Letters and comment

Letters: Readers share the drôleries of getting by in French

From old false friends to the latest translation tech - sometimes everyone gets language wrong

Comment: Trump’s victory paves way for far-right win in France

Columnist Simon Heffer says French voters may look with envy at the decisive mandate of the US president-elect

Letters: French GP is charging more than he should for consultation

Connexion reader says her doctor is already asking for €30 per visit

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Letters: French vets cannot check EU database for lost pets

Connexion reader points out that pets in France need to have the national ID chips or risk never being reunited with their owners

Letters: French cycling rules are rarely enforced

Connexion reader says he takes special precautions to stay safe

Letters: French banking practices are commercial nonsense

Connexion reader says that spending limits force him to turn to foreign banks

Letter: It takes too long to get a disabled parking badge in France

Connexion reader says delays due to French bureaucracy meant the card came after his recovery

Letters: Post-Brexit reset means easing UK-France border checks

Connexion reader says a reciprocal deal on the Schengen border would help everyone

Letters: Strength of the dollar is key factor for Americans in France

Reader notes that last time Donald Trump won he said he wanted a weaker dollar to boost exports

Letters: French banks act like our money is theirs to keep

Connexion reader says the monthly spending limits are 'incomprehensible'

Letters: Automatic French translations can be so funny

Connexion readers share their experiences of absurd mistranslations

Letters: Avoid Bordeaux Airport if you can

Readers call it an 'eyesore', with long queues, few seats and lack of air conditioning

Letters: Our French village fête is literally booming

Connexion reader says traditional festivities have been replaced by three consecutive nights of loud music

Letters: French visa proposal for second-home owners sounds like hassle

Connexion reader says he will leave the country if it keeps getting harder to live here

Comment: Why hairdressers rule French villages

Columnist Samantha David notes that the coiffeuse is more valuable than a boucherie and boulangerie

Letters: Minority of French motorcyclists think they are in a video game

Reader says that UK and German bikers act more responsibly

Comment: Court ban on Marine Le Pen from holding office would anger French voters

Severe punishment for the Rassemblement National's presidential candidate could derail respect for legal and political institutions, says columnist Simon Heffer

Letters: France's hot weather and limited bin pick ups make for bad mix

Reader says that composting is impractical for second home owners who live abroad

Letters: Vegetarians can cook at home and leave French restaurants to the rest of us

Reader says the pressure for more menu options would turn France into a nanny state

Letters: My French admin nightmare due to name error

Reader says the problem arose because officials do not have an ü or umlaut key

Letters: French DPE system for energy efficiency is all about money

Reader says that the diagnostic models were devised to make people purchase on heat pumps, solar panels and insulation

Letters: French lettres recommendées are by no means infallible

Reader points out two failings of France's omnipresent system of registered post

Comment: The French language does not match the country's values

Columnist Peter Wyeth ponders why they say ‘I’ when the English say ‘we’ – is this a historical anomaly?

Letters: French 'réserve de chasse' sign does not mean what I thought it did

Reader had presumed that it meant an area was reserved for hunting

Letters: EU's Schengen 90-day calculator is not reliable for time in France

Reader says the dates it gives do not match reality

Letters: Biodiversity is in decline, but not just in France

Reader says the complex systems of weather, migration and global economics all play a part

Letters: Excellent French healthcare service has never disappointed

Reader is impressed by France's conscientious GPs and access to specialists

Letters: The language barrier ended my dream life in France

Reader says that despite his love for the country he just could not get to grips with French

Letters: Motorcyclists are too aggressive on the Paris périphérique

Connexion reader says that many drive too fast and act rudely when drivers do not let them

How long does it take to renew a carte de séjour in France?

Readers share their experiences

Comment: French garages can be a right pain in the derrière

Columnist Samantha David recounts her regular struggle to get her old banger moving

Comment: Industrial eyesores are a blot on French rural landscape

Columnist Nick Inman argues that town planners should be more aware of visual pollution

Letters: Quirky French expressions with donkeys, silk and breaking wind

Readers share their favorite silly phrases in the language

Comment: Brexit hit French residents hard but was it a no-win for everyone?

Columnist Nick Inman says it is time for Leave supporters to take stock

Letters: French paid bin collection system works if you take care

Readers share their experiences in coping with the limited pick-ups

Letters: France’s traditional village fêtes are still alive and well

Connexion reader says the parties could easily run late into the night

Comment: French YouTuber's Everest ascent is problematic but inspiring

Columnist Nabila Rambani reflects on the achievement of YouTube sensation Inoxtag

Letters: Patou dogs can spoil hiking trips in France

Readers share their opinions Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog

Comment: Soap opera of French politics continues with new cabinet

France teeters on the verge of ungovernability, says columnist Simon Heffer

My advice as a mountain guide on how you can help protect the French Alps

‘Despite what you might think about fresh alpine air, the air quality index is often worse in Chamonix than in Paris’

Letters: Don’t forget that climate change hits French farmers too

Connexion reader highlights the uphill struggle against drought, flooding and varying temperatures

Letters: DPE energy efficiency reports for French homes are misleading

Readers say the system makes many good homes appear unattractive and does not give a full picture

Letters: I have always used my French licence to drive in the US

A reader tells of his trouble-free experience of driving abroad

Letters: Why is French wine getting stronger every year?

Connexion reader notes that wines are frequently above 15% alcohol content

'Many in my French village vote far right... but not due to immigration'

Columnist Nick Inman addresses an unpalatable reality of rural life that is now a national phenomenon

Letters: French roofers' tiling error made it rain in my home

Connexion reader shares a hard lesson on making sure your canal tiles are are correctly positioned

Letters: France’s toll-free motorways: a ‘nightmare’ or ‘no trouble at all’

Readers spar over their vastly different experiences with the new system

Letters: We too have seen a huge drop in biodiversity in French countryside

Connexion reader says that the number of animals visiting her home has plummeted in recent years

Letters: Don't sign deals for fibre internet on your doorstep in France

Connexion readers share their experiences signing up to the high-speed network in villages

Letters: Most French teachers did not know about ADHD

Connexion readers tell of the struggles that their neurodiverse children went through to be accepted in France

Letters: Bin collection fees have soared in France - for fewer pick-ups

Readers say the fees mean putting the rubbish out only once every six weeks

'Real French treasures are now hard to find at flea markets'

Columnist Peter Wyeth laments that traditional vide-greniers are increasingly filled with flimsy plastic objects

'French healthcare is baffling and complex... but it works'

Columnist Nick Inman recently had the misfortune to be ill, but the fortune, as he sees it, for this to happen in France

'Paris Olympics were magnificent - but our visit was disappointing'

Reader says her family were surprised to see that the Olympic flame was not real - and that there were no more Phryge toys available

Letters: Readers spar over French 'obsession' with meat

Vegetarians argue that it is 'bad for our health and the planet' rather than the 'epitome of dining'

'Get your cat treated for fleas before it goes wandering in France'

Columnist Samantha David explains how her pet was picked up by an association only to return riddled with the pests

Comment: Olympics were all about cash but will leave positive legacy

The funds generated by the Games have been well spent and optimism has replaced the usual glumness, writes columnist Nabila Ramdani

Comment: Macron may pull rabbit out of hat for new PM but will it work?

Political instability seems destined to last in France, says columnist Simon Heffer.

Our village fête is sadly now more hipster Hackney than paysan Périgord

Columnist Nick Jenkins says that the gala events feel increasingly sanitised and less traditional since Covid

Comment: Recycling cannot solve plastic pollution problem alone

How one organisation is calling for less waste in a bid to fight pollution

Letters: French emergency care is fast and effective - unlike in the UK

Connexion reader says people forget how long the wait for ambulances and treatment can be in Britain and Ireland

Letters: France wrong to stop some people working after retirement age

Connexion reader says training schemes are unavailable at age 67

Comment: Croissant changes must not lose authenticity of great French pastry

Innovative twists on traditional recipes are redefining the classic pastry and should be celebrated, writes Peter Wyeth

Comment: ‘If you are going to break a tooth, don’t do it in France in August’

Reader tells how he tried 70 different dentists - but still no luck

Comment: The French can't get enough of British grub

Columnist Samantha David says that British restaurants near her could not be more popular despite low rankings by French people for the UK in a global cuisine survey