When I visited Paris a few years back I found the key was greeting people in French. Maybe spend a couple hours learning how to say hello, how to say "excuse me" and "thank you", how to ask where the nearest toilet is, how to ask for the cheque, etc.

If people see you making the effort, they'll switch to English, in my case, anyway. But you have to show some respect, first. You have to let people know you understand you're a guest in their country.

Of course, this was many years ago. Things may be different now. And of course, if you're going to live there you're going to have to learn the language as quickly as you can.