French Language and Culture

French is the third most widely spoken language in the world, behind English and Spanish. This is because England, France and Spain colonized large areas of the world during the great days of exploration. Everywhere they established their colonies, their language became the language of local society, culture, and international commerce. Long after the colonized areas became independent nations, the language continues to be used to this day. Germany was never a major colonizing power, so their language was not introduced all over the world in the same way that the other 3 languages were.

Definitely French :) everyone wants to learn it, and it's especially more popular in schools.

German is popular in Eastern Europe and across the European continent to a lesser degree. However, French is desirable all across the world on account of French being the language of diplomacy and the vast former French Empire.

The first French-speaking people to settle in the area now known as Haiti were actually French pirates! The island had already been claimed by Christopher Columbus for Spain in 1492. In the decades that followed, the Spanish mined for gold. Because the island of Hispaniola was a gateway to the other islands of the Caribbean, all rich with natural resources, it became a haven for pirates who lurked in the area, preying on the ships that exported the natural resources back to Europe. Some of the French pirates established their own community in the western part of the Island, known as the Brethren of the Coast. At this same period, French colonial families from the neighboring islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe were looking for land to expand their sugar plantations, and chose to migrate to the western end of Hispaniola. Between the French pirates and the subsequent immigration of French colonial families, the French language became the common vehicle of communication on the island.

Il est quatre heures moins le quart means it is a quarter to 4 in French.

French is often considered one of the most romantic languages due to its melodic sound and association with romance and love in popular culture. However, what is perceived as romantic can vary from person to person, and other languages can also convey deep emotions and affection effectively.

Spanish - the R is a frontal sound made with the tongue rolling at the roof of the mouth.

French - the R is a gutteral sound made with air from the throat. Know that the french will also 'roll' the R like the spanish but only in certain and particular words or times (like song).

It means "the more crazy people are present, the more we laugh"

You say that when you're asked if it's ok if other people join an activity (party, meeting, ...) and if you're ok with that.

The French word is 'pont'

Apparently, Ms Merkel does not speak French. In her interviews when visiting France she always speaks through a German interpret.

Very obviously France. There is also Canada ( one of our two official languages is French, the other being English), some countries in Africa, as well as Asia also have French as their official language, do to the fact that France colonized many countries in those parts of the world.

"je ne parle pas français, seulement anglais"

An April fool's trick in French is called "un poisson d'avril," which translates to "April fish." It involves playing pranks on others on April 1st, similar to April Fool's Day in other countries. The tradition typically includes sticking paper fish on people's backs without them noticing.

The feminine form of éclaté must add an 'e': éclatée. This is true of all past participles which are used in association with a female noun.

The difficulty of learning a language is based on two general criteria.

1) Inherent Difficulty of the Language: This is how complex the grammar, spelling, diction, and language composition are. (Japanese is much more grammatically simple than Russian, for example since it does not have cases, genders, or compound tenses.)

2) Distance from Languages known: This is how similar or different the words and grammar of the target language are from the speaker's native or previously acquire languages. (It is easier to learn Hebrew if your native language is Arabic than if it is German all else equal because Hebrew shares quite a bit of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic and almost none with German.)

As concerns French: 1) Grammar is relatively complex, but not overwhelmingly so and even though some spelling combinations are difficult at first glance (eau = oh), these combinations are consistent. 2) Considering that you already speak English (assumed since you submitted this question in English), French is very close to English and has heavily influenced English. Therefore, all else being equal French should be one of the easier languages for you to learn.

Like many other languages across the globe, the French language has evolved over time. The old language for French was therefore old French. However, if what you are asking is the root of the language, then the answer is Latin. France once having been part of the Roman empire, Latin, language of the Romans, was brought to the country.

Pomegranate is called "grenade" in French.

It means that the tip is included in the check.

Jacques is the French equivalent of the English name James.

The French word for 'Spain' is 'Espagne.'

The French word for 'Berlin' is 'Berlin.'

The French word for 'Amsterdam' is 'Amsterdam.'

I am not aware it is a last name, but if it is, it probably comes from the Argonauts story, I guess it is spelled the same, "Jason".

a raincoat is 'un imperméable' or 'un manteau' in French.

A rhetorical question is one that is asked for effect or to make a point, rather than to elicit a genuine answer. It is often used to emphasize a statement or prompt the listener to think about a topic in a specific way.