Do I Speak French?

Jeremiah asked me this morning if I speak French.  I said, "Un peu."  Then when I got to my computer to write my blog, Blogger was waiting for me in French.  Fortunately I figured out how to change it back to English so I could write an entry.  Because I should have said, "Un petit peu." when he asked me do I speak French. 

I remember a very little from Junior High and High School French.  I mostly remember I adored my French teachers and have run into both of them since moving back to Uppity Town Normal.  I saw Madame Gore nee Woods at a play at Heartland Community Theater and reconnected with her there.  She and my High School Chemistry teacher, Mr. Gore, moved to Florida a few years ago but still send me a card every year at Christmas.  And last year I found Madame Kalbacken, my very first French teacher at Chiddix, living at Luther Oaks Retirement Community where she writes children's books, in English I believe, that actually get published. 

While learning Spanish I used to complain that my old French was in the way, but really it served me well.  I had some idea how to conjugate verbs and the grammar of the two languages is, of course, almost identical.  And if I'd studied Spanish I wouldn't have met those two remarkable women. 

I do remember a few phrases in French that are useful.  One is "I don't speak French."  (Je ne parle pas francais.) and the other one is "Go to h*&%."  (Allez al enfer or something similar.) 

I'm sure neither of my teachers taught me that phrase.