Abi Summers

French nationality preparation

Are you applying for French nationality and strugle with deciding where to start with learning French history? Or maybe you're just curious about some of the key people and events? Then maybe this can help you!

I'm in the process of applying for French nationality, which is honestly just a lot of waiting. During this time I should be brushing up on French history rather than leaving it until the last minute. However, I often struggle with where to start, I know there are lots of things that I could be reading up on but I'm not able to narrow it down. In interviews I often freeze so it's important that I take the time to prepare, so I don't doubt what I know.

I created this to remove the decision making so that I can focus on reading, revising and thinking of responses to questions instead of wondering what to focus on. Each time you click the button a random person, event and fast response will be generated.

I've set myself some initial guidelines but feel free to use it however you want:

• after generating the three items, I should write down what I already know (I'm tracking each combination on Notion)
• the first time the person or event comes up, I can research in English
• the second time the person or event comes up, I should read at least something in French
• If I made a mistake on what I thought I knew, that's ok, I can correct it and then continue
• whenever possible, I should try and discuss the topic because this allows me to see more easily if I'm missing any linking events or something isn't as clear as it should be
• if I only look into one of the items, that's ok. This isn't a punsishment and some days I'm going to have less time or less energy. The idea is to do a little each day which will make a big difference over time

The data here is based on the livret du citoyen and interview questions that I have seen. This will not cover everything, but it's a place to start. I will add more people, events and fast responses if I come across any that are missing.

After watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, I realised that I missed some of the references throughout so I've also added a pop culture seciton. I already consume quite a lot of French media but I'm not good with remembering names and I'm sure I miss things outside of my bubble. I asked on a Facebook group for some French pop culture references and have added some of my own too.

You can find the list of people, events, fast responses and pop culture on my github

It's important to note that there will always be personal questions such as why you want to become French and your life in France so this won't prepare you for everything.

If you're applying for French nationality, good luck!

person:

Léon Gambetta

People who are important in French history. Things to consider:

• why are they important?
• what time period are they from?
• what are they most known for?

event:

Loi Veil

Events to know in details:

• what year(s) did the event occur in?
• what triggered the event?
• what known people were involved in the event?

fast response:

L’égalité

Questions/themes that require simplier answers, often a definition or knowing the stats.

Things to consider:

• how does this tie into other important events?

All things pop culture

There's so much to say about French pop culture, so here's some (and far from all) people/things that I think are important to know for French pop culture. Some of these things are more personal to me rather than true pop culture.

I'm using this list as a 'I should know why they're known' rather than lots of details about their life (in contrast to the person category).

Some of the people mentioned are not french but are still wellknown - whenever I notice this, I will specify that they are not French (because that's important to know for the interview)

I feel like I should bring out the French Trivial Pursuit to add to this list. If there's anyone/anything you think I should add to these lists, please reach out via @abisummers!

Music:

Jean Jacques Goldman

I have started a playlist with some French hits, you can listen to it here on Apple Music.

Movie:

Intouchables

Book:

Les Misérables

tv:

Les Guignols de l'info

sports:

Les Bleus

influencer:

Squeezie