Here are 12 interesting facts about the French language!
1. French is a Romance language. French is derived from Latin.
2. French is spoken on all the continents of the world. More than 250 million people speak French worldwide.
3. The longest word in the French dictionary is the 25-letter word anticonstitutionnellement (unconstitutional).
4. The shortest French word containing all the vowels is oiseau (bird).
5. French words do not use the letter W. The French words that use the letter W are borrowed from other languages.
6. French is one of the working languages of the United Nations.
Image by Mathias Reding on Unsplash
7. Kinshasa, the capital of The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest French speaking city in the world after Paris.
8. Many English words (roughly 30%) come from the French language.
9. French is the only language, other than English, that is taught in every country of the world.
10. French was the official language of England for more than 300 years.
11. French was the first language ever to have an official ruling institution known as the French Academy, established in 1635.
12. It is an official language of 29 countries including France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Senegal and many more.
In 29 countries, French is an official language, either the only official language of the country or one of the official languages.
Countries where French is an official language
- Belgium
- Benin*
- Burkina Faso*
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- The Democratic Republic of Congo*
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- France*
- Gabon*
- Guinea*
- Haiti
- Ivory Coast*
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Mali*
- Monaco*
- Niger*
- Republic of Congo*
- Rwanda
- Senegal*
- Seychelles
- Switzerland
- Togo*
- Vanuatu
* French is the only official language in this country.
These were few interesting facts about the French language. If you want to know some quick facts about France, then check out this article 25 Quick and Interesting Facts about France.
By Anchal / Last updated: November 29, 2023