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Overheard in Nantes, Summer 2016

When the weather gets hot, most French tend to hang out outside, especially in cities where your typical French apartment is small and stuffy. Of course, a few lucky families can thank an inspired ancestor who invested in real estate when it was cheap, and they enjoy a private courtyard or several square metres of grass behind century-old walls… but the rest of us head to parks, fountains, coffee shops and bar terraces to cool off.

And of course, with so many people out and about, you tend to overhear funny or weird snippets of conversation…

All of these conversations were in French, bien sûr.

Love is in the air

A bunch of guys in a bar, one of them looks worried:

“Guys… I screwed up last night.”

“What happened?”

“… I was so drunk I told her I loved her.”

“Oh fuuuuuck!”

Out of touch

Two older couples chatting in a restaurant. One of the husbands is bragging:

“One day, I almost had my picture taken with the President!”

“With François Hollande? No way!”

“François Hollande? No, not him! The President, I said, Nicolas Sarkozy!”

(Hollande has been President of the French Republic since being elected to the position in 2012, Sarkozy was the former President)

Technology is not your friend

Two little old ladies are chatting, waiting to cross the street:

“… Oh, by the way, did he manage to get his new TV working?”

“The TV? Oh no, he died before!”

No, seriously, you are

A drunk guy in a bar:

“Eh, it’s not because I say racist stuff that I’m racist!”

Most definitely not

Two preppy-looking guys in the lineup at Monoprix:

“I’m telling you, there is only one thing women are good at—sex.”

Tourist in front of the cathedral

Tourist in front of the cathedral

At the train station
At the train station
Newsstand at the train station (note the x-rated magazine headlines...)
Newsstand at the train station (note the x-rated magazine headlines…)
Passengers in the bus
Passengers in the bus
Customer at Subway
Customer at Subway
Place du Commerce
Place du Commerce
Woman waiting for the bus
Woman waiting for the bus
Enjoying a coffee
Enjoying a beer
Waiting for the bus
Waiting for the bus
Bike-through ATM
Bike-through ATM
Customers waiting to be served at the ice cream shop
Customers waiting to be served at the ice cream shop
The lonely barman
The lonely barman
Reflection in the water by the castle
Reflection in the water by the castle
Tourists at the castle
Tourists at the castle
Woman in a photo booth
Woman in a photo booth
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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