parles-vous français?
I thought that I was increasing my mastery of the French language with each trip to Paris
(but Paris, maybe the tourist-capital-of-the-world, happily speaks English with anyone who asks “parles-vous français?”
In more remote parts of the Country, I’ve observed that asking someone “Do you speak French?” is almost an insult
Better to have a good understanding of the language and just jump in
(I’ve experience recent visit to Italy and France where my question (parles-vous français?) is met with a resounding NO