1. A world language

• There are currently over 220 million French speakers worldwide, including 72 million so-called partial French speakers, i.e. YOU!
• The Francophonie, the international organisation of French-speaking countries, comprises 68 states and governments.
• French is the second most widely learned foreign language after English, and the ninth most widely spoken language in the world.
• French is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world.

2. A language for the job market

• An ability to speak French and English is an advantage on the international job market, especially in French-speaking areas of Switzerland.
• A knowledge of French opens the doors of Swiss French companies in Switzerland and other French-speaking parts of the world (France, Canada, Belgium, and North and sub-Saharan Africa).

3. The language of culture

• French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture.
• A knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature, as well as films and songs, in the original French.
• French is the language of Victor Hugo, Molière, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (native of Geneva!), Léopold Sendar Senghor, Marie Curie, Madame de Staël, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Dany Laferrière, Jean-Luc Godard, Xavier Dolan, Zinedine Zidane, and many more!

4. A language for travel

• France is the world’s number-one tourist destination and attracts more than 70 million visitors a year.
• A little French makes it so much more enjoyable to visit Paris and all the regions of France (from the mild climes of the Cote d’Azur to the snow-capped peaks of the Alps via the rugged coastline of Brittany) and offers insights into French culture, mentality and way of life.
• French also comes in handy when travelling to Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Monaco, the Seychelles, Martinique, and other beautiful places.

5. The other language of international relations

• French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts.
• French is the language of the three cities where the EU institutions are headquartered: Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg.

6. A language for higher education

• Speaking French opens up study opportunities at renowned French, Swiss-French, Belgian, and French Canadian universities and business schools, ranked among the top higher education institutions in Europe and the world.
• Students with a good level of French are eligible for Swiss and French government scholarships to enroll in postgraduate courses in France in any discipline and qualify for internationally recognised Swiss and French degrees.

7. A language that opens up the world

• After English and German, French is the third most used language on the Internet, ahead of Spanish.
• An ability to understand French offers an alternative view of the world through communication with French speakers from all the continents and news from the leading French-language international media (TV5, France 24, Radio France Internationale, RTS Info and TF1 [Switzerland]).

8. A language that is fun to learn

• Contrary to popular belief, French is an easy language to learn. There are many methods that make learning French enjoyable for children and adults alike.
• It does not take long to reach a level where you can communicate in French! Oui, oui!

9. A language for learning other languages

• French is a good base for learning other languages, especially Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian) as well as English, since fifty per cent of current English vocabulary is derived from French.

10. The language of love and reason

• First and foremost, learning French is the pleasure of learning a beautiful, rich, melodious language, often called the language of love.
• French is also an analytical language that structures thought and develops critical thinking, which is a valuable skill for discussions and negotiations.