Retire to Paris, anyone?
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wrote on 19 Apr 2025, 21:21 last edited by
What It’s Like to Retire in Paris: One Couple’s Experience
We moved from Los Angeles to Paris in 2021. One suggestion for others: Learn the language.
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wrote on 19 Apr 2025, 22:10 last edited by
Lovely piece. Sounds wonderful.
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wrote on 19 Apr 2025, 22:43 last edited by
No, also for the atmosphere. The architecture is wonderful and I think I’d get on well with the French, if my long lost French girlfriend was any indication.
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wrote on 20 Apr 2025, 03:36 last edited by
Vive la France!
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wrote on 20 Apr 2025, 04:05 last edited by DougG
my oldest son moved to France three years ago. My daughter is going over for a year on a student visa to give it a try in a couple of months. My ex-wife is in the process of moving probably permanently to the south of France. If two of my kids end up living over there, I may have to actually learn a little bit of the stupid language.
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wrote on 20 Apr 2025, 09:48 last edited by Daniel.
One of my best friends in college spent a year at the University of Paris.
I couldn't. My parents' friends from Nice ruined the French language for me.
They'd say something in French and have me say it. No! Always no.
I had no attitude for it anyway.
I took a year of French (middle school I guess) and got 65/100.65 is a D-. 64 is an F as I'm sure you know.
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wrote on 20 Apr 2025, 12:22 last edited by
Freudian skip. Aptitude.
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wrote on 21 Apr 2025, 16:05 last edited by
Heard a Misssouri governor from a town near my hometown trying to speak French on the radio. My French sounds like his, horrible.
When in France or mexico or wherever, the natives always flinch when they hear me try to speak their language.
I blame it on what the linguists have called a patois that is spoken in and around my hometown and my lousy hearing. -
wrote on 21 Apr 2025, 19:20 last edited by
Someone I follow on YouTube put out this informative video today...
Link to video
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wrote on 23 Apr 2025, 12:51 last edited by
I've been to Paris a handful of times. It's said that Parisians hate Americans, but that's not true. Parisians hate everyone.
And as for the language ... if I went in to a cafe and tried to order in French, they'd respond in English. Go into the same cafe, the next day, try to order in English ... they'd act as if they don't speak English.
Outside of Paris, the people were friendly and lovely.
I forget who said it, but the saying goes that Paris is a beautiful city that Parisians don't deserve.
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wrote on 23 Apr 2025, 15:34 last edited by
That’s what I’ve always said about California. It would be a great place if it wasn’t for all the Californians.
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wrote on 23 Apr 2025, 15:45 last edited by
Rachel and I spent almost a year there in 2022. I could retire there though it wouldn’t be my first choice. I’m not sure what would be.
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wrote on 24 Apr 2025, 00:31 last edited by
After our first visit, Mr. AM said he wanted to retire there. it was so clean! He doesn’t speak French. I spoke a tiny bit of schoolgirl French. I could put together a question, but the answers came back way too fast to understand!
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wrote 5 days ago last edited by
I took 8 years of beginning French in public school. Then switched to Russian. I like Russian a lot better. But I got along OK in Paris with my first-year French. I had a French roommate in India and so had practiced a lot with her before I went. I was warned never to start out with English, even if you know the waiter speaks English, because it looks like you aren't even trying. That approach served me well in other countries with other languages as well. Seems like everyone likes an American who starts the conversation with fractured Spanish, German, Italian, whatever, rather than expecting others to speak your language. Now the app on my phone takes care of the issue when I have to communicate with someone who doesn't understand English at all.
I think I would likely be happier in rural France.
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wrote 5 days ago last edited by
I took French from Grade 1-9. When we were in Strasbourg a couple years ago I was able to stumble through a conversation with a shop keeper from whom I was buying linens. But she was VERY kind about slowing down, rephrasing, and dealing with my very simple sentences. Also, there are significant differences between Quebecois French and France French, as shown in this silly video with Justin Trudeau and some French speakers…
https://www.tiktok.com/@atfrenchies/video/7424155769278352671
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wrote 5 days ago last edited by Bernard
My parents and relatives spoke Quebecois French. I spoke it exclusively until I started school. I remember being in remedial reading in the first few grades because my English was not good. I took French for four years in high school. I knew a lot of words already but not much about formal French grammar. I have since self studied French with the help here and there of some online courses. I'd love to have a real life French speaker to practice with.
I read an Interesting article a few years back which stated that Quebecois is closer to 16th -- 18th century French--that of the aristocrats--than what Parisian is today. Apparently Quebecois has been slower to evolve so it retains it's royal roots. -
wrote 4 days ago last edited by
I would seriously consider moving there if I were younger. I read the language much better than I speak it.
Was surprised to get a passing grade in a college French class. Did much better in a reading only class.
