Hi Adam,
Welcome to the forum.
There used to be an English Dr practicing in the 3rd or 4th arrondissement Dr Steven or Stephan Wilson. He also worked at the British hospital you can try the British hospital or the American they’re both just outside of Paris.
My wife left the country when she was just out of college and hasn’t lived here since so she’s not terribly knowledgeable about how things work here. And as for bringing her with me well, we both have very demanding work schedules, finding the time for this for routine appointments is arduous.
But she can phone Doctor’s cabinets in the 19 e to see if they are taking new patients and if one of the doctors will speak english? (Many do, but won’t as it make it their responsibility of you misunderstand)
I just knew it, when you mentioned ‘the doctor’s office’ And now you ‘guess’
Only joking, welcome @Adam_s , most of us have been through that mill and some are still struggling to come out the otherside unscathed. My favourite amongst @Mik_Bennett’s list is ‘I am a little deaf’, partly because I am, a little. But it works very well at slowing them down because even French people get deaf. Only problem is , be prepared to be shouted at.
BTW most doctors in my experience speak some English but as has been said they have to have an eye on misundertanding, unlike in the market where you might be given a tomato in place of a turnip, with a doctor it can be fatal.
My own current doctor speaks English but always French to me, so the other warning is, the better your French gets the more French people think you are fluent. .
just a thought… there’s English English and American English
Well you’re in Paris. Don’t take it personally. Parisians don’t cut much slack to anyone from outside Paris, French or otherwise, normally.
When your French is good enough and you’ve got the measure of the place you’ll work out your own strategies for dealing with Parisians who don’t know you just as French provincial visitors have to.
Most of us tend to be located in the provinces so you’d best ask around locally, talk to everyone you meet at café(s) close to home, look for the various Paris-based English speaking networks (there used to be local paper publications in Paris but they’ve probably gone mostly internet) and I hate to say it, but I’ll be stunned if there are not a few English-in-Paris Facebook groups who absolutely would be used to getting this kind of question.
If you’re working, your HR dept would likely help, and your colleagues may come up with suggestion or an introduction.
Meanwhile try Doctolib app, there are one or two others too where you may be able to find and book an appointment with a practitioner you haven’t or might not end up registering with.
We’ve noticed, when they drop by our local shopping centre on their way to/from Biarritz.
My eventual strategy after many years was first to look “right”, and then out-hauteur them.
No idea if I could still pull it off now as it’s a while since I spent any time there.
PS Even in Paris saying Bonjour before you say anything else, and even if you are just passing someone you don’t really know, but maybe live in the same building as, in your corridor, or when you enter a shop, is so important. That wasn’t taught with French lessons at school but if you don’t, you start off on the back foot already (or you’re just another demanding self-centred Anglo/American that thinks Parisians have time for you when you do eventually open your mouth), if you haven’t said Bonjour.
Oh yes, I remember when we first came here. I would go up to the receptionist and download a well rehearsed speech before I forgot it and she would look up and say “bonjour” [red faced emoji]
Do many doctors’ receptionists in the US speak competent French? Why would you expect their French counterparts to speak much English?
I don’t expect it. There are doctors offices in many countries which list languages spoken and people of various communities sometimes choose to go to those offices. If such a thing existed here I would be interested in seeking it out.
Yeah, the doctor’s I’ve been able to manage once in there. It’s their staff that’re occasionally difficult.
As a short term solution until your French improves, if you use the Doctolib App on your smart phone you can lookup médecin’s (general practitioner’s) and book appointments in your area. Normally, if you click on each doctor profile it will list the languages they speak.
By the way, Doctolib now can be changed to English as the application language.
I did that. Then I found myself in front of an apartment building saying in broken French to a doctor’s receptionist I’m in front of the building at the door what’s the code and near as I could make out she was telling me the door was open which…it was not. I think perhaps I’ll have more luck at a large office instead of one of these doctors that operates out of an apartment. It seems like that’s a lot of them though. Our son’s pediatrician was also like that.
@Adam_s
Apart from my last post to you.
Tap into Google, English speaking Doctors in Paris, this is what I’ve just done, you’ll find a couple.
Patience and speaking English are probably not high up there on the daily list of a medical secretary’s priorities, unfortunately, made worse through the use of speakerphones/intercoms to gain access to the building. Even in Paris, or perhaps, even more so in Paris.
There is an expectation that you will understand the basics of “Je vous ouvre”, or “2e étage, à droite, au fond du couloir”, or “avec qui avez-vous rendez-vous?”, or simply “Vous avez rendez-vous?”, and the like. Personally, I have the feeling that almost no one from any firm with a speaker phone listens to what the speaker actually sounds like out in the street, given the age of some of the communications systems in place and the ambient noise level in some streets. I could moan until I’m blue in the face to my landlord about how antiquated my office intercom is, but it would still not get changed. Fortunately, I am sufficiently close to the entrance to be able to shout down the corridor!
All that to say you have my understanding, but finding an English-speaking Cerberus that you’ll be able to understand over the intercom might remain an elusive quest for a number of years to come.
I find that it tends to be very hit and miss as to whether they actually have functional English. Not really an issue for me now but it was tricky at the start.
Never needed an English speaking Dr here in France. The last one I saw was when working in the Embassy in Paris. IIRC he came once a week.
If I was looking for an English speaking Dr now I’d google it and look for British and American hospitals
Well, as you are in Paris I expect your wishes may be granted. Here in the beautiful countryside of the 47 the local town has lost one of the two doctors at the only practice and the other is staying on a little after retirement age. there is a huge shortage in the countryside. You’ll find one ok in Paris, but remember this is not your country. How many doctors in the UK speak french, let alone their secretary? Take lessons, learn the language. The french are only too happy to be patient if they see someone is making an effort.
I strongly, strongly recommend a group practice if you just need an MT. Obviously a specialist is an other issue. Not least, if your own doctor is away you will be seen by someone else and often these days they have ancillary services such as practice nurses.