Can You Hear Bad French, Fernando

by Alison

The first day we walked into the apartment I could smell mold. The Husband has an adorable appendage on his face that does not smell nor does it take in oxygen. So while I’m confronted by the smell, he’s commenting on the fact we have a dishwasher and an oven.

We did discover mold in one of the bathroom showers and a faucet that doesn’t work. Our landlord said Fernando, the building concierge, would get someone over tout de suite. Unfortunately I failed to convey this to The Husband who fumbled his French and told Fernando all is well.

Fernando will not tolerate bad French and English hurts his ear. We encounter a Fernando every trip. I seek out the Fernandos. It adds to the flavor of the trip.

I nab Fernando and show him the bathroom. Exasperated he says, “Your husband said all is well”. My husband (who does speak French) was standing right next to him. He then says he’ll get someone over on Monday. When I confirm I understand and tell him Monday is perfect he pauses, “It could be Tuesday then.”

Vive la France. Vivent les Fernandos.

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22 Comments

  1. Clever writing and such fun to read!  Hope it all works out and maybe Fernando would rather speak German?  Hah!

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    1. I thought of you a few days ago when they brought olives to our table. I don’t think I am able to sign you up myself. I think you have to do it on your end. Thanks for taking the time to read. We’re having a good time. The kids are here this week.

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  3. I so get it. I’m trying to learn Korean and I’ve just learned no many speak English, so I have to buckle down. My French is horrid despite having taken it for three years. My Italian and Portuguese is passable, however I’m fortunate in being able to at least, read the last three languages fairly decently. Probably enough to get me in trouble. I’m totally not able to read Korean. I met a lost Turkish young man I helped find his way at the San Diego Airport. Thank Goodness he had a translator app. They actually work fairly well, so well he became my fan, gave me a hug and didn’t want to let go. LOL Ahhh, the beauty of travel and navigating languages. I’m sure your trip will be wonderful and I’m looking forward to hear more of your adventures!!! Have a safe and enjoyable remainder of the trip!

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    1. Good for you! That’s a Lot of languages. Learning a second language is definitely a gift. I picked up Italian and Spanish pretty easily after knowing French (I can read and understand but can’t speak much sense). I’ve tried Russian and Chinese but found it too difficult to learn their alphabets. Good to hear from you.

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      2. Covid kind of knocked the writing urge out of me for a few years and one of my favorite bloggers died during it all so I just got very sad. I’m glad I’m coming out of it. Writing is a good creative release. I’ll be watching for your new posts. Thanks as always for stopping by and commenting. It means so much to me.

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    1. I agree. I wish my French was better but I didn’t learn until I was 16. Our concierge is possibly Brazilian but he (of course) speaks better French than I do. I will always work to improve.

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  7. Im our Paris AirBnb there was a loose board in the living room which if stepped on , one could break their neck. Along with the severely leaking faucet in the bathroom, we never did see a Fernando but obviously survived the month

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    1. We do this about once a year and have rented through several agencies. I find AirBnB to be the best platform. But I will admit that every apartment has had its quirks and we’ve been in a couple that could’ve killed us! Nice to have your follow. I tried to reciprocate but it says your blog is no longer available?

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      1. Alison, I probably won’t write again until I leave again for France in April. Will have to upgrade to a paid version to omit the annoying publicité. I love your sense of humor- right up my alley

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      2. I look forward to your posts in April. (The paid version is worth it). Thank you for the nice comment. I’m glad you get my sense of humor (it’s an acquired taste). Cheers.

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