French language Q&A Forum

Wish we could delete these rather than having to leave a '.' in the submission or otherwise fill the space, like this!

Official French documents I have had to complete - eg long stay visa applications etc use < nom > for surname; it should be accepted on its own, not just as < nom de famille >. Knowing that when asked for < votre nom > in France, the correct response is your surname rather than first name, is one of the little differences encountered quite regularly. Although official documents do use < état civil >, both < situation familiale > and < situation de famille > are also used in general conversations and enquiries of marriage/domestic arrangements.