The value of the French language today: a seemingly simple question, yet one that comes up again and again from children who feel “forced” to learn it as a second language at school. It usually takes a familiar shape:

“Since the whole world uses English, what do I need French for, and why do I have to take it at school?”

For teenagers, the usual answer rarely satisfies. Too often we settle for saying that a second language broadens the mind, or that it is spoken by many people across the world. In this article, we want to go further and lay out some actual data to support our conviction that French is genuinely useful.

Why French Is Worth Learning

Consider the following:

French is the second most commonly taught foreign language in schools worldwide, so it is not only in Greece, dear student, that you are asked to study it.
More than 600 million people speak French. It is the official language of 29 countries, among them France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Monaco.
Over 25% of the English vocabulary comes from French, so knowing both at once can help your fluency in English as well as in Spanish and Italian, since all four are Romance languages.
A strong command of French can open easier access to some of the best universities in Europe and in Canada, as the language is spoken across every continent.
French ranks among the eight most widely used languages on the internet, and it is by common agreement a rich and melodic language to learn.

A Language of Culture and Opportunity

To sum up, the French language is a rich language with a long history. It is the language of diplomacy, of the arts and of culture, the language of gastronomy and of fashion, a language that brings out the best of civilization and the human spirit. It is also a language you can learn even better with us, in the classrooms of Boffins Academy.