Nine reasons to learn French

While French remains one of the most popular foreign languages to learn around the world, the numbers of students opting for French in countries such as the UK and US are dwindling. 

There are still many reasons why it is worth learning French.

Read more: Is French still a popular language to learn?

It is a world language 

Over 300 million people speak French around the world, so learning French is useful for travelling and working abroad. It is an official language in 29 countries including Belgium, Switzerland, Cameroon, Senegal and Canada. 

French is the only language, other than English, that is taught in every country in the world, according to France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Read more: How long should it take to learn French for everyday use?

Improve brain health 

Learning a language can improve our brain health, according to experts. The process of learning a language uses lots of different parts of your brain and improves the connectivity between them, thus improving general cognitive performance. 

Studies have also suggested that learning a second language could delay the onset of dementia by up to five years. 

To integrate 

Anyone planning to spend time in France, especially those planning to move there, will have a much richer experience if they make the effort to learn French. 

Also trying to get anything done, from renovations on a house to the paperwork that comes with moving to France, will be so much easier if you speak at least half-decent French. 

Read more: Seven tips to help you integrate in France

It is the language of culture 

French is the language of culture, from the writings of Baudelaire and Flaubert to the films of Céline Sciamma and Justine Triet. 

French is the language of fashion - think Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, as well as food - most chefs learn the classical French style of cooking and many French terms continue to be used in professional kitchens around the world. 

Learning French means you can experience French literature and film in its original form, without relying on a translation. 

World’s most romantic language

French has long been dubbed the language of love, and it was voted the world’s most romantic language in a poll in February 2024. Unfortunately, while it used to be the world’s sexiest, this year it has been beaten into second place by Italian. 

Read more: Five tips for dating and finding love in France

To appreciate French TV

Thanks to the growing number of streaming services, it has never been easier to discover some of the best French TV series of the past few years. From Dix pour Cent (Call My Agent), a comedy set in the cutthroat world of agents with some excellent cameos from France’s most famous actors, to Lupin, the Netflix series that follows the exploits of ‘gentleman thief’ Arsène Lupin. 

Watching series in the original French helps you pick up on cultural subtleties you would never have caught in a dubbed version. Plus watching TV in French will only improve your language skills. 

Read more: Five Netflix TV shows to help improve your French

It is fun

There have never been so many different ways to learn French. If sitting in a classroom is not for you, try podcasts, YouTube videos and language-learning apps that can make learning French a fun experience. 

Read more: Five podcasts to help your French listening skills: films, news, Olympics

It will help you improve your English

It is estimated that almost half of all English words have a French origin, so learning French will help to widen your English vocabulary. 

It makes it easier to learn other languages 

Once you have learned French, it will help you learn other romance languages such as Spanish and Italian, which all have a basis in Latin. 

Read more: Use French expressions to say what you mean in English