Let’s start with an important list in time for la rentrée. Fuel prices, back-to-school bonus, heritage days and of course the return to school and work – here’s what is happening in France in September this year.

What changes in France in September 2022

In fact, speaking of la rentrée – we explain here why it’s so much more than just the ‘back to school’ that it’s often translated as.

In France, it has a cultural significance that goes much deeper.

Why ‘la rentrée’ means so much more in France than a new school year

Whether it’s a pension paid by a home country or rental income and earnings in more than one country, it’s common for people to have assets in both France and their original country.

But what can be less simple is working our your ‘tax residency’ – here’s what the rules say.

EXPLAINED: The rules on tax residency in France

MP Julien Bayou of France’s green party Europe Écologie Les Verts (EELV) raised a few eyebrows when he apparently suggested that France should ban swimming pools in private homes.

This got twisted into reporting that it was about to happen. So we took a closer look.

No, France isn’t about to ban private pools because of drought

The international image of French culture tends to veer towards the highbrow.

But there’s more to it than that, and watching some TV here – despite its poor reputation – is a good way to get some insight into a country’s culture, as well as improving your language skills and giving you something to chat to neighbours and colleagues about.

7 TV shows that will help you understand France

Sticking with the – high and, occasionally, lowbrow – cultural theme, if you’ve ever browsed French cinema listings or Netflix, you will instantly notice that the titles of English-language movies often have quite unexpected translations. Like these…

Puns, sex and urban legends: How English movie titles are translated into French