This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • Civil partnerships from outside France recognised

    Field-blockTHE French inheritance tax system will now treat same-sex couples who are in a civil partnership from outside France on an equal footing.

    Amendments have been passed that mean should one partner die, the other does not face a tax bill of 60 per cent, bringing France in line with the UK who already recognise the French equivalent of its own civil partnership, the pacte civil de solidarité (PACS).

    Here lawyer Guillaume Barlet, of Bank House Investment Management Limited, offers some thoughts on the recent changes.

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  • Online French verb conjugation

    Verb-conjugationHERE is a handy website that will help you conjugate verbs, write out numbers in French, understand basic grammar rules and maybe answer with some of those language puzzles you face.

    Le Conjugueur website is produced in partnership with Le Figaro and was mentioned on the La Vie en France Yahoo! group.

    The main part of the site lets you get up to speed on your verbs, but there are handy tools offering tips on the full spelling of numbers and the chance to check the spelling of French words.

    There is also a verb conjugation software package that you can trial for 30 days that offers detailed results.

  • Options for your savings in France

    Euronotes2907_6PROFITABILITY, availability, security and taxation are all elements to take into account when looking for a savings product, write Guillaume Barlet and Tristan Freer.

    When investing, it is important to consider both your personal objectives and any external constraints.

    With the fall of sterling, British nationals have started to look at possibilities to invest money in other currencies and in particular in euros.

    In some cases, financial products in euros are available in the UK.

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  • Anglais avec les chats in French classrooms

    Les-amis-englishTHE charity, Les Amis Des Chats, has brought its knowledge of the feline world to the English class of a village school in Tarn et Garonne.

    Children at the Touffailles primary school have been joined by Charlie, a cuddly soft toy, to help with English lessons but also involve the class in learning more about responsible pet ownership.

    Lynne Stone, of the charity, said: “With the help of Charlie, and other cat related resources, the children have complimented their normal English lessons by using pictures of cats to identify different colours and recognise facial expressions.

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  • France Telecom online error report in English

    Android mobile phone

    Update June 2022

    I AM afraid that the online service for reporting an error no longer seems to be working, the old website has now been taken over by another completely different company.

    I have not been able to find an online service from Orange that replaces the previous one and can only recommend that you call them on 09 69 36 39 00

    ***

    THE English language error reporting service from France Telecom has been mentioned a couple of times in comments on the site, so I thought I’d highlight it in an article.

    Website deleted – enables you to report a fault on your telephone landline and could come in handy if you can access the internet via your computer, a mobile phone or a friend’s web access.

    The website stresses that the service is for problems with the line, if an engineer is sent and it is decided that your telephone equipment was at fault you face being charged a call-out fee.

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  • Cycling around the treasures of France

    Cycle-france
    I’M not the only one who’s dreamt of cycling through the French backroads, writes Christopher Strong. And, I know I’m not the only one who’s done it spontaneously, with no fixed itinerary.

    But, in all modesty, I may be the only one who’s done it five months a year for five years to produce a television series and, as a result, now lives in the country of my dreams.

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  • Inheritance tax fight for same-sex couples almost at an end

    Inheritance-taxINEQUALITIES in the French inheritance tax system towards same-sex couples from outside France could soon be brought to an end.

    At present the French system does not recognise couples who have registered under civil partnership arrangements in their own countries, so on the death of one the surviving partner is treated as a third party and will be charged inheritance tax.

    But amendments have passed through the Senate that would recognise non-French civil partnerships, and it is hoped that its passage through the Assemblée Générale will run smoothly.

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  • Pollen levels in French towns and cities

    Pollen-franceALTHOUGH the spring sunshine is welcomed by many, it is not greeted as warmly by those people who suffer from hay fever.

    Le Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (RNSA) website is a useful stop for hay fever sufferers as there are guides and regular updates available.

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  • Talking about This French Life and blogs

    French-lifeA FEW days ago I chatted with freelance journalist Gabrielle Jaffe about this French life of mine, speaking about the website but also the world of blogging.

    Gabrielle has published the audio recording so you can take a listen, but do check out the other stories on the Francofile website.

    Drawing on her journalism training, Gabrielle recently looked at the contrast in coverage of Europe between the UK and French press and you will also see links to many newspaper websites on her site.

  • SAFER – watching over the French countryside

    Church-view0504A RECENT article published in Le Figaro described how a simple administrative discrepancy during a property purchase procedure could result in the sale of allegedly the most expensive villa in the world falling through, writes Guillaume Barlet.

    Mikhaïl Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire, agreed to purchase the luxurious property named Leopolda in Cap Ferret for the modest price of €390 million.

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