Bonjour! I'm Diane, the American behind the living abroad lifestyle blog Oui In France. My channel is all about everyday French life and beyond, so you'll find videos on French culture, language learning, travel, and my take on what it's like for a foreigner living in France.
I've lived in the Loire Valley since 2012 with my French husband, Tom, and Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dagny. Thanks for being here and be sure to subscribe!
**KZread Milestones**
08/09/15 Created my KZread channel
08/01/18 Got serious about my KZread channel and started creating regular content
11/05/19 Hit 1,000 subscribers
01/30/19 Hit 5,000 subscribers
02/04/19 Hit 500,000 total views
02/10/19 Hit 10,000 subscribers
04/19/19 Channel has 1,000,000 total views
03/04/20 Hit 20,000 subscribers
02/24/21 Hit 50,000 subscribers
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France looks beautiful, but I still prefer the Middle East. It has a lot more culture, kick and life.
Le bise really does seem to have died since COVID...... none of our neighbours and acquaintances greet with a kiss anymore only VERY close friends
Intéressant
Technically, it's not celcius, it's centigrade, yes, the metric system yet again ! Like centimeters, centiliters. It's EVERYWHERE ! Celcius referes to the phase transition temperature of 0° and only that.
Honesty is the best policy. Even if it's not what one expects. Getting myself ready for the move within a 2yr. timeframe. I am learning french (writing and speaking). Understanding the culture, politics and religion. Even if I move to another state. It will be the same bs. I need to start a different life for myself. I deserve better. The US is not providing that. No one and nothing will stop that. The only thing that is going to stop me is dying.
Celsius isn't a french thing. Celsius is a "everybody in the world except 'MURICA!!!" thing.
I started living with a French family when I was 15 in 1957 during the summers. I’m 81 now. No one spoke English except our former au pair who was seldom home. The first day Julia (former au pair) took me for a walk around Antibes. I had very American clothes with me and I noticed people staring at me. When we got home I asked her why and she explained it was my clothes. I asked her to take me shopping for French clothes. She did. I repacked almost everything I had brought with me and that was that. I had no choice but to learn French because no one else spoke English. (I had 1 year of French before going.) I became a French teacher. Julia’s brother asked me to marry him after my second summer but I was too young to make that decision. Long story short, I later spent a summer studying at the University of Lyon, brought my students to France regularly, never lost touch with my French family and made other friends though student exchange programs where French teachers of English brought their kids to my school to practice their English. I’m bilingual and the cherry on the top of the cake is that 18 months ago I met a wonderful Frenchman because his daughter lives here and my grandson and his granddaughter are friends. She came to my grandson’s 12th birthday party and he came with his daughter to pick her up. It was Le coup de foudre and we have been together since. I spent last summer in France and he’s here 5 months a year. We have times when we are in our own countries and times when we are in each other’s countries but we are constantly in touch. Everything you said is what I do when I’m living in France. It’s de rigueur. So my story is an example of being dual cultural and loving it. If I were younger and didn’t have kids and grandkids, I would definitely consider moving to France.
Lol my frame of reference for temps other than 0 is 28. 28 Celsius is 82 Fahrenheit. Which means it's too hot 🥵😂
Another fun and informative video. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
We just returned from a 24 day trip to France. I had watched yours and others videos and passed the need to say bonjour, merci, and au revoir to people in shops etc.. to my wife. My wife had a wonderful time and found everyone so friendly and she loved greeting people in the shops and markets with bonjour and them returning her greeting with what she called such cheery bonjour. I think the closest we got to you was 4 days staying in Tours. We also visited Provence and the Dordogne. We mostly stayed in Airbnbs so we enjoyed shopping for our food in markets (strawberries and asparagus) and the supermarkets.
Hope you had a great trip!! What did you think of the strawberries? The ones in France are honestly the best of my life.
As a French person in the US, I write my numbers the American way, and I don't write in cursive unless it's in my personal notes because I know that few American people read cursive. I also "Englishify" French words, even if that one pains me. Temperatures, on the other hand, I cannot do. I just say, "Oooh, it's hot" or "It's cold," but I could not use Fahrenheit to save my life.
Here in southern France many stores( mostly small stores) are closed on Monday not the best day to shop; some people who know each other very well do a three cheek-kiss which can include men, and no their not gay maybe happy, but not gay!
What about kilometer and other metrics ?
My European partner just came to visit me in NYC and threw away an entire pound of butter I just bought because the expiration date was 9-4-24. 😅😅 I had to remind them that is SEPTEMBER in the USA, not April! This happens almost every time 😆
Just wondering..Would a native French person adapt and speak like an American or still pronounce certain things like croissant in a french way? Just think about the jingoistic attitude some people from certain cultures have.
You mean if they were in an English-speaking country? I guess it depends on the person. My husband pronounces French words the English way when speaking English to be understood (like what I do in French).
« So everything in France and many other areas of the world is in Celsius » That’s the understatement of the year! 😂 Only 6 countries only use Fahrenheit.
👍
I'm British (English), but spent a lot of time in France as a child. Since brexit I've deliberately 'frenchified' my writing - especially numbers - just to annoy the people who took us out of the EU 😂
This Irish person was thinking I'd be mal a la tete a lot to get out of the cheek kisses 🤣
Excellent advice 👍. I've used it all while staying twice at length in France. To consider: 1. If living in Paris, make sure to get out of the sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere and to the country, so easy by train; 2. Know that French occasional rudeness is not personal, so simply brush it off, and 3. Get into the habit of buying yourself a beautiful bouquet of flowers weekly if possible; they add both cheer and softness to life. Merci beaucoup! ❣️
Hi from South France, Social Security reimburses up to a maximum of eight sessions per year with a psychologist. It still has to be within the framework of a protocol decided and prescribed by the “médecin traitant,” psychological trauma linked to a severe accident, for example. Peace, folks. ☮👈😎
I had a little chuckle at the end. You might want to reconsider your T-shirt. Sure "phoque" means seal, but in slang it is in a pejorative phrase about gays. I'll give it here as the algorithm probably won't notice. It is to say that a guy is "pédé comme un phoque". "Phoque" is a probably a misinterpretation of "foc" which is a sail, a spinnaker, which takes the wind from behind. I hope this is not too risqué. No foque pas. One other thing, if you want to learn more slang, there is a very popular and funny bande dessinée called "Les Bidochon" by Binet. As you know, many French comic books are sold nicely bound hardcover.
Retired from an international logistics company in the US, I remember all of our calendars had the week beginning on Monday, not Sunday. Writing/reading month, day, year versus day, month, year could cause some confusion. And because I was at the corporate office, with visitors from all over the world, let's just say, the bathrooms were definitely a little different. Now I find the different use of swapping commas and decimals and even a space when displaying euro amounts is sometimes a little confusing until you're used to it.
something i wanted to say Nobody in France say : " un sauvignon blanc " only americans do that ! we ask for a vineyard not for a grape variety
As a French I'll never say "sweet shirt" to accomodate someone, when French people are speaking about the group "Blood, Sweat & Tears" and their hit song "Spinning Wheel" they don't pronounce it "Bloud, Sweet and Tier" FFS.
Very interesting - thank you 😊💐
Great video as always! It's funny because at 02:17 you made 3 with your fingers like an american would, not like a european (if you've seen the movie "Inglorious Basterds" you know what I mean).
Another adaptation is to use the 24hour clock. (So much more sensible than the 12 hour one, as we still mostly use in the UK.) However if you are accustomed to English language numbers AND the 12hour clock, striving to change both at once can be stressful, particularly when it matters, as in train or opening/closing times.
I'll never forget when I was visiting a family in Kazakhstan over twenty years ago, one of the guys had a 24-hour watch, which I'd never seen before, or since.
@@brianwhite1189 Digital watches offer the option of 12 / 24hr.
When I go to France I tend to use Sunday as my driving day, often the best day to cover long distances because the French aren’t going anywhere and most lorries aren’t moving either. The only downside is that motorway rest stops can be full of lorries,as their drivers are having an enforced day off, to the point it can be difficult to park. I do say Bonjour all the time to everyone, in a busy supermarket the cashier will think I’ve gone slightly mad as not everyone does it (especially big busy places like the Carrefour in Cité Europe where they are probably used to rude British people).
Sometimes, frustratingly, there is not an established pronunciation. In the past I longed to discuss Trail Running with French people, but "trail" was variously pronounced "trell" trah-eel" "trayll" etc etc. and if I chose the wrong pronunciation for the person I was talking to, they would often not understand me. I can't think of any solution for this problem, other than carrying paper and pen (or a copy of the French "Trail" magazine, if that still exists).
Be aware that men will give "La bise" to other men.
Not always
Gay men.
I like to know if it’s common for French men to take forever to reply to texts and also ghost people if they aren’t a priority. I understand individualism as well as family and friends are highest priority. I feel like if your not in that inner circle your ignored for only God knows how long. Someone I know is behaving like that ever since he moved back there from the US. Im very frustrated cuz I reached out to him via his social media platforms and finally wrote on his fb wall but he deleted it. We’re talking about leaving me hanging for more than a month. And no I’m not harassing him everyday about it I give him 2-3wks before reaching out. I thought the French men were direct and don’t pussyfoot around 🤷♀️ . I find it rude that b/c I’m not being treated with respect and dignity. My time is valuable.
Bonjour Diane. Many of things you recommend are universal. For example, I always avoid the grocery store on Saturday and just after 5 PM during the week. The crowds are unbearable. I grew up on a farm so I always ate seasonally. That habit has remained with me. I generally visit France in the fall (I'll be there in Nov) because I prefer the weather and fewer people. However, I'm always tempted to visit in spring for the strawberries and early summer for the charentais melons. Sundays are for relaxing and recharging for the new work week. Thanks for the continuing reminder to say bonjour. One should always greet people with a "hello" in the local language no matter where one is. Please, thank-you, etc are much more than politeness - it's simple human decency. hahahaha. love your advice about pronouncing words in the local language/accent when possible, especially to make communication easier. However, I'd rather pronounce croissant with an American accent while in France rather than a French pronunciation when in the US...I'd much rather be perceived as uneducated in France than pretentious in the US. Thanks again - yours in my favorite channel about living in and visiting France.
Bonjour Diane. For distance, I learned Kilometers. 40KM times .6 = 24 miles. I pronounce English pronouns the American way when I speak a pronoun. So instead of saying "Weel Smeece," I do pronounce it as "Will SmiTH." 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷
Hello, Diane! No, you're not a guest anymore! Whether you like it or not you're one of us now! Too late! LOL! BTW, I'm not too keen on the "bise" either, especially when it involves people I'm not related to or close friends with. Funnily enough, when in the UK or the US I've happened to be asked (by women) to greet them "à la française"! (Well, I have to admit that was when I was young and handsome!). I haven't been asked for quite a while now... I wonder why.
Me too! I much prefer hugs. I particularly resent being subjected to "la bise" from men I suspect of being nasty old lechers!
Try "sow - vee - gnonh"
Is that how people say it in US restaurants? I don't even know lol, have the French drilled into my head
I always enjoy your videos! re. Bonjour, I've read that you must leave the other person time to respond and not just proceed with your question..an interesting book called "the Bonjour Effect"
Thanks for another great video. Handwriting letters and numbers really caught me out. It wasn't until I arrived in France - that very day - that I encountered French handwriting for the first time and found it difficult to read and to reproduce. This made reading handwritten notes from helpful people difficult to read. I think French clases should really include a little time to teach this. Another one I'll add is writing my surname in all capitals. it seems like there is no set order in which people write their names here and some names I can't tell which is likely to be the first name and which the family name. So, the surname being in all caps is really hepful. Finally, a caution about supermerkets - there's at least one supermarket near here that closes at lunch time - so lunchtime isn't always the best time to go.
Did the same things when I left France to live in the States joining my American husband. First, as a show of respect for the country you live in “In Rome, do as Romans do”. Second, one wants to belong! I have to confess I had a tough time to not kiss people on cheeks 🤪 now, have tough time, after 36 years in that States, kissing cheeks when visiting France😂
Lucky you are female, as I should think hearty cheek kissing of all and sundry by males might provoke suspicion and worse in the USA and UK. (Also, I suspect, in Scandinavia, where I gather they may be even less demonstrative.)
La bise? I’m sick a lot cough. 😂
The biggest difference in pronunciation for me are the following two American states: Ohio which in English is pronounced a bit like o ouch o while in French it sounds like oyo the worst for me seems to be Massachusetts which is just.... . Unpronounceable.😢
I have never lived abroad, but I try to be aware of cultural etiquette if I go to an authetic restaurant with food from a foreign country. For example, if I'm at an Asian restaurant, I pour drinks for others first before myself, and when we toast, I lower my glass for those who are older than me. I also never stick my chopsticks in food, as that is reserved for funerals. Of course, they would be forgiving if I didn't know or do those things because they're in the US, but I'm sure they appreciate those who make a concious effort as well.
The "You're pronouncing it wrong" thing is so ridiculous. Glad you're pushing back! It makes no sense to change your stress pattern and phonemic pattern when you're speaking. And I think there's a certain ethnocentrism about it. No one seems concerned to break out into Chinese tones or double check the Hungarian. It's always high frequency Western European languages that people make these pronunciation demands of. I'm surprised the bar on the 7 is necessary to avoid confusion when it's not in typeset 7s. I wonder if it's one of those things people think they see when they don't. I used it when I studied there but dropped it when I came back. Thanks, Diane!
So true what you said about Chinese tones or Hungarian!
The French have such an elegant, pretty language. Hawaiian born and raised citizen here and whenever my girlfriend speaks her native tongue to me when she's pissed I feel like a tropical leaf skirt caveman.
Great advice! Love the shirt. It was a fun day discovering seals in my grade school French immersion class.
Definitely the Bonjour. We once read on a little sign outside a coffee shop.... Un cafe 3 euros Un Cafe s'il vous plait 2 euros Bonjour, un cafe s'il vous plait 1 euro Loved it, it was a polite reminder!
Interesting content. Just curious, can you just wing it on metric measurements or are you ever in a situation when you have to get the conversion accurate?
I think you can wing it for a lot of things but when cooking, precise measurements and temperatures count for a lot!
When I had to become used to Celsius temperatures, besides knowing that the freezing point of water was 0 and the boiling point was was 100, I found that the following rhyme helped me out for day to day usage: “Thirty is hot Twenty is nice Ten is chilly Zero is ice.” After a while of using Celsius the temperatures do just become familiar to you and you don’t even think about Fahrenheit temps.
I learned Celsius when I lived in France. 20*C is 68*F. Up 1 Celsius is up 2 Fahrenheit.
I started putting bars through my sevens long time ago so they don't look like any other numbers or letters. I also prefer to shop early to avoid the crowds.
Great video, just please drop the bad, bland, boring, unnecessary stock videos.