Learn to Speak French from an Expert

If you’ve been weighing the pros and cons of learning a new language and are thinking about learning French in particular, there are many distinct reasons why having an understanding of French can benefit you. Plus, learning any language in general can improve your life in multiple ways.

Why You Should Learn to Speak French

Like most languages, modern French developed from several older languages including the Latin spoken in the Roman Empire as well as multiple Celtic and Germanic languages. A person who speaks French is known as a Francophone, and there are estimated to be 76 million Francophones today who learned the language natively with between 77 and 110 million speakers who learned French as a second language.

With numbers like that, it’s clear to see that the French language is extremely prevalent throughout the world today. Plus, the number of French speakers across the world is projected to keep growing. While you might assume that the vast majority of French speakers live in France, the language is actually much more widespread.

Around 40% of Francophones live in Europe, but the number living in Africa is extremely close at 35%, particularly in the sub-Saharan region. Another 15% lives in the Middle East or Northern Africa, 8% live in North, South, or Central America, and 1% lives in Asia. The influence of French culture and the French language on so many parts of the world is clear to see, which is one distinct reason why learning French can work to your advantage.

The Benefits of Becoming a Francophone

A planned business visit or vacation to France is one of the most common reasons why people might take up French lessons. Knowing several common phrases and having a sense of the language’s structure can make your visit much smoother as you can more easily communicate with locals for important information like where to find public transportation, where the restrooms are, or what’s in the food you’re about to eat.

However, learning to speak French won’t only benefit you during a trip to Paris or another French region. French is an official spoken language in a whopping 29 countries which includes such common destinations as French, Canada’s Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario, Belgium, Monaco, and the western portion of Switzerland, to name a few.

It’s important to do a great deal of research on the country you’re about to visit and find out what languages are commonly spoken there before making your trip. However, due to the widespread nature of the French language, it’s likely that wherever you visit in the world, French may be one of its official languages.

Even if you’re not planning an international trip anytime soon, learning French can benefit you in several unique ways. For example, if you’re passionate about music, art, and literature, learning French will allow you to more deeply explore the works of several world-renowned writers, artists, composers, singers, and more.

For example, Jean-Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault are two of the most famous French philosophers and writers still celebrated today. Both were releasing extensive bodies of work throughout the 20th century in French on a wide variety of topics including politics, unique philosophies, and sociology, among others. Though translated versions of the works of both of these writers are available, you can’t truly take in the full extent of their ideas in their own words unless you are able to read the original editions of their works in French.

Similarly, Edith Piaf is an extremely famous French singer that performed all over the world during her extensive career. Her renditions of such famous French songs as “La Vie en Rose” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” are still recognizable to listeners around the world today, and Piaf was well-known for performing emotional songs about love and sorrow. Though you may be able to listen to an expressive French singer like Piaf and get a sense of the song’s emotional content, you won’t be able to experience the song on a deep level unless you understand the words being sung.

Expanding Your Mind and Abilities with Online French Lessons

Learning a language like French has many specific benefits for the health and function of your brain. There have been many studies conducted on the effects of learning a second language on your cognitive function. Some of the distinct ways that learning French can improve the abilities of your brain include:

Sharper, clearer memory retention Increased creativity Improved ability to solve complicated problems Better listening and comprehension skills

Many of these improvements are seen more drastically in children who learn a second language. However, adults learning French will also see noticeable improvements in many of their cognitive functions.

Another reason why French is a great language to learn, particularly for native English speakers, is the fact that French and English have a lot in common. Many of the English words we use in our day-to-day life are French in origin or have a Latin root in common with a French word, making many of the French words you learn during your French lessons feel familiar and easy to comprehend.

Why Take Online French Lessons?

If you’ve decided to learn to speak French, it may be tempting to only use free online resources to learn common phrases in French or even how to speak French with a native accent. Though these resources can be extremely helpful if you want to speak French, you’ll have trouble progressing past a certain point unless you sign up for French lessons online.

At TakeLessons, we know that learning a language on your own can be extremely tough. If you have a busy schedule, it can be easy to put off your French practice indefinitely, leading to several stalls in your learning process or causing you to give up learning French completely. Plus, it can be difficult to know how much you should reasonably be learning at once if you don’t have a good understanding of the scope of the language to begin with.

That’s why we feature an extensive list of high-quality French instructors on our site, many of whom are native speakers who have been using the French language on a regular basis for decades. Each of our teachers offers a distinctive approach that helps them to connect with their students and truly make an impact on their journey to learn to speak French.

Once you’ve found the right French teacher online, you’re much more likely to stick with your new skill than you are if you’re trying to learn on your own. Your teacher will organize their lesson structure and their teaching materials based on your distinct needs, your experience level when entering lessons, and how quickly you’d like to advance. Plus, if you want to learn a distinct French dialect for travel or cultural enrichment, you can find a teacher on TakeLessons that is experienced in that dialect to provide you with the instruction you desire.

Another huge advantage of online French lessons is the sheer convenience. With in-person lessons, you can spend up to 2 or 3 hours commuting to and from your teacher’s home, which is one of the primary reasons busy people end up passing on French lessons even if they have a desire to learn the language. Plus, you may not be comfortable inviting your French teacher into your home, especially during the first few lessons when you don’t know each other very well yet.

Taking online French lessons allows you to learn to speak French from the comfort and safety of your home on a schedule that works for you. Without the need to budget travel time into your day, you’ll be able to fit in more time to work, see your family or friends, or spend some alone time while also including a French lesson.

Find a Teacher to Learn to Speak French Today

Choosing the right teacher out of the many options on TakeLessons can seem daunting at first. Luckily, you can narrow your search instantly by selecting your desired day each week and how much you’d like to pay for your lessons with our customizable search feature. Plus, we provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee for first lessons, which proves how much we believe in our teachers and their abilities.

Want to learn more about our French teachers on TakeLessons? You can browse each teacher’s personalized profile to read about their training, experience, and levels preferred as well as their personal philosophies about teaching and their relationship with the French language. Additionally, you can peruse reviews left by current and former students to get a more in-depth look at each teacher’s lesson structure and style.