Why Learn French?

You have many reasons to learn French. French is:

A world language

Some 320 million people in the world understand, speak, read or write French as a first or second language.

French is the world’s second most geographically widespread language after English. It is an official language in 28 countries, including Canada, Madagascar, Switzerland, Belgium, and Congo (DRC and RC).  

The Organisation international de la Francophonie (OIF) comprises 54 member states that use French as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language

In 2015 the world’s Francophone population lived in France (40 percent), sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean (36 percent), North Africa and the Middle East (15 percent), the Americas (8 percent), and Asia and Oceania (1 percent).

A language of the international job market

Knowing French opens opportunities to work for French companies, both in France and in other parts of the world.

A language of culture

French is the “lingua franca” of cuisine, fashion, visual art, wine, dance and architecture.

Knowing French gives you access to great works of literature in their original language. France has won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country and is a top producer of international films.

A language for travel

France is the world’s top tourist destination, attracting more than 87 million visitors every year. Knowing the language makes visiting all Francophone countries far more enjoyable and rewarding.

A language for higher education

Knowing French enables you to study at universities and business schools around the world. French universities are ranked among the world’s leading higher education institutions.

The other language of diplomatic relations

French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is also an official or working language of the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross, and international courts of justice. French is the first language of the cities where EU institutions are headquartered: Strasbourg, Brussels, and Luxembourg.

A language that opens up the world

Knowing French gives you access to other views of the world, beyond English-language media. You can follow French thinkers and commentators and leaders, and get news from French-language international media like TV5Monde, France 24 and Radio France Internationale.

A language that’s fun to learn

Anglophones find many French words familiar, since English contains many words that derive from French. Some 28 percent of modern English vocabulary derives from medieval French dialects, and another 28 percent from Latin.

The language of love and reason

French as a beautiful, rich, melodious language, yet also an analytical language that structures thought and develops critical thinking.