[Cooney]

I think a very big, important part of speaking a new language is being in an environment where you're not worried that the other person will take offense or poke fun at you. Basically, having the confidence to use it without worrying about your mistakes.

I run in to that with French myself. I have no worries speaking French with my friends, or to other Americans at work, but when I find myself face to face with a French person, I can feel my heart speed up, I forget words, and I'm a bit intimidated. I've been working on not having that happen whenever I get the chance, slowing my speech and making a point of looking them in the eye, but it still makes me nervous.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alizée would have a similar reaction (it seems fairly widespread). If she was talking with a fellow Frenchman in English for some reason, she probably wouldn't have too many issues, but when you put the cameras on her she might hesitate a bit.

I dunno... probably it's because when we're with friends, we don't care about making little mistakes, and we figure if the other person isn't a native speaker, maybe they'd make that mistake too. The fact is, and what I've been trying to get through my head, is that even with those mistakes, you're probably quite understandable the majority of the time!