Love French… 10 reasons you should learn French
Buying a property in France is a big move, and whether you want to live there permanently or just for the holidays, knowing some of the language will certainly make it easier, more enjoyable and make it much easier to integrate.
Here are 10 great reasons you should learn French…
- Knowing some French will help you integrate more easily and make the most of your life in France – and make it easier. From shopping to chatting with your neighbours, to going to the doctor’s – speaking some French makes a world of difference. This is how you can create deep, cross-cultural friendships – and gain some respect for giving it a go! When you make the effort, even if you make mistakes, people will appreciate it and will be more approachable.
- It’s not that hard! Linguists estimate that French influenced a third of the modern English language, so there are plenty of words you can understand easily without having learnt them.
- It will improve your self-confidence. Speaking another language is hard, and it requires courage to make the leap of actually speaking to people without feeling ridiculous. This is an accomplishment you can be proud of.
- Not only that, it will increase your “charme”. Like in any other language, French speakers find foreign accents sexy, so it will be at your advantage in flirting situations.. 😉
- Learning another language keeps your brain young. Many studies revealed that speaking a second language improves the memory, increases the attention span, and reduces the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
- You will also be able to read and watch famous French books and movies in their original language. Much better – and oh, so much more romantic!
- You may actually find out more about your own mother tongue… Many English words derive from French (or are exactly the same), so you can show your culture by explaining their etymology!
- Understanding the language will also widen your job opportunities in France – companies are always looking for bilingual people.
- French is not only spoken in France – there is also Switzerland and Belgium as well as several countries in Africa and the “France d’Outre-mer” (overseas France, like Guadeloupe or Martinique). Currently spoken by 270 million people in the world, French is the eighth most widely spoken language in the world, and its number of speakers is on the rise with the growth of developing countries. French is also a language of international relations: it is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, and many other organizations and events… including the Eurovision song contest!
- French is a Romance language, and therefore close to other Romance languages like Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and even Romanian, which can be handy for traveling in other countries of Europe (although obviously they are different languages).
In short, French is the language of love!
So what are you waiting for to get started?!
