Clé France

The UK economy has fared surprisingly well since the referendum in June and outperformed many doom-mongering Brexit forecasts.

The immediate action taken by the BoE in cutting interest rates and increasing QE will have helped, as has the depreciation of the Pound.

The Q4 UK GDP reading  was better than expected at 0.6% and this helped support Sterling when it was released last month but this was entirely driven by a well performing service sector. As we bear down on article 50 being invoked next month how are the UK’s vital economic statistics looking in 2017? 

It would not be over stretching the point to say they there are some concerns. Last week’s service sector growth figure missed expectations for the first time since immediately after the EU referendum in July. Retail sales fell a whopping -1.9%, the worse decline since 2012. Perhaps setting the tone the housing market this year, house prices also fell in January by -0.9% and consumer confidence has remained negative despite a slight improvement on the previous month.

The only really strong number is inflation and which coupled with a slowing economy is no good thing- stagflation. Sterling’s rally yesterday was largely down to MPC Forbes’s call for rate rise which would help combat inflation but also hinder what appears to be fragile growth. 

It is hard to imagine that the triggering of Article 50 at the end of March will suddenly improve the UK’s economic environment. When Brexit negotiations begin further pressure is likely to be heaped on Sterling. Future uncertainty will impact the UK domestically and as we have seen since the summer international investors will be wary. 

This uncertainty only means one thing for Sterling....

People looking at buying exposed to this risk should start evaluating the potential impact of a 5-10% deprecation in the value of the Pound.

Current rates:

Wednesday 8th February 2017 at 12:00

£1.00 GBP = 1.1726 EURO

£1.00 GBP = 1.2484 USD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6362 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 1.7099 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6419 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 16.7921 ZAR

Just imagine if YOU could forecast the exchange rate?

No one can do that of course but being well informed is a good start and knowing the events coming up that may influence the exchange rate may help you with your planning.

The latest quarterly currency market forecasts from the international money transfer experts, FC Exchange, are now available. The reports are essential reading for anyone buying or selling a property, in fact anyone making international money transfers.

The currency markets will always fluctuate, but last year saw unprecedented levels of volatility. The currency forecasts review the factors that have contributed to the uncertainty we have seen and look ahead to the issues that could affect currency markets in the next quarter and throughout 2017.

Grab your Free Report here... 

Do you want more information ?

So if you need to buy or sell sterling and would like to be kept up to date with all the latest data releases and exchange rate movements then feel free to contact myself Ben Amrany. If you are buying or selling a house in France we will make sure your monies are in the right place at the right time, we work hand in hand with you and Cle France.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Hi David,

The property we are going to view looks ideal for our purposes and we are also taking the opportunity to stay in the area for the weekend, which will give us time to explore and get a feel for the place.

So far we have had excellent support from Sharon now and last year during our previous viewings. So I have no problem in taking advantage of the other services you offer.

If I have any questions I will certainly let you know.

Many thanks for your excellent service and hopefully will be in touch soon to get the ball rolling for that longed property in France.

John.

John has viewed a number of houses through Cle France already but not found "the one" as yet so the search continues. You can do the same, as clients rarely buy the first house they see and we have the largest network of agents so we have thousands of properties for you to view.

For you the process is easy as we will guide YOU through the French Property Buying Process from the very start to completion and beyond!

And as several of our clients say "Follow your heart and make the move"!

Spring is still a few weeks away

but at least up here in the hémisphère nord (northern hemisphere) and in the end of un janvier froid et gris (a cold and grey January), I know we can all use a little taste of spring to get us through.

En plus (And), so I got to thinking about all the colours of un arc-en-ciel (lit. an arc in the sky or a rainbow).

Les couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel sont (The colours of the rainbow are)

rouge / red

orange / orange

jaune / yellow

vert / green

bleu / blue

indigo / indigo

violet / violet (or purple)

Noir et Blanc (black and white) are not – scientifically speaking – colours, but they’re certainly useful words to know.

As are:

marron / brown

gris / grey

rose / pink

Les couleurs peuvent être (Colours can be)

clair / light

foncé / dark

vif / bright

pâle / pale

It is important to remember that colours are also adjectives. Most, like other adjectives in French, need to agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, but it would be too easy if they all did! As is often the case, there are exceptions.

As a general rule:

Simple colours must agree:

(une voiture grise / a grey car; des livres rouges / red books; une souris verte / a green mouse)

Compound colours do not agree:

(des chaussures bleu pâle / light blue shoes; des crayons jaune citron / lemon yellow pencils)

Colours that are also nouns, do not agree:

(une chemise marron / a brown shirt; des chaises orange / orange chairs)!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

We’ve all got them. We’re made of them. We use them all the time. In fact, you’re using some of them to read this post!

I’d argue that it’s safe to say you learn the body parts in a traditional French classroom within the first few weeks. They’re very useful words, especially when you’re just starting to talk about yourself in a foreign language.

Even still, you generally only learn a few of them. When I first travelled to France, I’d already learned how to say head and arm, but you never know what word you may need in everyday conversation. I remember learning the word for ankle (la cheville) when I went ice skating with some friends – I was complaining about ankle pain but didn’t know the word for the body part causing me the agony. Once they taught me, I knew I’d remember the word forever because it was now linked to that event.  

Over the years, I learned more words, but I also learned how to say what these body parts do.

So are you sitting comfortably?

For today’s post, I thought I’d introduce the body parts and list the verbs for the actions they do.

That way, you can match the two words together.

la tête – head

hocher – to nod/shake

tourner – to turn

les oreilles (f) – ears

écouter – to listen to

entendre – to listen to

écouter aux portes [familiar] – to listen at the door

tendre l’oreille – to listen carefully/keep your ears open

l’œil (m) – eye; les yeux – eyes

le sourcil – eyebrow

le cil – eyelash

voir – to see

regarder – to watch

observer – to observe

mater – to check out [informal]

cligner – to blink

faire un clin d’œil – to wink

fixer – to stare at someone

scruter – to examine

le nez – nose

respirer (par le nez) – to breathe (through your nose)

avoir le nez qui coule – to have a runny nose

se moucher – to blow your nose

la bouche – mouth

les lèvres – lips

les dents (f) – teeth

la langue – tongue

manger – to eat

mâcher/mastiquer – to chew

ronger – to gnaw

embrasser – to kiss

lecher – to lick

parler – to talk

bavarder – to chat

respirer (par la bouche) – to breathe (through your mouth)

cracher – to spit

siroter – to sip

la gorge – throat

avaler – to swallow

racler la gorge – to clear your throat

le cou – neck

se tordre – to twist/wring/knot

se dévisser le cou – to gawk at/stare at something

tordre le cou à quelqu’un – to strangle someone

la poitrine – chest

tousser – to cough

gonfler la poitrine [expression] – to be proud of yourself

les épaules (f) – shoulders

housser – to shrug

la main – hand

les doigts – fingers

le poignet – wrist

le coude – elbow

faire craquer les doigts – to crack your knuckles

montrer du droigt – to point at

claquer les doits – to snap

faire un doigt d’honneur – to give someone the finger/flip the bird

grater – to scratch

tenir – to hold

toucher – to touch

applaudir – to applaud/clap

serrer (les mains) – to shake hands

frotter – to rub

giffler – to slap

donner un coup de poing à quelqu’un – to punch someone

tendre la main – to hold your hand out

tendre les bras à quelqu’un – to welcome somebody with open arms

l’estomac – stomach

digérer – to digest

gargouiller – to growl

les jambes (f) – legs

les genoux (m) – knees

les pieds (m) – feet

les orteils (m) – toes

tenir debout – to stand

marcher – to walk

courir – to run

donner un coup de pied à quelqu’un – to kick someone

enjamber – to step over

Bonne Chance!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Question: Hi Alex, we are planning a viewing trip with you guys soon, as you know, it will be our first property viewing trip to France gulp! do you have any French phrases / terminology we could use so we don't appear to daft to 'the French'?

thanks Judith C.

Answer:

Traveling can be difficult when you combine la fatigue à cause du décalage horaire (jetlag) with a language barrier. Before you ever leave though, making sure all your travel arrangements are in order can prove to be quite difficult as well.

Preparing a trip can take a long time. You might know where you want to go and how you want to get there, but sometimes you just do not have le temps to put it all together!

The first step in la réservation d’un vol (reserving a flight) is looking at votre emploi du temps (your schedule) to see when you can prendre l’avion (take a flight). It can be hard to figure out how to arrange everything when you’re looking at un vol de nuit (a red eye flight) and un décalage horaire (a time difference).

Finding la meilleure relation qualité/prix (the best value for the money) can be hard, especially if there’s un vol at a good price, but it doesn’t fit into votre emploi du temps chargé (your busy schedule)!

While you might not be able to change votre emploi du temps chargé, you can choose your seat, côté couloir ou côté hublot (aisle or window), and le repas (the meal). Airplane food may not be the best, but you can let them know if you want un repas végétarien (a vegetarian meal) in advance.

After spending the time to réserver le vol the next big step is to faire vos valises (pack your bags). Fitting everything you need in une valise (a suitcase) can be the hardest part of la préparation. After stuffing everything into une valise you have to then make sure it meets the requirements of la compagnie aérienne (the airline).

The requirements for le bagage en soute (checked luggage) and le bagage en cabine (carry-on luggage) can change between les compagnie aériennes, but the information is usually easy to find on le site web de la compagnie aérienne (the airline’s website).

After everything is packed all that’s left is getting up at the right time. Once you’re at l’aéroport, it’s best to see if le vol est rétardé (the flight is delayed). If le vol est à l’heure (the flight is on time), the last hurdle is making it through la contrôle de sûreté (the security check) after vous avez enregistré vos bagages (you have checked in your luggage)!

There may be some things out of your control at l’aéroport, but at least you can make sure la réservation is ready and les valises sont faites in advance!

ALSO here’s a list of vocabulary that will help you in France during a viewing trip, although our agents speak English:

Vocabulaire:

Immobilier - Estate Agency

les pièces — rooms (the French don’t use the number of bedrooms as a reference for the capacity of an apartment or house, but rather they count based on the number of habitable rooms, excluding bathrooms and the kitchen)

le loyer — rent

location — rental

la surface — the square footage; area

la maison — house

l’appartement — apartment

le terrain — land

le prêt immobilier — real estate loan, or mortgage

l’impôt immobilier — real estate tax

l’agent immobilier — real estate agent

l’agence immobilier — real estate agency

louer — to rent

acheter — to buy

le bâtiment — the building

le bailleur — the landlord

le bail — the lease

charges (non) comprises — charges (not) included

commission (non) comprise — commission (not) included

le dépôt de garantie — security deposit

meublé — furnished

le propriétaire — the owner

Hope these few words help a little?

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.