Learning to Speak French
Today’s world has been made global thanks to Internet. People are able to buy and sell from city to city, country to country and continent to continent. Speaking a second language is helpful as it opens a person to new cultures, new countries and new horizons.
French unlike what some might think is a very important language to learn. There are a number of French speaking countries in the world, making it important for many to learn French.
French is Spoken Across the World
The U.S. borders Canada to its north and French is still spoken widely in Canada today. Canada is the largest trading partner the U.S. had with over $32 billion traded annually. French, English and the host country’s language is the official language of the Olympics, even Italian and Spanish are not included as an official language.
French is spoken in more than 55 nations and by more than 22 million people as a native language. Even in states like New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine there is a large contingent of French speaking population.
In Europe, 26% of the people speak French, third to English and German. In addition, a large section of the continent of Africa is French speaking. Over 25 countries in Africa use French as their primary or secondary language.
Therefore with the Internet making for a global world, it pays to have the ability to speak French if you choose to do business in Canada, France, parts of Africa and other nations around the world. Speaking French as a second language will give you an advantage if it is for business or pleasure.
Many expats live in French speaking countries. Many move to these countries to retire while others move there for business purposes. Whatever the purpose, it is important to learn French before arriving making your life much easier in the country.
It is also important to remember it is a sign of respect by learning the official language of a country you are living or working in, as it shows you are interested enough to communicate in the native language of the country.