I wouldn’t bother unless you’re into knitting patterns, how to ask for stamps at the post office, how to write a cheque in French, how to find out the English speaking phone number for x, y , z services…etc etc etc dull, dull, dull. Just saying…
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Comment ça va means literally “How goes it?”…and your answer should be either “Ça va / Ça va bien, merci” or if you really want to display your French, you could say either “Ça gaz / Ça roule” which means basically, “I’m fine”.
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Or alternatively, if things are not going well, you can say “euh boff !” and do the wiggly thing with one hand 
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Hello John. We live near Le Dorât in a small village in the Limousin and have very little French, but are learning fast. Our Bank Credit Agricole in Le Dorât are superb, speak excellent English and have helped us many times with paperwork. Please, thank you and hello go a long way in the countryside and we have had endless hilarious evenings in the local bar using a French/English dictionary. Wishing you all the best on your new venture.
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Hello Carolyn,
Thanks for the words of encouragement, I am still exploring the west and North west. I an still finding out about tax and work Permits.
All the best
John
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Official documents can usually be found online, on the government websites. Ive got a beastly seven inch tablet, but still…it’s a machine clever enough, at 40 quids, to instantly translate everything on any one page. Google translate, Is very good too, now, with German and French, just be sure to double check, in case of a machine based, bit of bad comprehension.(just flip back and forth between languages, you’ll see what the machine made of any odd sentences it didnt understand). If you need Brit conversation and company, there is almost sure to be a few Brits in your area, and in any case, As in “survive France” there are plenty of them online. I don’t know any , I like French culture better than Brit. The few pals I have are all French, though after 21 quiet years, my French remains iffy. If you feel desperately lonely sometimes…UK and Germany, are close enough to get to, without being a millionaire…or maybe you could do a house swap, or have someone to stay, free board and lodging in exchange for some work, etcetcetc…a zillion ways to cope with missing Britain, or Germany etc. Just do it, sez I…you’ll not be pleased with yourself, to ditch the adventure, …and regret…
. Plus…have you seen the online apps? e.g. …Duolingo? Free language lessons, word by phrase, with voice/accent testing? Very good. Im learning German…
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Bon jour Jeanette,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I currently use both Google translate and Doulingo, I am already booked to work another 6 weeks in France this summer and I am just back from being there for a month. But it is still to early to make a decision.
Many thanks again
John
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Hello John,
Firstly I’m sorry to hear of your loss of your wife and i cannot imagine how difficult it must be to adjust.
I am in france at the moment and have been here for the past 17 months.
To see my daughter and help with her son born in 2016.
Personally i find the language barrier a vast one and the isolation of not being able to communicate soul destroying.
I do understand some french but like others say its the pronunciation that has to be correct.
I would advise you come over out of season, say October and rent a gite for a month to see what you think.
Hey any questions please fire away.
French are aggressive and not like the Scottish at all!
Hello Susan, welcome to SFN.
Whereabouts are you?
What has made you come to this conclusion?
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Hello John, I live in central France on the borders of the Creuse and Indre departments. Beautiful countryside, lots of space BUT it does get cold here in Winter. If you want ‘good’ Winters then the South of France is ideal but not the prices. You are right to think long and hard about the climate as a long, cold, wet miserable Winter has driven more than a few families to 'throw in the towel". As for speaking the language, yes it’s hard to start with but if you immerse yourself in the local culture and make a lot of effort it will pay off. My French was very limited when I moved here, there weren’t any English speaking French or any other English families around. I didn’t have a computer but bought lots of French books at Brocantes and armed with my dictionary had a go at teaching myself. I made lots of mistakes and had some fraught moments but I made many friends and have had lots of laughs too. I don’t have English tv (don’t want it) but I watch Documentaries and the News in French and this helps too. There are some very good on line lessons, so why not have a look at a few basic ones and see how your feel for the language is. Don’t presume that banks,town halls, hospitals, dentists, tax offices etc; will have English speakers, some do, mine don’t! It’s up to us all to make an effort when we live in another country, after all we choose to come here. Don’t just make a decision based on prices of property and the fact that you don’t have close neighbours so can play music in peace. I very often see people requesting an isolated property, but ask yourself about security and emergencies ! Good luck …
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Hello John
We bought our little house for holidays -10 yrs on we have moved and been here since Dec 2014. We’re in Allier 03 have wonderful summers but winters can be minus 7/8! I was able to be over here during the summer before the final move, enabling me to join in village events, volunteer when i could, despite my lack of language. Still not great but enough to live by and make friends. We have found the more you try the more receptive everyone is. Renting/house sitting is a good idea to get a feel for the area Good Luck, enjoy a new venture
We have recently moved to france. We live 5 km from Magnac-Laval so really close to you. We live very it even though builders are here at the moment. And our local credit agricole has been brilliant too!
Hello Susan,
Thanks for your kind reply, I know the the language barrier will be vast and isolating, as I I’ve had to experience a lesser version when I first moved to Germany, but fortunately my wife learned English a lot faster than I learned German, and after 8 year in Germany I still only understand 75% of what is being said. I realise that I will need an English speaking support network of some sort. Being isolated doesn’t bother me most of the time, but at times it does get to me. I’ve already spent 3 or 4 weeks working in France, and have picked up a few words, and I mean “A FEW”.
I will be back in September to spend some more time there and hopefully again sometime in the winter.
Re: the Scots, Any nation that has Whisky as there national drink would be aggressive, and the rain will make them dour, and their accent sounds aggressive, and their sense of humour is dark and negative, but apart from that, they are really a nice and friendly bunch, that like to enjoy themselves.
Thanks for the advice.
Bon joir Ann,
Thanks for the long reply, Is where you live high up (sea level)? Cold and wet winters won’t bother me that much as long as they are not too long, the winters here in Germany are cold and last about 4 months, but the warm sunny summers are worth the wait. Also in Scotland sometimes it is only sunny for about 3 or 4 weeks out of the year and can rain the whole summer long with temperatures down to 12c, good winter are not going to be the clincher, good summer are, but the south of France is far too warm for me in the summer. The French language seems to me like to different things, the written words look different from the sound of the spoken words, but I noticed my ear tuning into that.
Also I do intent to “immerse” myself in the local culture and have found that if you are friendly and outgoing, that usually brings a good response, and with the few people that it doesn’t you would not want to know them anyway, the big problems occur when you have to deal with some awkward official, that can make life miserable, annoying and frustrating. I know what you mean about Fraught and funny moments, The Germany call “Testicles” eggs, and one day I went to the local market and said to the woman, “Can you put my eggs in a carrier bag as I am worried about them falling out onto the street” they had a good laugh at that. I too don’t watch TV, the internet is much more efficient at finding out what’s going on. I take your point about “Isolated property”. What are the Taxi prices like in France?
Bon joir Caz,
Good to hear your getting along fine in France, House sitting for a winter would be ideal, if I could find somewhere in the west. I traveled through your area last January, it was pretty cold then, as you say minus 5-7, very similar to Germany and a wee bit colder than Scotland, and good luck to you too.
Bon joir Suzanne,
Best of luck with your new home, that a really nice piece of countryside where you live, Are you in a village or out on your own?
We’re in a small hamlet/bourg. I spoke French many years ago at school but my husband never has. We seem to be getting along OK. Neighbours quite friendly and willing to try and have a conversation lol
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Bonjour John,
The altitude in my village goes from 272-467 metres ( I live nearer the higher end ) and the Winters can sometimes be long. Lowest temperature I have had here was -20° which lasted a few days. As I live near the top of a hill the roads can sometimes be impassable during a cold snap and during snow I have been ‘trapped’ for 5 days once.
Having said that, last Winter was mild and this Summer we have been up to 33° a couple of days, so a bit unpredictable. If I had the money and my circumstances were different then I would maybe move to the Charente Maritime area, it’s on the West coast of France, take a look on Google.
One of my many fraught and funny moments was during my first ‘French’ social occasion when I gaily remarked that I liked their bread as it had no preservatives. There was a moment of stunned silence and then gales of laughter while it was explained to me that I had just said that their bread had no durex ! 
I don’t use a taxi service as having a car is very important to me. There are 2 taxi/ambulance firms in my nearest town (population 1600) so I guess the prices must be reasonable. Local transport is abysmal but I accept that, after all there are other compensations ! Once you have decided on a town/area do have a look on FB ( I know, not everyone favourite, but ok if not abused ) to see what local selling/wanted groups there are. I belong to one in the Creuse area and there are often houses privatly advertised on their site. Hope this helps
Pouzolles