First and foremost, French is not spoken exclusively in France. The French language is widely spoken all over the world, and is the official language in 29 different countries. The Quebec region of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and regions of Africa: these are only a few of the many far reaching places French has had an influence on, and has taken its own unique cultural spin.

French is one of the biggest Romance languages, along with Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Catalan and Spanish. Though the French are depicted in many films as a romance language for reasons such as love, the Romance languages originated from Roman times and primarily come from Latin origins. French made such an impact however, it replaced Latin in the 17th century as the language of diplomacy for international relations. In fact, even today French is the second official language of the United Nations and the European Union.

One of the most compelling reasons to learn French is to travel to France easily. With France being the number one tourist destination in the world, it’s understandable that keeping traditions and culture alive is important while catering to the booming tourism industry. People travel to France to experience authenticity, and learning French is a gateway to interacting with the people and the culture that you’d otherwise have no way of communicating with. The French pride themselves on their culture, and it shows a high amount of respect if you make the effort while you visit.

French is an alluring language that rolls off the tongue. It influences many different aspects of other languages, as sayings and words have infiltrated different countries all over the world. Learning French is not just a language, it’s learning an exclusive and exquisite lifestyle as well.