French is one of the languages of the United Nations. It is the official language of 29 countries; a fact makes it the second largest language in terms of Geographical reach after English. Thanks to the French explorers and conquerors, French speakers will continue to increase and by 2025, they will number 650 million.
French has a total of 338 million speakers, 78 million of whom are native speakers. Among the places where French is spoken as a first language includes;
- France
- Romandy region in Switzerland
- Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium
- Monaco
- the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick (Acadia region) in Canada
- Acadiana region of the U.S. state of Louisiana
- the northern parts of the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont in the New England region
The countries where French is spoken as a secondary language includes;
- Gabon - 80% report fluency
- Mauritius 78% Fluency
- Algeria - 75% Fluency and
- Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire with 70% fluency
French is one of the languages of the United Nations. It is the official language of 29 countries; a fact makes it the second largest language in terms of Geographical reach after English. Thanks to the French explorers and conquerors, French speakers will continue to increase and by 2025, they will number 650 million.
There are 27n countries in the world where you will greatly benefit by having learnt some French. Below is a list of the French phrases that you should have at your fingertips.
1. Please, I am looking for... - S’il vous plaît, je cherche…
2. Hello Mrs./Mr./Miss - Bonjour Madame / Monsieur / Mademoiselle
3. Do you speak English? - Parlez-vous anglais ?
4. I speak a little French - Je parle un peu français
5. I'm here on vacation - e suis là pour les vacances
6. Please speak slowly - Parlez lentement, s'il vous plaît
7. Where are the restrooms? - Où sont les toilettes?
8. Sorry to bother you... - Excusez-moi de vous déranger...
9. Can you help me? - Pouvez-vous m'aider?
10. Would you take our/ my picture, please? - Est-ce que vous prendriez notre/ma photo, s'il vous plaît?
French is one of the easiest languages to learn. Its alphabets are almost similar to those of English. The fact that it is so widely spoken gives you a lot of practice. Pick a few phrases here and there and practice and soon enough you will be as fluent as the native speakers.