For all those coming to France

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

The French are pretty blasé about dual (or in your daughter's case, "triple") nationality. The big thing will be if she has had a carte d'identité for her French nationality. I take it your spouse is French (or why else would you have registered her birth with the French consulate?).

The website Service Public is probably your best bet on how to proceed. Nationalité française - Service-public.fr

Cheers,
Bev

"I take it your spouse is French (or why else would you have registered her birth with the French consulate?)"

Yes, they don't get any Frencher than my wife. Thanks for the response and enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Jeff

[softouch115]

Originally Posted by dcat

My husband was enthusiastic for about a week, and then that wore off, and now we live separately. So I keep thinking of how I could move, how I could make that work. But I must sell my villa here on the Costa Daurada first. So I think the economic crisis is an impediment.

Its comforting to find I'm not the only newly separated person wanting to run away to France! Anyone who would like to email, feel free. I have a LOT of time on my hands.

[softouch115]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

I never had trouble with "seasonal adjustment disorder" when I lived in the US, but over here, I start taking St. Johns Wort in October until the end of January or so. It really does seem to help!
Cheers,
Bev

Do you truly get depressed during the winter or is that a joke? I have to ask because I live in South Florida and it is always sunny. If that's the case, I will need to be prepared. I do seem to remember a lot of cold, icy rain from my winter in Paris.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by softouch115

Do you truly get depressed during the winter or is that a joke? I have to ask because I live in South Florida and it is always sunny. If that's the case, I will need to be prepared. I do seem to remember a lot of cold, icy rain from my winter in Paris.

I've known it to happen to lots of expats coming to northern Europe from sunnier climates. The winters in northern France (i.e. anything north of the Loire) can be pretty brutal - not in terms of snow, but just darkness and gloom.

St. Johns Wort ("millepertuis" in French) can really help.
Cheers,
Bev

[Alexh-j]

My husband & I have many things in common with lots of the people who have posted on this thread, but also many things that are different too. We've been expats from the UK for almost our entire adult lives. (collectively almost 60 years now). We live in the British Virgin Islands (there's no "living in" option for the BVI) and recently bought in France. Sainte-Foy-La-Grande, to be exact.

We searched the south of France extensively before buying our house. Having experienced the Mistral down in Languedoc & the Tramontana/Mistral in Heuralt over 2 consecutive years we decided that we didn't want to live in areas that are routinely affected by the big winds (for those who haven't experienced it it can be hell). We didn't want to live in "Dordogneshire" either - we've been expats for way too long to cope with that sort of community. We wound up in STF by accident, literally, as I was stretching my legs one morning and found the house for us.

My French is rudimentary (Rosetta Stone is fine, but seriously limited), but when I flew over to close on the house in February and deal with builders, shopping etc alone for 3 weeks not only did my French improve considerably (grammatically it's hideous, but as long as I can make myself understood, who's terribly worried?), but I made friends too. French friends, not English ones.

An unscheduled return 6 weeks after leaving (to deal with unprincipled (English) builders) allowed us to appreciate that I really had been accepted by the French friends that I had made and confirms that we made a good, if lucky, choice.

To those who are contemplating the leap I would only say that 6 weeks of careful on-the-ground research was invaluable, if expensive. We are looking forward to our return in September when we can resume old acquaintances and make new ones too. We will most certainly be taking French lessons (if our busy schedule of house guests allows) as there is no doubt that our French needs to be better. However, I will echo what others have said - if you are seen to be trying to speak French you will find a much warmer welcome than if you don't. And it really doesn't seem to matter how bad your French is.

[Jennifer F]

Hi Hovian - Just curious to see where you ended up settling? I am moving to a little village in Herault for 6 months of each year & just wondered why you decided to look elsewhere?

Originally Posted by Hovian

Hi Bev, Yes I fully agree with you. I am moving to France fairly soon but am having difficulty finding the right location. I intended to move to Herault on the outskirts of Beziers but have decided to look elsewhere also. Can anyone help me? The weather must be fairly warm in winter and the summers hot. My friend has a place near Bergerac and he says it is a lovely place. I want to be near transport as I shall not be driving and will need to get to my daughter in Cannes. I would like to be near English people but my main wish is to be able to establish myself into the french community. I shall be going on my own so you can imagine how daunting it is for me but this is not something that I have taken lightly even though my french is very basic so now I am teaching myself and will also take lessons when I move. I have heard that Saint Foy La Grande is lovely, can you or anyone help, I am going to Bergerac and Chalais.

[lumieredusoleil]

Thanks Bev for your information! You're certainly a vast source of knowledge on all things French!

On the topic of language learning, it really is so important. I have only ever been there for a couple of months at a time, but even at the beginning when I was nervous to practise my quasi-fluent French with locals around Toulouse, people were so friendly when they recognised a foreign accent (people always laugh at my mispronunciation of the "ou" and "u" sounds, hehe but would always appreciate the fact that you were attempting to communicate in their language.

What I really was posting for was to recommend a language program for those who do not speak any French, which is the Michel Thomas program. I apologise if this has already been mentioned somewhere in this thread (I didn't read all 11 pages but IMHO his teaching style is easily absorbed and would most definitely be either a good way to start learning the language, or a decent brush-up for people who already have a good knowledge of French.

Thanks again Bev, your posts are always so useful!

[GALLUS]

Making friends and French language is a relevant issue throughout this forum

Do not expect to make French friends rapidly if you do not make efforts to speak their language (this is a Frenchman speaking) with a vast number of notable exceptions (ex-expats, educated people, professionals, students, girl or boyfriends are notable exceptions).
2 out of 3 ordinary French person are most likely employees, or working or the owner of a small enterprise.

In big towns, it is sort of easier as you have much more choice , and you'll find (so called) English speakers in numbers.

In the country side, except in Ste Foy la Grande where 50% of the population is a native British /Welsh or Scottish, no problem as well.
But in la Racineuse, Saone et Loire, Southern Burgundy, or in Saint Germain des Fosses, Allier (Auvergne) better speak French.

The best way is to start with 80 hours or so (120 ideally) with the following communication skills. You will find free podcasts to be downloaded on Itunes. Once in France, and for a good while , you must target learning a new French word each day. Easy if you regularly buy a newspaper: they are many words you can learn in there. Same with radio or TV.

1- presentations ( I am ... I come from, you are ...., I understood you com from ......), and asking about identities, names, and qualities, describing a person
2- directions and getting directions, describing places
3- expressing a simple wish, expressing elementary feelings
4- survival shopping, (I would like a kilo of small oranges, please or could I have the one up there? )
5- describing an event in the past (we went to the post office, but is was closed) some say as usual....
6- planning and future actions (We could also visit the Chateau and after, your mother can join us and we will go together to the restaurant)
7- filling forms (they are many, just pick one )
8- table drills, sentences and vocabulary ( la fourchette, une theiere en faience, une cotelette de porc sauce chasseur, nous voudrions commencer avec le saumon, et puis apres choisir une viande blanche avec un bon vin, est-ce que vous avez du pain frais aussi?)
9- taste and passions,
10- counting, costs, and prices, asking for price, comment statistics (basic)
11- telephone drills (Allo, non Madame, ce n'est pas le Docteur Metzger, c'est un faux numero)
12- formulate negative and positive comments on things, people, events, (I thought they could have at least the courtesy to let us know before we get in....)

This learning could be done before going to France (Alliance Francaise or French Institute), during a stay as a tourist (while buying a property or discovering the region), or upon arrival (Alliance Francaise again and language schools)

And most of all, do not be afraid to make mistakes while speaking.
I know it is hard to swalow if you are a professional brain surgeon with 30 years experience and the holder of 2 Phds and 2 MBAs.
Just speak it.
French people will love correcting you (in fact they formed a passion for that since the British caught Napoleon at Waterloo, and who knows, they could be genetically programmed to correcting English (Spanish, Arabic as well) speakers with the proper pronunciation). Or so do they believe.
Jaune (yellow) is pronounced in 3 or 4 different manners. Remember I am French.
Just pick the one you like.

I once met a Japanese senior manager ( A national Japanese channel) who came to France for a long term assignment. After 3 years in Paris, all the words in French coming out from his mouth were still not understandable. He got offended.
And took a series of pronunciation lessons. He now speak a perfect French with no accent at all.

Same with an other Japanese who was tasked by his company to learn French in Paris in preparation for his next assignment as a manager in a French speaking country. During a good year of leaning the would be manager did not formulate a correct sentence in French. He eventually met a French girlfriend, and suddenly all went right. Probably the French kiss........

good luck

[Coton90]

"French people will love correcting you (in fact they formed a passion for that since the British caught Napoleon at Waterloo.....

I think it may go back further than that. My French wife's Grandfather used to brag all the time about DuGuesclin (Bertrand DuGueselin c. 1320 – 13 July 1380, a Breton knight and French military commander during the Hundred Years' War), who really gave it to "Les Anglais".

In my wife's department (Herault) I've heard some pejorative remarks about people from the UK but I never heard them rag the Germans, even though the people were starving in 1944 due to restrictions imposed by the occupying forces and foraging for food was very risky due to the vast quantity of landmines planted. Some were even forced to house German troops.

I haven't them say anything bad about Americans (Other than our politicians and our political policies) as there are relatively few of us in Herault. They do think we talk "nasely", which I find terribly ironic.

[coloma gold]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

It's not something you can apply for. It's part of signing the "contrat d'accueil et d'intégration" which you can only do when you receive your first carte de séjour. For more details, here is the website for the agency charged with the contract for foreigners (the English pages ): ANAEM - Agence Nationale d'Accueil des Etrangers et des Migrations

I have a friend here who is taking the 400 hours of language training. It's not the best way to learn French (IMHO) - all students who could not pass the language test are lumped together in one class, regardless of level. My friend does seem to be making progress, but there are much better language classes available for quite reasonable prices.
Cheers,
Bev

Bev,,
Regarding the language skills requirement.. are there independant, accedited schools, that are available so that it will be more better instruction and a better teacher/student ratio? I have had several years of french but it is not my strength and I anticipate that I will not be able to pass the test.. Additionally, is the test primarily a reading/writing skills or does it include hearing and speaking? Do you know the length of the test? Thanks.