French language has been a popular second language to study for everyone who currently wonders which language to study next! This is because French was the international language prior to English, and in many places, still is the most useful international language! French is an official language in 29 countries–in some, the only official language, while in other nations, a co-official language.
How to Learn French
Because French is such a popular language to study, there are a wealth of materials available for learners of all levels. If you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student who just wants to brush up, there are materials well-suited to your purposes. Here are several different types of materials that can help you study and learn, or brush up on, French:
- French Dictionaries
- Software for Learning French
- French Textbooks
- Flashcards for French
- Business Language Materials
Reasons to Learn French
There are so many reasons why people seek to learn French language! First, it’s the most common second language to be studied worldwide second only to English. In Europe, it is the second most common native language next to German. French is an official language in 29 countries including nations in Europe, Africa, North America, and Oceania, as well an official languages of all agencies of the United Nations. There are varying estimates of the number of native and second language speakers of French, but recent data suggests that over 110 million people speak French as a native language, and in addition to these, over 150 million speak it as a second language; if accurate, this puts speakers of French at over 260 million speakers in all! What’s more, this number is expected to continue to grow.
Places Where French is Spoken
There are 29 independent countries and entities where French is an official language; this means it is either the official language or a co-official language. Here is a list of these places:
In Africa:
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Niger
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Togo
- Congo
In Europe:
- Belgium
- France
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- Switzerland
In North America:
- Canada
- Haiti
In Oceania:
- Vanuatu
Other places where French is spoken, read, and written either as an official, de-facto, or commonly used language include the following:
In Africa:
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
In Asia:
- Lebanon
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Vietnam
In Europe:
- Andorra
- Aosta Valley
- Guernsey
- Jersey
In Oceania:
- French Polynesia
- New Caledonia
- Wallis and Futuna
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
In North America:
- Clipperton
- Saint Martin
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- US states of Maine and Louisiana
Due to the popularity of French language as a second language to study and majority language in so many parts of the world, learners of all ages will find no shortage of materials for self-study, classroom use, individual practice, or tutor-guided lessons. But don’t just browse endlessly! Set a date, get your materials, and start learning French. Millions of people have done it–become one of them!