In this episode of Talking France we look into why so many Parisians are choosing to leave Paris to live elsewhere and what are the upsides and downsides to this exodus for the French capital.

We also bring you news of a change to the process of becoming French and explore just how hard it is for a foreigner to become naturalised.

One of the criteria of becoming a citoyen of France is of course to speak French and following a suggestion from readers we bring you some crucial advice for mastering the language of Moliere and Asterix.

And the battle over pension reform in France has not gone away, we bring you up to date with the strikes and look at some shenanigans in the French parliament.

We also introduce you to a Frenchman named Robert Hébras and the horrific story that led to him being given a national memorial service this week.

Ben McPartland your host will be joined as always by The Local France’s editor Emma Pearson and journalist Gen Mansfield, plus French language expert Camille Chevalier-Karfis.

If you like what you hear we'd really appreciate it if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google or wherever you listen to Talking France. Alternatively if you have suggestions for the podcast team please email us at [email protected]

Articles to read:

• TEST: Could you pass the French citizenship exam?
• Why is everyone moving out of Paris and is that a good thing?

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