5 things you NEED to know before travelling to France

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5 things you NEED to know before travelling to France

Transcription

Stay tuned until the fifth because what I'm about to tell you will ensure that you don't miss your plane.

Before I start, I would like to tell you about the digital book I just released. It is very interesting for you if you have planned a trip to France.

In the ten chapters, you will learn phrases and words that are essential for getting by in France, for example, in a restaurant, in an emergency situation, when shopping or asking for directions.

Each chapter is also accompanied by a video to make it easier for you to learn these phrases and the different concepts you will see.

You also have over 30 audios to help you repeat key words or phrases and work on your pronunciation.

Throughout this digital book, you also have many tips on politeness or culture in France.

And because I really want you all to come and visit the beautiful country of France, I am offering you minus 20% on this digital book for 10 days.

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You can find it on my online school and for that, you just have to follow the link in the description of this video. If you have already bought this guide and you didn't benefit from the promotion, don't hesitate to send me an email or to put a comment under this video so that I can refund you the difference.

Let's start right away with the first very important thing to know if you come to France. This first piece of information is mostly for Americans.

In France and in Europe, generally speaking, when we write a date, we always write the day, the month and then the year, whereas in American English, we write the month, the day and the year.

If you want to book tickets to see a show in Paris or if you want to book a train from Lyon to Marseille, for example, be very careful to make a good reservation.

I have friends who, on the other hand, made a mistake on the American continent. They wanted to book bus tickets for September 5 and actually booked them for May 9. So be really careful.

Second interesting thing to know and you'll like it because I'm going to tell you about something free. When you go to a restaurant in France, the water in carafe, the water that comes from the tap, is free.

You can ask the waiter for a free carafe of water. This is the case in France, but for example, it is not the case at all in Belgium. It doesn't exist, it's not free.

The second free thing in restaurants in France is the bread. You know that the French love to eat bread. They are very proud of their baguettes. You get free bread, usually at will when you go to a restaurant.

Of course, when you order food, you can't just walk into a restaurant and ask for bread. But I think you get the idea. So tap water in a carafe and bread baskets are free at the restaurant.

Third point, the prices are always displayed including VAT, which means that you will never pay more than what you see on a menu or in a store.

For example, the price you see displayed is the price you will pay. Whether it's services or products, everything is displayed, all taxes included.

There are no surprises at the cash register. At the restaurant, the service and the tableware are also included in the price of the dishes and drinks.

You do not have to tip the waiter or waitress for their wages. You can if you particularly liked the service, but you don't have to.

Fourth thing to know, and this you may have seen in the series "Emily in Paris"; we don't count floors the same way in France as in the United States.

In France, the first floor is the zero level. You go up the stairs once, you have the second floor.

You go up the stairs a second time, you have the second floor. So we start at zero. And the cellar is usually the -1.

And finally, the most important thing not to miss, not to miss your return flight, is to know that the metro stop Charles de Gaulle and the stop for Charles de Gaulle airport are not at all, but really not at all in the same place.

The Charles de Gaulle metro stop is located near the Arc de Triomphe, next to the Champs Élysées, thus in the heart of Paris, while the Charles de Gaulle airport is located outside the city.

You have to go there by cab or RER. Be very careful because it happens every year that tourists miss their plane on the way to the Charles de Gaulle metro station, but don't expect to find any planes there.

By the way, speaking of cabs, also be very careful. As in every country in the world, there are cabs that try to rip off tourists. There is an article that was published a few days ago, which explains that tourists were scammed of more than 2,000 € by a cab for the trip between the airport and the center of Paris.

It is important to know that for this trip, depending on where you go in Paris, the prices are fixed and they are not fixed at 2 000 €.

Not at all. I explain this in detail and give you many other tips in my guide "Essential French words and phrases you need to know to survive in France".

Feel free to click on the link in the description to learn more.

If you liked this video, of course, put a like.

Subscribe if you haven't already and I'll see you soon.

🇫🇷 40 Daily Conversations Method - Intermediate

🚀 Transform your French comprehension!

Discover an innovative approach to mastering French through 40 daily conversations. Enhance your comprehension of Modern French and unlock your language skills. Ideal for intermediate learners.

More Details

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