Okay, let's get started. Things I don't like about France. The list could have been very long, but I've selected nine things I don't like about my country, and we're going to look at them today.
Listen up, listen up. I'm French. I love my country with all my heart.
I love its language and I love its culture. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this job. We're all clear on that.
But still, there are a few little things that annoy me a bit, that I don't understand, that frustrate me, that I find really unfortunate and sometimes very irritating. And that's what we're going to look at today. OK?
So feel free to comment and tell me if you agree with me and what your thoughts are. The first thing that bothers me about France is the French mentality. Yes, the French love to complain, they grumble, they're rather pessimistic.
And it's true that, from what I've observed, that's the case when I compare it to other cultures and other countries I've traveled to. You can try it. If you know someone who's French, ask them, "How are you today?
" I'm sure they'll tell you, "I'm okay, but I'm tired. " "I'm okay, but not great. " "So-so.
" "Yeah, I'm fine. " There's no contagious enthusiasm. The worst part is on public transport.
Especially in Paris, you get the impression that people are already tired and exhausted. Even in the morning, they're grumpy on public transport. And personally, it rubs off on me.
As a result, I also feel depressed because people are in a bad mood, rushed, and angry. All of that, it's true, can create a rather heavy and pessimistic atmosphere after a while. The second thing I don't really like about France is the bureaucracy and administrative processes in general.
Basically, all the paperwork and procedures. It's incredible how much time and energy you waste dealing with paperwork. In France, everything is slow, everything takes time.
They ask for a lot of documents, and when they have those documents, they ask for more documents, and then more documents, and it just takes even longer. It never ends. You see, this is my passport.
It's all nice and new. Actually, I went to reapply for a new passport because mine was expiring. But it was so long, it took weeks, all the paperwork they asked for.
Well, it's an identity document, so that's normal. But imagine when you want to buy an apartment, changing your address with the post office is complicated too. Finally, it's endless.
It's terrible. It feels like we spend our lives filling out forms: name, surname, age, date of birth, address. But I've given the same information a hundred times.
Another thing I've noticed, and which I find deeply regrettable, is that we're losing the meaning of our traditions and holidays, and therefore our values. For example, if you asked young people, "Why is May 1st a public holiday? Why is it Labor Day?
What happened on November 11th? Why do we eat a galette des rois for Epiphany? Why do we make crêpes on Candlemas?
" We do all these things, but we no longer know why we do them. We're losing a bit of what makes us French. You know, simple things like going to the market on Sundays, going to the local shops .
These days, since we don't have the time, we prefer to go to supermarkets and department stores because it's more convenient, and I completely understand that, but I find it a bit of a shame that we're losing our values and traditions. But things are changing, it's just different. Okay, so I'm talking about things I don't like, but there are also things I do like, you know.
Really, I want to emphasize, this isn't a criticism of my country, it's just an observation. For example, I really love its culture, its literary and cinematic culture, especially French cinema and French series. And right now, I'm watching a documentary.
Do you also watch documentaries in a foreign language, especially in French? Let me know in the comments. But I have a really good one to recommend that I'm watching right now.
You can watch it on Lingopie. The documentary is called The Secret History of Resistance. It's perfect if you're interested in French culture and history.
If you want to learn little anecdotes, for example, you can watch it on Lingopie with subtitles in your language or in both languages, French and English. And when you don't understand a word, you can click on it to see its translation. That 's very handy.
And then you can review the vocabulary with the quiz. That's great. And actually, thanks to this, you'll improve because you're learning vocabulary, phrases, pronunciation, and that's fantastic.
It's even essential for making progress. If you do n't like documentaries, there are also series, films, and cooking recipes. In another video, I made Philippe Etchebest's cordon bleu, a famous French chef, in a previous video.
There really is something for everyone. Find the content that interests you. Make the effort to listen to French.
It's very important. If you want to try Lingo Pie, there's a 55% discount right now. So treat yourself, give it a try.
You'll find the link and information in the description bar, just below the video. Okay, let's continue complaining, French people, about France. Another thing that bothers me is that I find that sometimes shopkeepers aren't very customer-oriented, very warm, very welcoming.
Especially in Paris. Frankly, it's true, compared to the rest of France and the rest of the world. I've traveled quite a bit, actually, and I'd say the level of service is completely different.
In a restaurant, in a hotel, the welcome sometimes lacks warmth and a smile. I've even walked into a shop and felt like I was bothering the salesperson. The reception can be a bit cold, too.
These are generalizations, of course. In most cases, it goes very well. People are nice.
I'm not saying people are mean, but sometimes a little reserved. Another thing I don't like about France is that I find the cost of living very high, especially in big cities. Yes, you'll tell me that the cost of living is higher in all major cities worldwide, and that's true, but here, you pay a lot and the quality isn't always there.
For example, you can go broke trying to get a small apartment in Paris, which is extremely expensive, even though sometimes it's actually quite uninhabitable. And in fact, the cost of living is high, which can be a real challenge for young students, for instance. Studying in Paris is incredibly expensive.
Many people spend more than half their salary on housing. A small café in a touristy area of Paris quickly becomes very expensive. There are places in France where a coffee costs €1 or €2.
But in touristy areas of Paris, I've seen coffees for €3 or €4, and tea for €7. Another very important point is that, in my opinion, the most important professions aren't valued enough. Teachers, nurses, caregivers, people who work with the elderly, who truly provide essential services and are vital to the functioning of the country, are not valued in their profession, neither by their salaries nor by their working conditions.
Their working conditions are incredibly difficult and stressful, and yet they are absolutely indispensable to our society, and I find they are rarely rewarded as they deserve. We're almost at the end of the video. So don't forget to write down the word of the day that was in the video, subscribe to the channel, and if you'd like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on the Buy Me a Coffee app.
It always makes me happy to know you're behind me. Thanks to everyone for supporting me so I can keep making videos. So thank you all, really.
One thing that makes me smile but is also a bit unbearable is the slightly snobbish side of the French. And it's even more true if you come from Paris. For them, it's the center of the world and the best place in the world.
And they might look down on you, with a bit of disdain, if you come from another city. It happens, not everyone, but it happens. There's a kind of slight French arrogance.
What I don't like about France, and particularly in the north of France, is the weather. It's gray, gray, gray, gray all the time. So, I know, it's nobody's fault.
There's nothing we can do about it. I can't do anything about it. You can't do anything about it.
Nobody can do anything about it. And if we're not happy, well, we'd be better off living somewhere else or in the south of France. Yes, of course.
But I swear, winter is very long and very depressing. At least, for me, it's so long! It starts getting gray from October or November until March or April.
Oh, it's horribly long. Sometimes we go weeks without seeing the sun, and I miss it terribly. I get depressed when I see too much gray sky.
And finally, we come to the last thing I don't like about France: our tendency to always debate about everything and nothing, just for the sake of debating. Now, sometimes it's legitimate and it requires a debate, but sometimes it isn't. We love to criticize, analyze, judge, express our opinions.
And that's good, because it's also essential to have a critical mind and to express your opinion. It's a blessing. I know not everyone can do it, but sometimes it's really tiring and it's a real downer.
You really feel down when you turn on the TV. It's all debates in the newspapers, debates, especially about politics. Luckily I'm not talking about French politics in this video, but it makes me laugh so hard it's ridiculous.
Anyway, I'll tell you about that in the December news. So in a future video, maybe next week, we'll talk a bit about politics. It's a disaster.
So, these are all the little things that bother me a bit about France, that I don't necessarily like. Now, I'd like you to tell me what you don't like about your country, about your culture. The thing that bothers you.
Tell me in the comments your first name, what country you're from, and what bothers you about your country. That way, it'll help you practice writing in French and expressing an idea, an opinion. And I'll be delighted to read what you've written.
See you soon in the next video, and of course, take good care of yourselves. Bye!
