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>>>i was with a french girl a few years back, and talking about the way certain letters have a circumflex over them, like hôtel, indicating that the word, in older French, used to have an "S" after such letters (ie "hostel"), from the orig Latin. eg Forêt, Fenêtre (Latin fenestra). She was dead impressed, saying that not many French know that. A case of the innate speaker not knowing the rules. I guess that's why so many English speakers say "I could of done that".
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>>Would you say you are fluent in French? How do you maintain the fluency? By reading French (books, magazines)? (or by picking up French girls? :))
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>No, I'm far from fluent - I don't have enough occasions on which to speak it. The best way is immersion (you should take a vacation in Quebec for example :-) I visit France usually once a year (of late) and try every opportunity to engage a native in conversation. years ago, during college vacation, I worked on the beaches selling ice-creams and staying in a camp-site of predominantly French (many other vendeurs). I used to wake up in French. I have a real love of languages, and a good ear for them, and very good pronunciation (many French have said that it's almost native - some asking me which part I come from)
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>Now you'll have the pleasure of learning to pronounce French expressions properly, learn that "masseuse" is not mass-OOS, but massuhhhse, Croisant is not kwa-SAHn, but KWA-sahn, Notr Dam not Noter Dame, et al:-)

You sound very good in French :). Thank you for the lesson.