Countries where French is spoken. French

Surely many people dreamed of starting to learn French. Its extremely melodious and gentle sound leaves almost no one indifferent. But for a huge number of people on the planet it is native. So, in which countries do they speak French?

Origin

The history of this language dates back about two thousand years ago. Julius Caesar quickly burst into the territory of Gaul in 52 BC and, together with the customs of the Romans, brought Latin to the occupied lands.

But the Gauls had absolutely no intention of completely changing their culture, so after a few centuries folk Latin appeared, which was much simpler and more understandable for local residents than the language that entered their lives with the Romans.

Later, new invaders, the Franks, invaded the territory of modern France. The whole country received its name from the name of this Germanic tribe. The Gallo-Romans and Franks lived side by side for many years, and it was thanks to this unusual proximity that the French language emerged, which was convenient and understandable for both sides. Today it is recognized as the official language of France.

What language do the French speak?

It accommodates migrants from dozens of other states on its territory. On the streets of the capital you can see a huge number of Arabs and Asians. Despite this, the official language in France is one - it is very strict to ensure that everyone who immigrates there has the opportunity to learn it and use it in everyday life. There are even holidays dedicated to Francophones. And knowing in which countries French is spoken, you can understand where these dates are celebrated on the greatest scale.

Thus, residents of France speak both their native language (this could be Arabic, German or Portuguese) and French. But the latter is official not only in France. We will find out which ones are the official language a little later.

In all corners of the planet

The language of Victor Hugo can be heard almost anywhere in the world. More than half of those who speak French live in Africa. We are talking, for example, about Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Congo and many other states. The list of countries where it is considered official includes 29 states located on all five continents. Among them are Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Monaco, Vietnam, Senegal and many others. That is why it is ranked sixth most common in the world.

The official language in Canada, oddly enough, is also French. Along with English, it was recognized as the state language for the country, and about 7 million people speak it.

So, we found out in which countries they speak French. But this does not mean at all that there are no people outside of them who are fluent in it. You can learn it perfectly in almost any city in the world. Many people choose it as part of their school curriculum, while others want to improve their speaking skills before a romantic trip to Paris.

People who speak French are called francophones. There is even a holiday dedicated to them, it is called International Francophonie Day.

French Language Day

Since 1970, March 20 is celebrated around the world as Francophonie Day. In order to feel involved in this event, it is not at all necessary to know the language itself perfectly. The desire to study and support the traditions and culture of France is much more valued. The holiday is celebrated on a huge scale; meetings of politicians are held at the state level to discuss issues related to linguistics.

For citizens who are interested in the official language of France to one degree or another, many different seminars and conferences are held. Seminars are conducted by leading experts who talk about the history and development of this popular method of communication. Even if you didn’t previously have a great desire to start studying it, then after attending a number of events on Francophonie Day, you will definitely have it.

So, dear readers, now you know in which countries French is spoken, you can go there on March 20 and discover a lot of new, interesting things, and of course, communicate with native speakers, which is considered the best practice.

About statuses

French, along with English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese and Russian, has the status of an official UN language. In addition, French (like English) is considered the working language of the UN Secretariat; all documents of the Secretariat must be drawn up in French.

Naturally, French has the status of an official language among European countries in France, as well as in Monaco and Belgium (along with Flemish). In these countries, speaking French gives you a decisive advantage - you will be understood everywhere, and you will be able to read all menus, signs and understand all advertisements. In Belgium, even Flemish speakers tend to speak excellent French as well.

It is more difficult with Switzerland. French is one of the four official languages ​​here, but most Swiss people speak German. The French-speaking part of the population makes up about 20% and is concentrated in Romandie, or French Switzerland - an area in the western part of the country, with the administrative center in Geneva. Here, a person who speaks French will not have language problems either.

French, along with English, also has the status of a state language in Canada. However, it is recognized as an official language only in the province of Quebec. This part of Canada is considered French speaking. However, firstly, the French language is not widespread in Quebec; a foreigner will still need basic knowledge of English here. And secondly, the language spoken by French-speaking residents of Quebec is quite different from classical French. The so-called French-Quebec dialect contains many borrowings from English and even from some North American Indian languages.

French as an inheritance

Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Guiana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo - in these countries that were once colonies or "overseas territories" of France in Africa, South and Central America, French has the status of an official or state language. In Lebanon, Burundi, Djibouti, Cameroon, Haiti, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Chad - the status of a second official language. In the Arab countries of North Africa, the former colonies of France, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, the French language does not have official status, but is quite widespread.

The mere knowledge of the “language of the colonizers” in the absence of knowledge of local languages ​​in most of these countries may simply be useless for a traveler. French here is most often spoken by a small, more educated part of the population. At best, you can communicate in French with the hotel administrator, as well as with people in the public service - border guards, customs officers, and less often - police officers. The remaining citizens of the countries of the “francophone zone” either do not speak French at all, or can communicate in various local dialects of French, usually very vaguely reminiscent of the language in which Moliere wrote his immortal plays.

However, if the ultimate goal of your trip to one of these countries is not tourism, but employment, knowledge of the French language will seriously increase your chances of finding a well-paid job. Many Europeans work here in medicine, education, tourism, as well as in the offices of various international organizations, and not only people from France, Belgium, Switzerland, but also citizens of other countries who have studied French.

"Francophonie"

In a broad sense, the word "Francophonie" is used to designate those countries and territories where people who speak French live. It was first used in this meaning in 1880 by the famous French geographer Onesimus Reclus. However, today this term is more often used to refer to the international cooperation organization of the French-speaking countries of the world, which has been operating since 1970. 56 states are represented in La Francophonie; the organization's motto is “Equality, complementarity, solidarity.”

Originally conceived and created as a purely humanitarian organization, La Francophonie eventually became a fairly influential political force. At the same time, the issues of studying and disseminating the French language, as opposed to English, occupy a significant place in the Francophonie programs. At the same time, the organization advocates the development of cultural diversity and promotes the expansion of educational processes, including teaching the French language, in all countries of the world.

If you are looking for names of countries that speak French, you should read this article, which focuses on this specific topic.

French and English are the only two languages ​​spoken on almost all continents. It is a Romance language and hence one of the oldest languages ​​in the world. It is the official language of 29 countries and millions of people accept it as a second or third language.

French communities exist in approximately 56 countries. Its widespread use began in the 15th century. Before this, it was considered a complex and polite language and was used by the elite class. In the 17th century, it was known as the language of diplomacy and international relations. Thus, people all over the world started using it. But very soon, English became the language of international communication. In this article you will see a list of different countries that speak French today.

National language.

Countries that consider French as their national language.

List of such countries.

Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Monaco, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu.

Countries of Europe.

Here you can find a large number of people speaking French. Europe has many countries that have French as their national language and it is also the official language of the European Union.

France, Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg.

African countries.

Half of the French-speaking population live in Africa. There is a huge list of African countries where French is the official language. Although French is the official language in these countries, there are other local languages ​​too that are widely spoken.

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Rwanda, Chad, Burundi, Togo, Benin, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti, Seychelles.

Asian countries.

There are very few francophone countries in Asia. Mostly French is found as a second or third language. Lebanon

Southeast Asia (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam), India.

Countries in America.

The maximum number of people who speak French in America is found in Canada. French is considered an official language in Canada along with English. About 25% of people speak French in Canada. Apart from this, there are other countries that also use French as a second or third language. Countries in North America and South America are as follows.

Canada, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique.

Pacific region.

French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

The language of the French (See French), the general population of France, part of the population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the population of Haiti and some former or modern possessions of France in America and Africa. The official and literary language in these countries... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

The language of the French (the official language of France), the French-speaking population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (in which it is one of the official ones). The French language is used by the population of many countries in Africa, Haiti, French Guiana, including... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

FRENCH. L. has owned F. since childhood. “as if it were our own” (see Shan Girey A.P., in the book: Memoirs, 2nd ed., p. 35). In accordance with the secular customs of the time, he was taught by the French tutors J. Capet and J. P. C. Jandreau. In children's notebooks L... Lermontov Encyclopedia

French- FRENCH LANGUAGE belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family of languages. Official language of France, French Guiana, Haiti, Monaco, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Zaire, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo,... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

French- French is one of the Romance languages ​​(Gallo Romance subgroup). Official language of the French Republic, the Kingdom of Belgium (along with Dutch), the Swiss Confederation (along with German and Italian), Canada... ... Linguistic encyclopedic dictionary

The language of the French (the official language of France), the French-speaking population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (in which it is one of the official languages). The French language is used by the population of many African countries, Haiti, France. Guianas, including... encyclopedic Dictionary

Common name for the dialects of northern France, southern Belgium, Lorraine, Alsace, western Switzerland and Canada. In a closer sense, the F. language is called the dialect of central France (Ile de France), from the 12th century. which began to crowd out others from poetry... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

French- (French)French, spoken by 75 million people. in France and its overseas territories, as well as in neighboring countries and Canada. It is also the official language. in a number of African countries, formerly French colonies. Belongs to the group of Romanesque... ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

French in Canada is one of the two official languages ​​of Canada, along with English. The total number of French speakers is about 6.8 million (22.7% of the population, 2006 census). French-speaking residents of Canada at ... ... Wikipedia

- (French La langue françaisе en Flandres) for a long time had important historical, political, economic and cultural significance, despite the fact that the attitude towards it from the autochonny Flemish majority was and remains ambiguous... Wikipedia

Books

• French language, Popova I., Kazakova Zh., Kovalchuk G.. This textbook has gone through 20 editions and is a stable textbook for beginners. Its goal is to instill the skills of correct pronunciation, give a solid knowledge of the basics of grammar, develop...
• French language, Popova I., Kazakova Zh., Kovalchuk G.. This textbook has gone through 20 editions and is a stable textbook for beginners. Its goal is to instill the skills of correct pronunciation, give a solid knowledge of basic grammar, develop...

Today we will talk about the essentials, because we will discuss what prepositions to use in French with the names of countries. You've probably already wondered: why do the French say “en France”, “en Suisse”, “en Ouzbékistan”, but “au Japon” or “aux Pays – Bas”? If you haven't found the answer, this article can help you.

What French prepositions should you use with country names? In fact, there are only a few of them, and the French rules are very logical! We should remember these prepositions: en, à, au, aux(if we are talking about the fact that we are going to this country or city). These prepositions should be used after the following verbs: "aller", "habiter", "vivre", "travailler", "être" , in other cases these prepositions are not used (for example: “J’ai visité la France”). The easiest way to remember the rules is to break them down into prepositions.

Let's start with the preposition à. The preposition à in French is used before:

1 . names of cities (it does not matter at all what kind of city or what letter it begins with - a vowel or a consonant): à Paris, à Bruxelles, à Amsterdam;

2. names of the islands in the singular: à Cuba, à Madagascar

NB: you also need to use the preposition à before Monaco: à Monaco

NB 2: Although Corsica is an island, it is also a French region, which is why the preposition en is used before its name: en Corse.

Let's immediately move on to the preposition en. The preposition en in French is used before:

1. Feminine country names: en France, en Belgique, en Suisse.

NB: Now you have a question: how to determine what type of country? It's very simple: if a country ends with the letter e, then it is feminine. There are, of course, exceptions: le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Cambodge, le Zaïre.

2. names of masculine countries that begin with a vowel: en Azerbaïdjan, en Angola;

3. before the names of French provinces and regions: en Bretagne, en Normandie.

The next pretext is preposition au, or rather, a fused article (it is formed by merging the preposition à and the article le: à + le = au) used before :

1. names of masculine countries that begin with a consonant: au Japon, au Canada

Last on the list is preposition aux, which again is actually a fused article (à + les = aux) used before:

1. countries that are in the plural: aux Etats – Unis, aux Pays – Bas;

2. names of island groups: aux Maldives, aux Seychelles, aux Bahamas.

That's all the rules! Really, nothing complicated? The most important thing is to remember the very principle of using French prepositions. Next time we will talk about prepositions that are used when we return from the country.