It’s not my intention to sound presumptuous in any way, but I can already think of MANY good reasons to learn French as a second language. French is not only a very, very beautiful language to listen to and to speak. In fact, many rules in French pronunciation were actually made to make it sound nice and avoid irregularities. It’s the language of romance, of Human Rights, of the Lumières era …
The historical aspect of French is simply more than attractive o anybody who would deign to look into it a little further. Now, without having to elaborate a book on the beauty of French, here are, for starters, 10 reasons to learn French.
French is all around the world
With about 300 million global speakers, French is the only language – aside from English – that is spoken all around the 5 continents. It is now positioned as the world’s 5th language, and the world’s 2nd most learned language. La Francophonie (French-speaking communities) covers 88 States and governments who actively contribute to the teaching of French. It’s quite easy to find a place where you can learn French, since France has the largest language-learning network all around the world, with institutions (Alliance Française, Institut Français) and schools.
A ticket for studying in France
Some French schools and universities have an excellent reputation abroad (la Sorbonne, EM Lyon, École Normale Supérieure…), most of the time with great financial conditions. Having a degree from those establishments might be an excellent asset to boost your future career.
In order to enter such schools, and perhaps get some government help to achieve an internationally approved degree, it is necessary to master French.
A professional asset
Speaking English and French is a substantial asset in the labour market. It can help you find work in French multinational companies in different sectors. France attracts many entrepreneurs, employers, researchers and students from all around the world.
Travelling in French speaking countries
In order to travel and visit France or French-speaking countries, learning French will actually help you enjoy your journey to the fullest. For instance, if you would like to order in a restaurant or buy train tickets, or simply if you want to ask for directions to someone in the street, it’s much better to master French.
Understanding French culture
Actually, learning a language is not only about the language in itself. To each country their own codes, morals and rules.
Learning French will definitely help you learn more about France and discover French culture. Now, set your clichés about France aside, get to know more about the real French culture and the 10 reasons to learn French (you can start right here!).
Accessibility to other media sources
Isn’t it nice to watch and appreciate a film in its original version? Having most of the media accessible to you is one of the best reasons to learn French. In addition, you will also be able to read, watch or listen to different news sources and look at information through another lens. How interesting does that sound?
Highly present in international affairs
We are all aware that English is the first language of International Affairs, but French is actually the original language of diplomacy. It is one of the 2 official languages of the UN, UNESCO, NATO and the European Union. Mastering French is required for those who wish to pursue a career in International Relations, which makes it another great reason to learn French!
Easily learn other languages
Learning French helps you learn other “cousin” languages easily. As a matter of fact, it is part of the large family of latin languages. What are French’s cousin languages? Most latin languages such as Spanish, Italian or Portuguese.
Learning French gives you a head start and will help you master very similar grammar points and vocabulary lists much faster.
Promote linguistic diversity
French is the language of love, creativity and philosophy
It is well known that French is a very romantic and melodious language. Just take a look at the long list of French singers such as Edith Piaf (La Vie en Rose) and Nino Ferrer or Joe Dassin. Shall I mention literature authors such as Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Victor Hugo (does “Les Misérables” ring a bell to you?) or, most of all, Molière? Moreover, it is the language of the Lumières (“lights”) century, when philosophers’ thoughts (Descartes, Sartre, Rousseau…) actually helped radiating the ideas of Human Rights (Les Droits de l’Homme). Learning French is also learning how to structure your thinking and all about developing your critical mind.
BONUS: The Best Reason To Learn French
Lastly, French is not a difficult language to learn. Only, it requires a lot of dedication and practice at the beginning, but it also happens to be quite easy to be able to communicate with simple dialogues after a few lessons. If you have other good reasons to learn French, feel free to share them in the comments section down below, I’d be happy to discuss them with you!
Until then, wishing you “une bonne journée”, and see you next week for another post on learning French!
