Facts about the French language you probably did not know
French is a language that has spread to many parts of the world and is also considered to be one of the most romantic languages in the world. Here are some interesting facts you probably didn’t know about French even though it’s more widespread than other languages.
1. Is the official language in 29 countries
It’s an official language in countries like France, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Switzerland. It is only second to English which is an official language in 67 countries.
2. Over 300 million speakers around the world
80 million of them are native speakers and 220 partial speakers with these numbers growing every year.
3. Many words in English language derived from the French language
Approximately 30% of the words in English language are derived from French. Some of the examples being déjà vu or cul-de-sac.
4. Kinshasa is the 2ndlargest French speaking city in the world
The 2nd largest French speaking country is the capital city of The Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa. The 1st one being Paris.
5. Counting in French is weird compared to other languages
The counting gets very unorthodox especially between 80 to 99. For example, 80 in English is known as “quatre-vingts" in French which translates to “four twenties" or 99 is known as “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf" which translates to “ four twenties, ten, nine".
6. French Language Day
UN celebrates “Language Days" for its 6 official languages. The French Language Day is celebrated on March 20.
7. French Literature
Many famous children fairy tale stories were initially written in French like La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast), Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), Le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots) and many more.
