playing Monopoly, in French

As a child, I used to play the board game Monopoly with my siblings and my friends. It's a good game to learn how to add and subtract but my memory is now blurry about how we built houses and hotels in the different properties around the board.

Two decades later, I was once again sitting in front of a Monopoly board... but this time, the places referred to were in France. Champs-Élysées is one of the most expensive spots on the board, for instance, instead of Boardwalk (in the standard version). The cards and the player guide were also in French! The kids I was playing with speak French as their native language and weren't used to speaking in English. I, on the other hand, could easily shift from English to Filipino but my French listening and oral skills are still shot.

So it must have been interesting to see us play the game, even if it's such a slow one. There were a lot of interruptions as players flipped through a French-English dictionary; as questions were asked in rapid French, translated in halting English, and then all players reviewing and interpreting the player guide.

C'est combien?
Qu'est-ce que valeur de l'hypothètique?
Je voudrais acheter la propriété.

I enjoyed playing it, despite being on it for a few hours. My French certainly got tested and the kids' English skills were practised. The younger kids' math skills were honed as well.

Next time I play with these kids, now that I know that they're into board games, I'll bring Rhino Hero with me.