss whatever they wish within that theme.

That way we'll get a more natural discussion thread.

What always stirs much interest here is also following topic : beauty, hair removal, make-up
- why do you wear (or not) make-up?
- what are your thoughts about hair removal?
- what constitutes beauty in your opinion

And then obviously I'd put a topic about books only
- what books are you reading?
- why do you like them (or not)?
- what books had an impact in your life?


Last but not least about "corrections".
I've been chit chatting in forums in English for years, mainly with people who are not bilingual at first. And unless they specifically ask, we do not correct their english, because it's just annoying and a bit useless.
People learn while practicing, always reminding them of their errors gets frustrating for the reader and the writer.

Oh and yes, obviously I'd love to apply to moderate 1 or more topic (although we'd need to specify how much work that actually involves tee-heee )

 

[Syam]

Hey there all the madz! before any contributions to this topic (it's exams week) i'd just like to say something related to what @PetitPlat  just said, yeah you're probably right most of the people don't like to be corrected, but am living in edinburgh since 2 years now, even tho my english is quite good, i still really appreciate when my friends do, to be fair it's not really about mistakes anymore in my written or spoken english but the main issue with french people speaking english (i don't hear it as much for scandinavian or german people) is that we sound (sound in like translate french to english word to word ) bloody french. i've just read all the comments and well it really does. I just wanna be clear, it's not a critic, it has its charm, most of the people here fancy it quite a lot, but i think that when it comes to big mistakes grammar/sentence well it should be corrected, no harm done there^^
love to y'all  xxxx

Edit: actually i've found a better way to say what i meant: it's more advicing than correcting (overall i agree with you (x )

 

[PetitPlat]

Hey there all the madz! before any contributions to this topic (it's exams week) i'd just like to say something related to what @PetitPlat   just said, yeah you're probably right most of the people don't like to be corrected, but am living in edinburgh since 2 years now, even tho my english is quite good, i still really appreciate when my friends do, to be fair it's not really about mistakes anymore in my written or spoken english but the main issue with french people speaking english (i don't hear it as much for scandinavian or german people) is that we sound (sound in like translate french to english word to word ) bloody french. i've just read all the comments and well it really does. I just wanna be clear, it's not a critic, it has its charm, most of the people here fancy it quite a lot, but i think that when it comes to big mistakes grammar/sentence well it should be corrected, no harm done there^^
love to y'all  xxxx

Edit: actually i've found a better way to say what i meant: it's more advicing than correcting (overall i agree with you (x )

Nah, not what I meant.
I couldn't care less if people can't handle critics, my point is more that it's annoying to read corrections and that it'll just make the discussion dreadful to read.
I've seen mistakes in every single comment. Imagine if you start correcting everything. Gaaah just thinking about it bores me to death.

Also I think that's really a french approach, to always try to reach the perfection.
I say dive in, communicate, the rest will follow and your language will evolve.

Again, of course if someone doesn't know how to phrase an idea of course he can ask for help.
But generally speaking as long as we're communicating in English, we're good to go.

 

[Syam]

Nah, not what I meant.
I couldn't care less if people can't handle critics, my point is more that it's annoying to read corrections and that it'll just make the discussion dreadful to read.
I've seen mistakes in every single comment. Imagine if you start correcting everything. Gaaah just thinking about it bores me to death.

Also I think that's really a french approach, to always try to reach the perfection.
I say dive in, communicate, the rest will follow and your language will evolve.

Again, of course if someone doesn't know how to phrase an idea of course he can ask for help.
But generally speaking as long as we're communicating in English, we're good to go.

ahah i agree it can be boring^^ although, i'm not trying to reach perfection, at all (i wouldn't write like i do if i was) i'm more into escaping from the scholar english that we are taught at school/uni (there i'm going to be late for my exam)

 

[Mizuji]

Wow, I thought my English quite well... but I'm not as sure now... (d'ailleurs cette phrase doit contenir déjà beaucoup de fautes)

About books :
- I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- I discovered a big personal insterest for the victorian literature (XIX° century). I've read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë just before (and I recommend the eponymous series by the BBC with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens -who is VERY sexy in-) and I intend to read Wuthering Heights by her sister
- The tetralogy by Malorie Blackman (Entre chiens et loups, La couleur de la Haine, Le choix d'aimer and Le retour de l'aube) has an impact on my life. Even if it's targeted for teenagers especially, the message concerns all of us. The story takes place in a parallel world, where there is a sort of permanent Apartheid... for whites. Indeed whites are persecuted by blacks. There is a romantic story between a black woman and a white man, like Romeo and Juliet, obviously. But the story doesn't end in the same way... (suspense)

 

[KBi]

Yeeaahh 

So... that's the place to go when words come out of my mind in English instead of French and I don't want or can't translate it into French?

Good to know.

@Syam @petitplat I also think correcting here will throw the conversation into arguing about what is correct and what is not and the meaning of everything. Yeah, boring...

I also think that a topic with a wide theme would be perfect for chit-chat AND better constructed post. There can be one or two other thread about other topics like :
[ul]
[li]one for movies, series, books and news[/li]
[li]one for health, beauty, DIY, shopping [/li]
[li]and one for Lolcat, geekstuff and others things[/li]
[/ul]

We can start with one to begin with...

Xoxo

 

[iwantcumberbabies]

Right, I'm just gonna follow the Mizuji's example. And I have a school english, very sorry for my mistakes, I'm trying to become better. So, talking about books. I'm reading a lot of books, i'm a eclectic reader, but I really love Stephen King's novels. Probably a family thing, it's my mother who made me love him. I think he's really terrifying, and amazing. He can make you to think and to stay up all night. The book which had an impact in my life is A Study in Scarlet by Sir Conan Doyle. I always will be a fan of Sherlock Holmes and of his creator. He had just revolutionize investigation, and he's really a great writer.

 

[Rosenrot_]

Hey there all the madz! before any contributions to this topic (it's exams week) i'd just like to say something related to what @PetitPlat    just said, yeah you're probably right most of the people don't like to be corrected, but am living in edinburgh since 2 years now, even tho my english is quite good, i still really appreciate when my friends do, to be fair it's not really about mistakes anymore in my written or spoken english but the main issue with french people speaking english (i don't hear it as much for scandinavian or german people) is that we sound (sound in like translate french to english word to word ) bloody french. i've just read all the comments and well it really does. I just wanna be clear, it's not a critic, it has its charm, most of the people here fancy it quite a lot, but i think that when it comes to big mistakes grammar/sentence well it should be corrected, no harm done there^^
love to y'all  xxxx

Edit: actually i've found a better way to say what i meant: it's more advicing than correcting (overall i agree with you (x )

Nah, not what I meant.
I couldn't care less if people can't handle critics, my point is more that it's annoying to read corrections and that it'll just make the discussion dreadful to read.
I've seen mistakes in every single comment. Imagine if you start correcting everything. Gaaah just thinking about it bores me to death.

Also I think that's really a french approach, to always try to reach the perfection.
I say dive in, communicate, the rest will follow and your language will evolve.

Again, of course if someone doesn't know how to phrase an idea of course he can ask for help.
But generally speaking as long as we're communicating in English, we're good to go.

I couldn't agree more!

I find it a lot better to either ask for help on a specific grammar rule or to use tools on your own to improve your vocabulary or grammar!
For instance, when it comes to idiomatic expressions, you can use linguee to look for the translation in English and avoid to translate litterally a french idiomatic expression (also good to look for vocabulary in context).

(And here's a debate topic ! )

I'll come back later to write something more substantial about one of the suggested topics.

 

[Paulatte]

I'm not sure I've quite grasped the concept of this topic, but here we go!!
@Mizuji I also really love Victorian literature!! Jane Eyre is my fav book but I didn't even know that there was a bbc mini-series, I'll watch it as soon as possible. I love Jane, she is such a likable character, but I must admit my favorite character is Helen Burns, Jane's best friend, I often daydream about her or wonder what kind of person she'd be if she lived nowadays; I don't really know why she had that much of an impact on me, but I love her very much.
I thought Wuthering Heights was good, even great at times, but in comparison it just seemed alright ...
If you want to know more about the Victorian era I strongly recommend the book "the French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles, published in 1969, but the story is set in 1869 so it deals with problems of the time: religion and darwinism, marxist theories, the prudish society, how a woman should act...  while being told by a 20th century omniscient narrator. It's "post modern" fiction so it's sometimes complicated to follow, but it's bloody fantastic. I know I sound like a bad advertisement or a sparknotes summary but i wish someone had told me sooner about this book , so!

 

[paulette_]

Hi !
Actually, i'm in london, I'm working like an au-pair. I'm coming back to France on August and my familly need an new au-pair for september. If somebody wants to come one year in UK let me know ! And if you need some question about the life in london, contact me =)



My English isn't perfect so sorry for my mistakes !

What do you think about give our advice for learning english ?
For exemple you have :
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/
https://www.youtube.com/user/bbclearningenglish
anglaisfacile.com
or
http://www.engvid.com
If you what a grammar book, in England they really like : grammar in use. You have an apps if you want.

Are we going to change the subject of the conversation every week ?

Hi !
I think, for a long time now, to be an au-pair. But i'm a little afraid…
I wonder if English parents hire french au-pair to speak French with their children ? or if they do it because we're a lot ?
What they expect from french au-pair ?

You said there's not a lot of work in your host family. Can you explain your daily work ? And why you liked it ? Do you live with them, or do you have your own apartment in London ?
And, if you want to, explain your year as an au-pair ? (your work, your "sorties" with friends,…).

Obviously, you answer these questions only if you want to.

 

[Cyns]

@Paulette_
Ok. So first,

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You don't need to be afraid, if you have any problem you can leave the familly, stay some time in an hostel for young (auberge de jeunesse : hostelworl.com ). You have some offer on gumtree.com too
Don't past by an agence, it's not necessary !


So in my work

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You can find au-pair live-out but it's less interesting financilly. If your english it's good and if you some experience with children you can try to find a job for nanny live-in or live-out. If you choose live-out be really carefull because the rent for a flat it's realy realy expensive and try to take one near to your job

I like to be alone for visit museum and when I want to move I call some friends (other au-pair or some French friends - I know it's bad for my english shame on me !).
I dislike clubing but you have some meetup in london, cheap and fun so : PERFECT =)