Does anyone here speak French?

[Dr.Drake]

@FlyingCowOfDoom

There’s a little boy in Canada with leukemia that wants to set the world record for most birthday cards received. His family has created a website: http://www.shaneswish.com. I read that he doesn’t speak English (his parents read the English cards to him) so my wife and I thought it’d be nice to try to write a note in French. I wasn’t sure whether to use tu or vous because he’s 8, but I don’t know him. Would tu be more appropriate?

Thanks for all of your assistance.

–FCOD

I read this and began to worry about a hoax, but Snopes says this one is genuine: Snopes link. Continuez.

[FlyingCowOfDoom]

@Dr. Drake

I read this and began to worry about a hoax, but Snopes says this one is genuine: Snopes link. Continuez.

Thank you. I should have posted that link before. I did investigate this prior to posting about it, but I should have realized others might be suspicious. Here’s an article about it from the Ottawa Citizen for the interested.

–FCOD

[Arnold_Winkelried]

@Quiddity Glomfuster

That is just not sounding right to me. I think it would be better as ‘Nous ne parlons pas bien le francais’ Can’t say why but to me it sounds wrong the way you have it.

French speaker here. “Nous ne parlons pas bien français” would be perfectly fine.

[Hypnagogic_Jerk]

@jovan

“Dire la vérité” (say the truth) is more likely to show up in a conversation, but “parler la vériter” (speak the truth) is nevertheless French. Though I’ll admit it’s not common and somewhat archaic. See for instance this excerpt from the Bible (Isaiah 33)

Okay then, I must admit that it is a formulation I’ve never heard, but which seems to be correct. (Which translation of the Bible did you take this excerpt from, by the way? The one I use – the TOB – doesn’t use this formulation.)

As for the subjonctive use, espérer + subjonctive is correct but archaic.

J’espère qu’il fasse beau (subjonctive)
J’espère qu’il fait beau (present)
J’espère qu’il fera beau (future)

These are all valid but the first one isn’t used much (if at all) in spoken language anymore.

Actually it doesn’t even sound so archaic to my ears. I could see myself saying “j’espère qu’il fasse beau”. Thanks for the example!

@FlyingCowOfDoom

I read that he doesn’t speak English (his parents read the English cards to him) so my wife and I thought it’d be nice to try to write a note in French. I wasn’t sure whether to use tu or vous because he’s 8, but I don’t know him. Would tu be more appropriate?

Yes, I’d use “tu” in this case, it’s usually more appropriate when speaking to children. Especially in Canada, where the use of the polite “vous” is declining faster than in many other places.

Bon anniversaire, Shane! Nous ne parlons pas bien français, mais nous faisons de notre mieux! Nous espérons que tu passeras une splendide journée et que tu recevras un bon nombre de cartes. Nous te gardons dans nos prières.

Nous espérons que tu t’amuseras avec ces autocollants de Shrek et de Cars.

That sounds all right to me.

[jovan]

@Quiddity Glomfuster

That is just not sounding right to me. I think it would be better as ‘Nous ne parlons pas bien le francais’ Can’t say why but to me it sounds wrong the way you have it.

No, as I wrote before, it’s more natural in this context. Please see my posts #8 and #12 for an explanation.

@severus

Actually it doesn’t even sound so archaic to my ears. I could see myself saying “j’espère qu’il fasse beau”. Thanks for the example!

I think it’s a France-Canada thing.

“Tu” isn’t better, it’s pretty much necessary if you’re talking to a kid. The final version of the text looks a-okay to me too.