10 Compelling Reasons to learn French

There are lots of good reasons to learn a second language and there are some special reasons to learn French. It’s a shame, therefore, that in the recent Rio Olympics French Officials tried hard to enforce the speaking of French just because it was written into the rules a hundred years ago (a legacy of the Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern games). Making people use a language because it’s in the rules? That’s never going to work! We have to persuade people it’s worthwhile. And it is.

Here I have collected 10 top reasons to learn French.

French is a true global language. In Europe French is spoken in 6 countries: France, Switzerland (west), Belgium (south), Monaco, Andorra, Luxembourg (west). Worldwide French is spoken on 5 continents. There are 29 countries where French is an official language. In North America French is an official language of Canada.
For English monolinguals, French is one of the easiest languages to learn because of its Latin base which English shares. French was also, for a few centuries following William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066, the official language of the English royal courts (court is a French word!). Most studies have French in the top 5 of easiest languages to learn. It’s even easier to learn using this award winning French language games that help learners learn fast.
English shares many words with French. Indeed French is considered to be the biggest influence on English with up to 30% of English words stemming from French origin.
France is a drop dead gorgeous country…and the biggest tourist destination in the world. 84 million tourists arrive there every year…that’s more than the USA that lies in second place.
The French people appreciate you speaking French – more so than other countries. (I have learned Italian and the Italians don’t give 2 figs whether you speak Italian or not). The French, on the other hand, are protective of their language (perhaps overly so) – so when you make an effort you are rewarded – usually with a smile and a willingness to help. Don’t just learn “Parlez-vous Anglais?” for your French trip – make an effort.
It sounds cool – really cool. Without doubt one of the most beautiful languages to listen to…we all fall in love with a French accent, do we not? And listen to this cool pop song Ca plane our moi .
It’s good for your career. Fluency in French looks good on your cv…France itself is one of the world’s top economies. Many studies have shown that a second language will boost your earnings.
France and French history, culture, romance, and literature help us understand our place in the world. If we see the world through French eyes, we understand it better.
There is fantastic support for learning French worldwide. See Alliance Française to find how to get started. The materials for learning French are superb too. If you are a beginner check out French games such as KLOO’s Race to Paris. You’ll learn hundreds of words and be able to make millions of sentences very quickly (yes millions).
To cap it off – it’s good for your mental health. OK, it’s not strictly a “learning French” thing – just a general benefit of language learning. But the idea of staving off dementia in later life while accruing all these other benefits, has to make it worthwhile.