Is spoken French similar to formal French used in books and Newspapers?

Question

The reason I'm asking is that some languages like German and Arabic have spoken regional dialects that differ from the formal written form of the language.

I am learning French so I really would like to know if I would always sound foreign using "book French" even if I speak with a perfect accent.

In the case of German for example, a person who can only understand text-book German would not understand some local dialects spoken in Bavaria fro example.

Would I be able to understand people all over France using text-book French? excluding a few slang words.

Answer 1

Yes, you would sound foreign using "book French", especially with a perfect standard accent (like in every languages, everyone has a regional accent)... French in books and spoken French is quite different. (différents niveaux de langue)
If you want to speak French just like French people, you should go to France, it's the fastest way to learn it. There are a lot of things you can't learn in books...
Anyway, if you sound foreign, that's not a big deal...

Answer 2

Yes,

the french you learn in books is not very different from spoken french. Compared to German, Italian, Arabic there is relatively little regional variation. There are regional languages in France but they are not widely spoken and everyone speaks standard French as well.

Go get some French movies--most of them are set in Paris with the Parisian accent. That will give you a sample of slang and curse words and phrases.

Answer 3

The way you speak french is a clear indication of where in the french speaking world you come from. People in France don't speak the same way as people in Québec or Haiti. Although I live in Québec I have a hard time understanding a Haitian. I suppose it's the same as when a New Yorker goes to Louisiana. You would almost need a translator. I found that the best way to learn a language is to read the newspapers. Also if you have the opportunity immerse yourself in the language. I became fluent in four languages this way.

Answer 4

The French take great pride in their written language and use it in a very literate style, whereas the spoken language, especially among young people is much more causual. I would advise you to get some DVDs in your library of French films. In movies, the language is more down to earth and the actions will help you to understand the less formal language. As for regional dialects, they're not too different from ordinary spoken language.

Answer 5

Not especially.

Spoken French - from what I've been learning in uni - is much more casual than written French.

L'academie Francais (basically the French language police) are very stringent and can't bear franglais (Francofied English words).

However, there is a lot of slang around (le verlan, where bits of words are swapped around, l'argot and so on).

Don't worry too much about sounding foreign - the French would just be grateful that you're trying to learn their language (About which they are extremely passionate)