Learn French

Why learn French?

French is a very useful language for travelling in many parts of the world. It is spoken as a first language not only in France but also in parts of Belgium and Switzerland as well as in Monaco and Luxembourg. Beyond Europe, French is spoken in many African countries, as well as the Caribbean and Canada.

French is a relatively easy language to learn. Britain and France have had close ties at least since the Norman conquest, getting on for a thousand years ago, and many French words and expressions have been absorbed into English - for example: je ne sais quoi, le mot juste, RSVP (répondez s'il vous plaît).

If you really search your brain, the chances are you know quite a lot of French words already. How many of these do you recognise?

restaurant, vin, eau, bière, pain, beurre, café, lait, sucre
maison, chambre, porte, fenêtre, chaise, table
blanc, rouge, noir, vert, bleu
grande, petit
monsieur, madame, mademoiselle
homme, femme, fille, garçon
je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles
être, avoir, parler, manger, porter, vendre
le, la, les
un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix
oui, non, s'il vous plaît, merci
avec, sans
ça va
voilà
bien, bon
bonjour, bonsoir, bonne nuit, au revoir

If you know even half of this mixture of nouns, adjectives, verbs, pronouns and other words, you are well on your way.

For speedy revival of your existing knowledge of French and as a back-up to a course of study, FrenchPod is a useful resource. Sign up for a free account and explore what's on offer.

Recommended Reading

If you are interested in learning French, have a look at the French language books we recommend to accompany any course you take or for maintaining/improving your French by yourself.

If you are interested in the life and culture of France, have a look at our recommendations for books about or set in France. These books are in English, a range of fiction and non-fiction that we have enjoyed and hope you will too.

If you are planning a trip to France, the Lonely Planet France Guide will help you find those hidden gems. Ditto if you're heading for Belgium or Luxembourg.

Some Quick Facts About France

Language:
French. The following dialects are also spoken, to a limited degree: Alsatian (a German dialect) in Alsace and parts of Lorraine, Flemish (a Dutch dialect) in French Flanders, Breton in Brittany, Provençal in Provence, Basque in the Bayonne region, Catalan at the eastern end of the Pyrenees and Corsican on the island of Corsica.

Capital city:
Paris

Regions:
Mainland (metropolitan) France is divided into the 21 regions listed below. The 22nd on this list is the island of Corsica. There are 4 other overseas territories that are part of the Republic but not in the European Union.

Alsace
Aquitaine
Auvergne
Brittany (Bretagne)
Burgundy (Bourgogne)
Center (Centre)
Champagne-Ardenne
Corsica (Corse)
Franche-Comté
Languedoc-Roussillon
Limousin
Lorraine
Lower-Normandy (Basse-Normandie)
Midi-Pyrenees (Midi-Pyrénées)
North-Calais (Nord-Pas-de-Calais)
Paris-Isle-of-France (Île-de-France)
Pays-de-la-Loire
Picardy (Picardie)
Poitou-Charentes
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rhône-Alpes
Upper-Normandy (Haute-Normandie)

Population:
63,587,700 (total, including overseas regions. 1st January 2006)
61,044,684 (metropolitan France. 1st January 2006)

Currency:
Euro

Religion:
Roman Catholic

Government:
Republic. Bicameral parliamentary system.

Internet domain:
.fr

Country calling code:
+33

If you are interested in learning more about France, you might also like to look at the following websites: