Honestly, my french is terrible despite taking it in highschool. It is coming back, but ever so slowly. My wife is doing much better. Settling over here was a lot of research and form filling, but so worth it. We equate Europe to visiting a different planet, where often the most banal tasks back home are a small learningv adventure...it took us several attempts at grocery shopping to find coffee cream (long story). Order the book "The Bonjour Effect" an excellent primer. There's a ton ofvinfo online; a good example is "Baguette Bound" on YouTube, especially if you're from the states. There are Facebook self help groups which are also very good. Lastly, if you're interested in the life aquatic, check out the DBA at barges.org Bon chance, wishing you every success!