LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

7 French superstitions you should be aware of

Travelling in a foreign country can turn out being more exotic than expected. Especially when you run into strange local customs… Here are 7 French superstitions you need to respect if you want to avoid crooked […]

JUST FOR FUN

14 awkward moments when speaking French

14 mistakes you’ll probably make when learning French – but who cares? It’s all part of the fun 🙂 Baiser The awkward moment when you confuse a kiss for a F***. Next time say bisou […]

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

The French and Anglophone’s different approach to Praise and Success

In my ten years living with a Frenchman, and the 4 + years actually living in the country (I know, I’m a total expert already) I’ve started noticing a difference in how we celebrate success and praise towards each other, ourselves and even our children compared to the French. When it comes to applauding success, the French seem to take on a more reserved stance compared ‘les Anglosaxons’, who tend to overdo it – so I set myself the challenge to find out why. […]

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Why are the French so negative?

It’s a well acknowledged fact that, as a nation, the French have a penchant for being somewhat negative, pessimistic or, at best, for enjoying complaining. For those of us who hail from more upbeat cultures […]

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

10 cultural differences to bear in mind when trying to integrate fully in French society

Every-day things like insisting on greeting complete strangers in the elevator, yet totally avoiding a friendly banter afterwards; have left me scratching my head at times. Below I’ve compiled some examples on how these subtleties (that I never noticed before moving here) have sometimes impacted my full integration into the French culture. […]

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

How good is your French?

A1 Who are you kidding?! You can’t speak French! A1 level is the equivalent to getting points for writing down your name correctly on an exam paper. You can just about manage to write your […]