Learn French with Alex and Tom

Content Creator

Introduction to French language.

Welcome to France: a country where charm, style, and that irresistible "je ne sais quoi" blend into an art of living. French culture exerts an outstanding global influence: from the runways of Paris Fashion Week and the prestige of haute couture, to its world-renowned gastronomy, groundbreaking literature, and performing arts. Often considered a cradle of creativity, France is also the birthplace of the French language a language that has travelled, evolved, and shaped identities far beyond its borders.

French belongs to the Romance language family, descending from Vulgar Latin, the everyday Latin spoken across the Roman Empire. Its evolution, however, was far from linear. The language was shaped by three major layers of influence.

Influence	Origin	Main Contributions to French	Examples
Gaulish (Celtic)	Indigenous language of Gaul	Place names, some vocabulary, phonetic influence	alouette, braies, Lyon, Paris, Seine
Latin	Roman Empire (1st c. BCE)	Grammar, core vocabulary, linguistic structure	Base of modern French lexicon & syntax
Frankish (Germanic)	Franks (Early Middle Ages)	Pronunciation, everyday lexicon, social registers	guerre, blanc, jardin, sire, baron

The earliest known coherent text in Old French is the Oaths of Strasbourg (842 CE), marking a symbolic shift from Latin to a distinct written vernacular. Over the centuries, French underwent notable phases of development: Old French, Middle French, and Classical French, gradually standardising under the influence of the monarchy, the printing press, and institutions such as the Académie Française, founded in 1635 to regulate the language. From the 17th to the early 20th century, French rose to the status of lingua franca of diplomacy, culture, and European intellectual life, widely used in courts, literature, science, and international treaties. Although English later overtook this role, French remains one of the most influential languages worldwide.

Today, French is spoken by about 310 million people, including approximately 74 million native speakers. It is an official language in 26 countries across five continents, making it a major international language of communication, education, and culture. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and maintains a strategic role in global diplomacy through organisations such as the European Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), UNESCO, the International Red Cross, and the Olympic Movement. French continues to evolve through regional varieties, multilingual societies, and contact with other languages.

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