My favourite thing to read in expat Facebook groups in France:

“I am looking for a job, I speak English and my native language, my French is A1.2.”

Seriously?!

Let’s be honest — it’s been pretty obvious for a while now that without French, life in France won’t be easy. But people still arrive surprised.

Is there really nobody who speaks English here? Of course there is. But why would they?

Think about it. What does speaking a foreign language actually feel like? Awkward. Uncomfortable. Sometimes embarrassing. You second-guess every word coming out of your mouth.

The French have a great pride and conviction that they are simply the best. So why would they put themselves in an uncomfortable position for you? In their eyes, you are the one who chose to come here. Learning their language is the minimum.

So what level do you actually need?

If you are serious about living in France long-term, aim for a solid B1 before you arrive. You will still struggle — but significantly less than if you show up with just English and hope.

And when I say solid B1, I don’t mean that’s your finish line. That’s just your starting point. Keep learning once you’re here, focus on real everyday French rather than textbook French, and you’ll reach B2 naturally just by living your life.

At B1, you have a stable foundation in grammar. What you still lack is vocabulary for complex situations and the speed of real conversations. You will understand the topic but miss the details. You will know what you want to say but not quite how to say it clearly.

You will survive. But your head will hurt, and you will want to cry more than once. There is no shortcut.

Here’s what nobody warned me about:

Before I moved to France, I genuinely believed communication would not be a big problem.

I was wrong.

What shocked me most was that almost nothing can be done online or by email here. You have to call. Literally everywhere. Your bank. Your insurance. France Travail. The prefecture. Everyone wants a phone call.

I came from a country where everything can be handled online — any problem, any administration, sorted from your sofa. France is not that country.

So there I was, at B1 level, picking up the phone and calling strangers in French about things I barely understood in my own language.

That’s the real French level test. Not an exam. A phone call.

Next post — what actually helped me improve my French, what was a complete waste of time, and the resources I actually recommend.

written by mlsha in Paris