How to Stop French Locals From Switching to English: 4 Real-World Tips

It is the most common frustration for French learners visiting France or Quebec.

You walk into a bakery. You rehearse your order in your head. You step up to the counter and say, "Bonjour, je voudrais une baguette, s'il vous plaît."

And the baker looks at you and replies, "Sure, that will be one Euro."

It can be discouraging. Many learners assume this happens because their French is terrible. However, experienced travelers and polyglots know that locals usually switch to English simply to be helpful or to speed up the transaction.

Recent discussions in the French learning community have highlighted that you can stop this from happening. You don't need to be fluent; you just need to signal that you can handle the conversation.

Here are four practical ways to convince locals to keep speaking French with you.

1. Master the "Thinking Noise" (The Art of Fillers)

When you are searching for a word, what sound do you make? If you are an English speaker, you probably say "Ummm" or "Errr."

Nothing screams "I am an Anglophone!" louder than an American "Ummm" in the middle of a French sentence. It is an immediate signal to the listener that you are struggling and they should switch to English to save you.

The Fix:

Switch your brain to French filler sounds.

• Instead of "Um," use "Euh" (a short, punchy sound roughly like the 'u' in 'put').
• Use "Bah" or "Ben" at the start of sentences.

Using "Euh" buys you thinking time while keeping the "frequency" of the conversation in French.

2. Ditch the "Textbook" Pronouns

Textbooks are great for grammar, but they often teach a formal register that sounds stiff in casual conversation. If you sound like a 19th-century novel, you sound foreign.

One of the quickest ways to sound like a modern local is to change your pronouns.

The Fix:

Stop using "Nous" (We) in casual speech. Use "On" instead.

• Textbook: Nous allons au cinéma. (We are going to the movies.)
• Real World: On va au cinéma.

It is grammatically simpler (it conjugates like il/elle) and it is how 99% of French speakers talk in daily life.

3. The "Ne" Drop (Speed Up Your Speech)

In written French, negation requires two parts: ne + pas (e.g., Je ne sais pas).

In spoken, everyday French, the ne almost always disappears.

If you meticulously pronounce every ne, you slow down your rhythm and sound overly academic.

The Fix:

Drop the ne to smooth out your flow.

• Textbook: Je ne comprends pas.
• Real World: J'comprends pas.
• Textbook: Ce n'est pas grave.
• Real World: C'est pas grave.

4. Don't Freeze: Have "Survival Phrases" Ready

The moment you freeze like a deer in headlights is the moment the other person switches to English. Silence makes people uncomfortable, and they will switch languages to break the tension.

You need to prove that even if you don't know a specific word, you can still navigate the conversation in French.

The Fix:

Memorize reliable circumlocution phrases (phrases used to describe words you don't know).

• "Désolé, j'ai pas compris." (Sorry, I didn't understand - note the dropped 'ne'!)
• "C'est quoi [English word] en français ?" (What is [word] in French?)
• "C'est quoi le truc pour... ?" (What is the thing for...?)

Quick Guide: Textbook French vs. Real French

Here is a cheat sheet to help you remember these small changes that make a huge difference.

Summary: Confidence is Key

As one traveler noted after a successful trip to Montreal, "You can fool the people you are talking to that you speak French... and you may even fool yourself."

It isn't about having perfect grammar. It is about flow. If you work on your accent, use the right fillers ("euh"), and adopt modern shortcuts ("on" vs "nous"), you signal to the local that you are comfortable.

Ready to practice?

Start small. Next time you practice speaking, even to yourself, force yourself to use "Euh" instead of "Um." It makes a bigger difference than you think!