If you don't want to learn French simply don't come to France because you will never integrate.

"It's definitely a huge advantage if you can speak French if you're going to live here". No way ?! Speaking French in France ?! So fancy. Don't tell me it's also better to speak Japanese in Japan and Vietnamese in Vietnam? I'm so relieved it's not a negative thing. Thank you. Really.

Thank you for these details. I'm always interested in the story of the business opportunity. What made you think your garage could be renovated into a successful AirBnb? Looks terrific. I hope you're quite busy.

This woman's presentations are practical, no-nonsense and highly informative. Meanwhile, in re the legendary "Joanna," why would one move to a country in which one doesn't speak -or be motivated to learn to speak- the local language?

For a house in your location would a solar installation make sense and if so how long to breakeven?

An ultra-informative, facts-based, practical, green-eyeshade look at the subject -a welcome contrast to the typical internet influencer rah-rah hoo-hah. Très bien fait. Merci infiniment ...

Thanks very much for sharing these numbers. I've wondered about the affordable houses in France, and whether there is some significant tax or fees that reduces their value. I'd be interested to understand more about property appreciation in France; is it like the US where double digit appreciation is expected every year? Or is the appreciation curve more flat. Also, I'm curious as to whether short term rentals or long term rentals are more profitable in the long term. I've been watching all your videos and find them very helpful as I contemplate a move to France.

I appreciate your interest in buying locally. However, as a francophile from outside France, I would love to be able to patronize these brands also. I've noted the brands for men; I would love to hear more about other men's brands that aren't too fussy, and are good quality.

I've been a francophile for a long time, but I'm learning so much from your channel.

Can you work part-time while attending a language school?

omg, retiring and I'm ready to buy a 65,000 house in a village in France! Well, after I sell mine and get a visa! ;)

The problem with all these videos of Americans living in France is that they always speak about all the positive sides, while mentioning very few "negative" sides, like you have to learn the language - duh! - bureaucracy and a few others. They never mention the increasing violence in France, the maddening tax system, all the codes and restrictions for everything, how the real estate is going to plunge dramatically thanks to stupid climate change severe restrictions, how you do not have the right to defend yourself if criminals enter your property, and if you do how you will end up in jail after the criminals sue you, how massive immigration has completely changed the country for much worse, how impoverished the country is now, with multiple ramifications, how the media censure enormously and bombard propaganda, how polluted France is from agricultural chemicals and nuclear waste, how if you buy a property in the country the "chasseurs", the hunters, have the right to hunt and shoot on your property, how you cannot dress up to much and wear jewelry because you will be attacked, how bad is women's harassment in the streets, how bad the drug trafficking is everywhere, how stressed out people are because they became poor and stuck into a miserable life, and a few other things. I wish I could return to France, but the country is sinking.

Wonderful video and very informative. Thank you very much for providing this information

Si la majorité des visiteurs de cette vidéo veulent vraiment comparer il faudrait prendre le problème de la façon suivante : Sachant qu'en France, une heure de travail minimum est de 11.88 euros brut au 12/12/24, combien il faudrait d'heures de travail pour se payer tel ou tel objet/service. En faisant la même base avec le salaire minimum US on peut comparer vraiment les choses.

Hi Suzi. Maybe it is in some other video, but how do we know your AirBnB from any other when searching?

Excellent content! On an unrelated topic, does Dijon experience much flooding?

Useful, sensible info for a Parisian expat. Thanks

In France there are many ‘bilingue’ paperbacks available. LANG POUR TOUS is one I have of English/American short stories. At the bottom,English idiomatic expressions are explained (for the French). Very useful.

And yes a line item video on the healthcare would be totally fascinating :) (but I realize a lahhht of work)

Could you please add to the notes the websites you showed? They don't really show up in the video but sound very helpful. Also, it sounds like you are referring to mortgage rates for citizens but that you are speaking mostly to expats. I've never heard anyone in the expat community have much/any luck with mortgages in FR and certainly not at low rates, so I'm puzzled about that part of your video. Finally, I can offer that everyone's, not just France's, internet and mobile are very low now for anyone who wishes to make it so (a few people are hanging on to unnecessary and old contracts). The infrastructure and capital costs for those has already fully depreciated financially so everything mobile carriers do now is essentially profit. That's not a France thing. I point it out bc I see a lot the mythmaking of how cheap it is in one's particular location...the truth is it's cheap everywhere as long as you don't stay with some really old-school carrier that is just milking you :). Just a note from your friendly neighborhood corporate businessperson on that. Thank you so much for sharing - it's lovely to run into a Dijon video today, thank you!

Hi Suzi! Thank you for sharing a tour of your home. It is very bright and modern. Can you share a link to your short term rental(s)? I am doing a bit of research in anticipation of a visit to France in the near future.

Allo Allo....

Thank you for this! I just launched my Airbnb and I'm immediately receiving requests. My goodness, I should've started doing this years ago. Anyhow, I was nervous of this very thing and my third request was for someone with no reviews and no profile details. Maybe they are too busy to complete it but no reviews is a little sketchy. I sent them your message. I will see if they respond. I am also a landlord so not having any reviews/referrals on someone makes me nervous...

What are the English language podcasts you recommend for English learners? I'm doing language conversation exchange with an Italian and she has this precise question. I'd say she's at a B2 level in English. Thank you and I appreciated the well done video.

French is my new target language. I learned Spanish primarily watching Novelas on Telemundo and learning song lyrics. In French, it’s definitely through books and movies.

I like the phone notebook for translation. Great idea!

Do you support bilingual books & audio, or 2 books--1 language, 1 book, & separate target language audio book?

hm . . I am Dutch, grown up in Holland and still live in Holland . . . It's normal here to learn, besides Dutch, Englisch and German and, in many cases also French. It's only a 'thing' of Englisch speaking country to learn only one language . ..(France is an exeption españa también puede ser una excepción `)

Yep i am subscribing I am willing to learn about France and Finance /Investments.

I've been buying my clothes second-hand for years now, for the same reasons you explain. Where I live they are a lot cheaper than that, but what's really important to me is the possibility to take care of the environment by re-using clothes instead of buying new, cheap ones. Great video, thanks a lot!

Your video is great. I appreciate you sharing your thinking process, it's the first time I feel like I'm talking to a friend and not an agent looking for a commission. Thank you so much!

I've been studying French for a long time and fiction books are difficult to get through. I'm a B2 in reading. I can read news and blog articles, but fiction is really hard. There hasn't been any book I picked up where I know 95% of the words. I've already went through 2 graded readers and they were easy. Now I just pick up random books in the library and get the reading. Hoping one day I understand the weird styles of writing.

Very useful video. Thank you. Would you seek a book that is originally in the target language? Or, would you be just as comfortable choosing a book that has been translated to the target language?

I love the idea of keeping words in an address book. I have been keeping a notebook with words and phrases, but there is no order to it. This is much better. I have started reading one article in Le Figaro or Le Monde each morning, which has been great for improving my French and for keeping up on French news and culture. Great channel, by the way : -)

I have a few french books that I am planning to read, but I am still a bit hesitant to start because of the French literary tenses. I am afraid that when I start to read these French books, I'll mix up the written and spoken french. I don't want turn into a to a walking French novel.

Loved this video! 😊To find a book where you know 95% of the words is almost impossible when you start reading in a foreign language if you pick books written for everyone. Even children books can be incredibly challenging using simple past , conditional, plus que parfait or even subjunctive and a lot of expressions. I just picked a novel in level A1 in French for a student (an intermediate level) and there were more than 15% of unknown words. It’s a real challenge to find the sweet spot between interest and understandability. Myself I just decided one day to read a first novel in English. I was translating everything in a notebook page by page. It took me six months but I was so proud and it gave me the confidence to continue while boosting considerably my level…but it’s not for everyone.

Vous avez balbutié "balbutier"😊 ça s'écrit balbutier et se prononce balbuCier.

Self employed worker here. I pay 46% social charges and 9% tax and earn an average wage. It's a beautiful country to live in but hard if you run your own business.

This video really resonated with me. I'm in my 70's and I started to "relearn" French about ten years ago. (I had taken and some French in my twenties as preparation for an exchange program. Events intervened and I never got to take part.) I also have a fairly severe hearing loss which complicates matters. Reading in French has been the brightest patch of my journey. I have heard varied opinions from language teachers, but, I think yours is my favorite. Over the last decade, I have read many books in French. I've read all of Flaubert, including "Novembre" his work of juvenalia, other classics by authors like Camus, Voltaire, Balzac, Dumas and Hugo and several modern novels. (I think "L'Élégance du hérisson" was my favorite.) Lately, Hugo I've been reading Hugo. I read "Notre Dame" earlier this year and I'm about 2/3 of the way through "Les Miérables." (Don't tell me what happens!) I still struggle with conversation and writing. One trick I use when I'm writing in French is to use Google translate by typing in French and having it translate to English. It will pick up some of my errors like gender and misplaced accents. But, in the end, even if I never get any better at conversation, reading has revealed a wealth of great literature, and that has given me a better understanding of French culture in general. Those things, by themselves, were worth the effort. I know I've gone on too long, but, for people looking for something to read, some short story collections like Apollinaire's "Le Robinson de la gare Saint-Lazare" or Marcel Aymé's "Le passe-muraille" are wonderful. The "Asterix" comic books are also really good for picking up word play and silly jokes.

You have stolen my heart to know that you are reading Chimamanda’s book!! You should definitely read all her other books. She is a fabulous writer.

As always, great info and advice! I recently bought two books: Le Petit Prince in the French (paperback) as well as one I just heard about in an expat FB group "Le Langue anglaise n'existe pas" by Bernard Cercuiglini (Kindle eBook). I have not started either. I am just feeling about up to watching French-language media - in fact, tonight I will be starting the "War of the Worlds" French remake of the Jules Verne epic. I am 65, and ADHD, and likely some autism in here as well, so I am all over th map in finding/exploring ways to learn French. MY target jump date is May-early June. So I am spending at last 2 hours a day in doing something or another in French. Also, based on your "community booster" info on Dijon, it is one of the cities I will be visiting on my move-to scouting trip the first two weeks of February. Maybe we can even meet for a coffee?

I have already collected up a number of simpler books to read in French, just trying to get far enough to feel comfortable trying to read them.

I learned english by reading. Roleplaying games were much more available in english than french when I was a teen. And later, I attended McGill University for a year, which boosted the whole thing to a whole new level.

Thank you Suzi for all your tips.

Bonjour! I'm a new subscriber. Thank you so much for the Americhana book recommendation! I just ordered it during a fantastic Amazon black Friday deal. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for this vid. I have been mulling over how to find books which will help my efforts to brush up my French, and this vid couldn't have come at a better time. Your self-made dictionary is genius. Have you listed your favorite podcasts somewhere? I'd be grateful to know which you like. Thanks again.

Thanks for watching! What's your favorite strategy for learning a new language? Have you tried extensive reading? 📚Which book are you currently reading in your target language, and how is it helping you improve?

I am just a young man who is living in a country that is having a civil war. But I had this dream of living in France in the far future when it's time to settle down. I am currently finishing my IGCSEs and will be Learning French soon. Maybe i will get there one day if i work hard. Thanks for making this video, i know i am just some random kid but i am very curious. There's very little videos out there talking about this as clear as you do. Please make more if these linds of videos more because i enjoy watching them and it is almost like a reminder for my dream. Merci beaucoup!

Awesome video! We’re thinking of visiting and potentially planning an extended stay in the near future for retirement. What do you recommend for basic accommodations to stay in as an “intro to Dijon”? Also, we’re looking for a support group for ex-pats that can be helpful with this transition. Thank you for making this video!

How do people makes ends meet with minimum wages? They don't, obviously. Cut corners, get a second job, have some non declared gigs cash, go into debt. That's not life, that's struggle for survival. But given how hard it already is for them in France with our social security net (RSA minimum stipend, affordable housing and social housing programs, etc) I can't even fathom how hard it actually is in USA when minimum wages can be as low as 5$ to 7$ an hour and next to no social benefits.