Culture & codes
"Ça va?" — A pocket dictionary of French phrases
French is a precise language. Paradoxically, French people have perfected the art of saying things without really saying them.
Practical articles, cultural insights and bilingual glossary — to prepare your move and understand the unwritten rules that change everything.
Concrete insights written from the field — not from a textbook.
French is a precise language. Paradoxically, French people have perfected the art of saying things without really saying them.
Understanding what someone means in France often means reading between the lines. A few useful translations:
The meeting went well, everyone smiled. So why haven't you heard back about the project?
In France, a meeting is not always a decision-making space. It's often a space for sharing ideas. The actual decision happens elsewhere — in a corridor, over coffee, in a discreet one-to-one exchange.
"That's interesting", "it's a lead worth exploring", "we'll need to dig deeper" — these often mean a diplomatic no. It's not bad faith, it's a form of respect that avoids direct confrontation.
Registering with French social security is the longest and most underestimated step of any relocation. Here's what you really need to know.
A temporary social security number (NIA) takes 2–4 months. The permanent number (NIR) and Carte Vitale can take up to 12 months. In the meantime, you're registered but without a physical card.
CPAM communicates by post. If you change address mid-process without notifying them immediately, you can lose months. Stabilise your address before starting if possible.
Landlords sometimes receive 20 applications for one property. Yours needs to speak for itself before you even visit.
Your net monthly income must be at least 3 times the total rent (including service charges). It's a convention, not a law, but almost all landlords apply it. If you don't meet it, a guarantor is essential.
The licence exchange is one of the longest and most poorly anticipated admin steps. What you absolutely need to know.
You can drive on your foreign licence for 1 year from your date of residence in France. After that, exchange is compulsory if your country of origin is covered by reciprocal agreements.
ANTS processing time: 6–12 months. Your original licence is sent to the CERT in Nantes. You receive a deposit certificate valid for police checks — keep it with you.
In France, eating together is not a trivial act. It's a social marker, a trust space, and sometimes the only moment where real conversations happen.
Lunch is a space for decompression but also for trust. Projects, unspoken tensions, and future plans are discussed there. If you want to understand a company's internal culture, have lunch with your colleagues.
Without a French account, you can't sign a lease or receive your salary. And yet, opening one can take up to 6 weeks. Plan ahead.
If you face repeated refusals, the Banque de France can compel an institution to open a basic account. In practice, moving back to a standard account afterwards is very difficult — last resort only.
Essential words organised by theme — with French original, English equivalent, and a field definition.
These everyday French terms nobody thinks to explain — but that make all the difference once you know them.
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