Useful Information

This section is no longer updated and remains here for historical reasons. We are getting fewer and fewer questions regarding moving to France; updating these pages would require a huge effort, one that is not justified as our logs show a dwindling visitor count for this particular area. By all means peruse these pages but don't rely on the information unless you verify it with a French embassy or consulate.

This page contains some additional information that did not seem to fit anywhere else but nevertheless struck us as useful.

1. The Metric System

In 1799, France gave the world the metric system, so it's no wonder that it is used in these parts. Though much, much simpler than other systems, it does take some getting used to for people accustomed to deal in inches, feet, miles, and so on. Here are the most commonly used metric units and their US equivalents:

Lengths

For lengths, the basic unit is the meter (mètre).

For reverse calculations, it is useful to know that:

• 1 inch = 2.54 cm
• 1 foot = 30.48 cm
• 1 yard = 0.914 m
• 1 mile = 1.609 km

Areas

For areas, the basic unit is the square meter (mètre carré).

For reverse calculations, it is useful to know that:

• 1 inch² = 6.452 cm²
• 1 foot² = 929 cm²
• 1 yard² = 0.836 m²
• 1 mile² = 2.589 km²
• 1 acre = 4,047 m²

Dry Measures

For dry measures, the basic unit is the cubic meter (mètre cube).

For reverse calculations, it is useful to know that:

• 1 inch³ = 16.387 cm³
• 1 yard³ = 0.765 m³

Liquid Measures

For liquid measures, the basic unit is the liter (litre).

For reverse calculations, it is useful to know that:

• 1 fl. oz. = 29.57 ml
• 1 cup = 2.37 dl
• 1 quart = 0.95 l
• 1 gallon = 3.79 l

Weights

For weights, the basic unit is the gram (gramme).

For reverse calculations, it is useful to know that:

• 1 ounce = 28.35 g
• 1 cup = 226.8 g
• 1 pound = 453 g

2. Speed and gasoline consumption

One of the most often used conversions is the one from kilometers per hour (kph) to miles per hour (mph) and vice versa. A quick estimate for kph may be obtained by multiplying mph by 10 and dividing the result by 6. Conversely, multiplying kph by 6 and dividing by 10 is a good approximation for mph.

• Kilometers per hour = miles per hour times 1.61
• Miles per hour = kilometers per hour times 0.621

In the United States, gasoline consumption is measured in miles per gallon; in most of Europe, it is measured in liters per 100 kilometers. The conversion is a bit tedious, knowing that there are 1.609 kilometers to the mile and 3.785 liters to the US gallon. A very quick, and nevertheless amazingly accurate shortcut consists in dividing 235 by the number of miles that can be driven per gallon; the result is the number of liters consumed for 100 kilometers driven. Similarly, dividing 235 by the number of liters required to drive 100 kilometers yields the number of miles that one can drive with a gallon of gasoline. In the UK, imperial gallons are used (there are 4.546 liters to an imperial gallon). Simply substitute the number 282 for 235 when dealing with imperial gallons. For example:

• Convert 8.5 liters/100km to miles per (US) gallon:
  235 / 8.5 = 27.65 MPG
   
• Convert 30 miles per (imperial) gallon to liters/100km:
  282 / 30 = 9.4 liters/100 km

3. Temperature

Another frequently used conversion is that from degrees Celsius (C) to degrees Fahrenheit (F) and vice versa. This is also one of the most annoying to perform:

• C = (F -32) times 5 divided by 9
• F = (C times 9 divided by 5) + 32

Thus, water freezes at 0 C or 32 F and boils at 100 C or 212 F; normal room temperature is around 20 C or 68 F; normal body temperature for humans is 37 C or 98.6 F, and so. There is actually a third temperature-related scale in France: the one for oven settings. French recipes often give a number from 1 to 10; this corresponds to a setting on the oven. Assuming one believes manufacturers' claims that all ovens follow the same standard, here's how to convert from number to temperature:

4. Time and Date

France uses the 24 hour clock (also called "military clock" in some parts) rather than an AM/PM system. For example:

• 8 AM = 8 heures
• 8 PM = 20 heures

The times of day are called matin (morning), midi (noon), après-midi (afternoon), soir (evening), and minuit (midnight). When listing times with hours and minutes (such as on schedules, for example), the French usually separate the units with an "h" (for "heures"). For example, 9:45 PM would be written as 21h45.

Dates are a never-ending source of confusion: whereas the US use the convention month-day-year, the French (and, indeed, most Europeans) use day-month-year. Therefore, the date 3/2/99 means March 2, 1999 in the United States, but it means February 3, 1999 in France. We experienced this first hand: a date of December 6 on one of our official US papers was incorrectly registered as June 12 by the French administration, and it took us more than a year to straighten out the error! To avoid any kind of ambiguity, it is usually best to write the month name. Using the example of March 2, 1999, the French can write

• 2/3/99
• 2.3.99
• 2 mars 1999

It may be very important to check this before signing a French contract! Note that the month name is never capitalized unless it is at the beginning of a sentence. In all cases, the year may be written as two or four digits.

5. Clothing and Shoe Sizes

For people from the United States or the United Kingdom, shopping for clothes or shoes in France (as well as in other European countries) can be a baffling experience because a different system is used for sizes. The tables below should help:

6. French Festivals and Public Holidays

Throughout the year, there are numerous religious and historical festivals. Some are public holidays (jours fériés), others are simply traditions. The celebration of most of these days inevitably involves some gastronomic element; after all, this is France!

• January 1 (public holiday)
  New Year's Day (jour de l'an) is a public holiday. The réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre (the evening of December 31) is celebrated with family and friends, either at home or in a restaurant. Hugs and kisses are exchanged as the clock strikes 12. The first of January is essentially a day of rest to recover from the previous night's festivities. The French exchange New Year greetings. This is either done by telephone or by sending a card any time during the month of January.
   
• January 6
  Epiphany (la Fête des Rois) is a religious festival. Special cakes called galettes des rois are sold in bakeries; they contain a small surprise (usually a figurine) called a fève. The person finding the fève is crowned King or Queen for the day with a paper crown that comes with the cake.
   
• February 2
  Candlemas or Lady Day (la Chandeleur) is a traditional festival of religious origins. The tradition is to eat crèpes (it hurts to call crèpes "pancakes" but there does not appear to be a better word...) on this day.
   
• February 14
  Valentine's Day (la Saint Valentin) is the day for lovers. Small presents and cards may be exchanged.
   
• Mardi Gras
  A religious festival, the last Tuesday before the start of Lent (Shrove Tuesday). It is celebrated by fancy dress parades, carnivals, and by eating bugnes (once again, the term "doughnuts" doesn't do bugnes justice...) The carnival of Nice takes place around that time of year (February).
   
• April 1
  A day of fun when people play tricks on their friends. Children try to pin paper fish (poissons d'avril ) on the back of passers-by.
   
• Pâques
  (Easter) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ. The traditional dish is lamb, and chocolates are given as presents. Children search for chocolate eggs which the adults have hidden in the gardens.The following day, Easter Monday (le lundi de Pâques) is a public holiday, though Good Friday (Vendredi Saint) is not observed in France.
   
• May 1 (public holiday)
  Labor Day (la fête du travail) is a historical holiday commemorating the 1936 socialist government of the Front Populaire. It is symbolized by giving bunches of muguet (Lily of the Valley) purchased from street vendors to friends and family members.
   
• May 8 (public holiday)
  The Victoire 1945 is a historical holiday commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.
   
• l'Ascension (public holiday)
  Ascension Day is a religious holiday celebrating the Ascension of Christ. It is observed on the 5th Thursday after Easter.
   
• la Fête des Mères
  Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May, unless a different holiday falls on that day; in that case, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in June. Note that the French celebrate Mother's Day on a different day than most other countries. Father's day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
   
• Pentecôte
  Pentecost (or Whit Sunday) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrated ten days after l'Ascension in late May or early June, commemorates the passing of Christ's Holy Spirit to his apostles. The following day (lundi de Pentecôte) is a public holiday.
  Starting in 2005, the Monday after Pentecost is no longer a public holiday!
   
• June 21
  The Fête de la musique is a recent (1982) festival introduced by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the start of summer. In the evening, streets are alive with professional and amateur musicians; concerts go on well into the night.
   
• July 14 (public holiday)
  La Fête National, France's national holiday. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille by the people during the French Revolution in 1789. The day is celebrated with military parades, concerts, dances, and fireworks. There is a particularly spectacular (and crowded!) fireworks display on the sea front in Cannes.
   
• August 15 (public holiday)
  The Assomption is a religious (Christian) holiday commemorating the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
   
• November 1 (public holiday)
  La Toussaint (All Saints Day) is the festival of the dead. Traditionally, one visits cemetaries and places pots of chrysanthemums on the graves of family members.
   
• November 11 (public holiday)
  l'Armistice 1918 (Armistice Day 1918) is a historical holiday commemorating the end of the First World War.
   
• December 25 (public holiday)
  Noël (Christmas) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. The celebration begins the evening before with the réveillon de Noël. Family gather around a particularly festive and rich meal; for some, this is followed by attending la messe de minuit (Midnight Mass) in church. Children receive their presents (that have been left under the Christmas tree by le Père Noël during the night) on Christmas morning. Note that the French do not normally exchange Christmas cards.

7. Name Days and Birthdays

In the calendar, each day of the year is associated with a particular Saint. It is customary to celebrate the day by wishing Bonne Fête to anyone having the first name of the Saint. A verbal greeting is usually sufficient, though children often receive a card and perhaps a small present.

The practice of celebrating birthdays with a card and a present is a tradition in France. Bon Anniversaire means "Happy Birthday" (the anniversary of the person's birth).

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