3 Simple Steps to Start Speaking French Today
Learning a new language can feel daunting, but the best way to get started is to focus on consistency, simplicity, and immersion from the day you arrive. Aim to listen to, and say something in French every day; the most obvious situations are in the Boulangerie, the Tabac, the bank or the supermarket, or at the market, a café […]
Why Your School French is Totally Obsolete (and what to learn instead)
The French love their language – it’s refined and expressive, and is universally admired for its beauty, cultural depth and complexity. It’s a truly global language; spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide, across Europe, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean and parts of Asia. French is a Romance language, descended from Latin along with Spanish, […]
The essential FBN guide to finding a doctor in France
As with the UK, front-line medical services are provided by a Médecin généraliste (General Practitioner) who you should find and register with when you arrive in France. When you’re looking for a GP the place to start is Doctolib, which is an on-line directory of all health providers in France, not just GPs. You can […]
Messieurs Dames
Standing in a pharmacy, bakery or doctor’s surgery you may well hear people say ‘Messieurs Dames’ to no-one in particular as they walk in after you and join the queue. It’s the French way of being polite and acknowledging each other as they go about their daily lives. You can do it too, and it […]
Get Yourself a French Connection
One of the easiest ways of embracing French life is to get yourself a French mobile number There are a number of French mobile network providers fiercely competing for your business (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile – to name the most prominent) and prices are often lower than in the UK. A couple […]
Mealtime Rhythm
Think about mealtimes in a ‘typical’ UK household and they might run to a cooked breakfast, or cereal and toast if you’re in a hurry, sandwich, crisps and a diet coke at lunchtime and then a hot meal in the evening – either freshly prepared or pre-cooked from the supermarket. At the weekend, they’ll be […]
Anyone for Lunch?
If you’re in France and try to go shopping between 12.00pm and 2.00pm you may well find the shop you want is firmly shut. And if you happen to be in a shop that’s closing for lunch, don’t worry, they’ll let you know in no uncertain terms and turf you out into the street bang […]
French Café Culture
French café culture is a deeply ingrained part of daily life in France — it’s not just about drinking coffee, but about social connection, reflection, and the art of slowing down. Here’s what defines it: Cafés in France are social hubs and have historically been places to meet friends, discuss politics or art, read newspapers, or […]
Take the FBN quiz to see how immersed into the French way of life you are
To take the FBN quiz to find out how immersed into the French way of life you are By Howard Lewis France has been a popular holiday destination for British people for many years – it’s close to the UK, was the first country you went to on a school trip or a booze run, […]
Starting a French/English Conversation Group
Almost certainly, the biggest challenge we Brits face when moving to France is the language. It’s not about mastering the intricacies of the subjunctive; it’s about surviving a trip to the pharmacy, ordering at the bakery, or calling a plumber in an emergency. GCSE French — however faint and distant the memory — might give […]