Snapper, its the easiest thing on earth and don't be put off by those doing the typical English thing and making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Yep!
Most of my flights seem to involve crossing between the Marseille and the Barcelona FIRs. As they're both Schengen I do not need to fly to/from an international airport so I have more choice, but other than that it's just a normal flight.
French on the radio is only required when flying to small, uncontrolled aerodromes (A/A, RDO). The VACs in the French AIP indicate when this is the case. Elsewhere, French ATC speak excellent English, if a bit accented sometimes.
Note to self: need to go easier on the acronyms