If you speak a little French and want to tell the person that, you can say: “Je parle juste un peu français. " This is pronounced: “Juh pahrle joost un puh frahn-say. " It translates to, “I speak just a little bit of French. " Say: “Je suis désolé. " This means simply, “I’m sorry,” and can be combined with non-verbal gestures to communicate a lack of understanding. This is pronounced: “juh swee day-zo-lay. " If you’re feeling ambitious (and polite), you can combine this with the previous step, saying “Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas francais. " This is pronounced: “juh swee day-zo-lay, juh nuh pahrl pah frahn-say. " This means, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak French. “[3] X Research source
Anglais (pronounced “ahng-glay”): English Espagnol (pronounced “esspanyoll”): Spanish[6] X Research source Japonais (pronounced “japonay”): Japanese[7] X Research source Allemand (pronounced “allaymon”): German[8] X Research source Arabe (pronounced “ahrahbuh”): Arabic[9] X Research source
“Pouvez-vous m’aider? Je ne parle pas français. " means, “Can you help me? I don’t speak French. " It is pronounced, “Poo-vay voo meh-day? Juh nuh pahrl pah frahn-say. “[10] X Research source “Je suis perdu. Je ne parle pas français” means “I’m lost. I don’t speak French. " It is pronounced, “Ju swee pair-doo. Juh nuh pahrl pah frahn-say. “[11] X Research source
Shrugging your shoulders can also have a connotation of apology, indicating regret for your inability to understand.
For example, raising one eyebrow while lowering the other is often interpreted as a sign of confusion.