Want to move abroad to learn French? That’s a great idea! And as you might have guessed by now, you don’t have to move to France. In fact, you’ve got plenty of options. Here, I summarise the top French-speaking countries outside of France.
Indeed, a number of language learners decide to move abroad and immerse themselves in the culture as they come to grips with their new language. It’s a great idea, because understanding the culture and context behind the language is often just as important as learning the verbs, the nouns and so on. Plus, you get the chance to have everyday conversations with native speakers, which will improve your skills immeasurably. These are just some of the great French language-learning resources available on this site.
French is the official language in almost 30 countries. It’s also unofficially spoken in dozens more countries. In fact, 50% of French speakers actually live in Africa!
Belgium
French is spoken by just under half of Belgian citizens. That puts Belgium right at the top of our list of French-speaking countries. A great percentage of them live in Brussels, but you’ll also find a large chunk native French speakers in the southern Wallonia region. Brussels itself is bilingual, which means you’ll see advertisements and street signs in French and Flemish. However, you’ll hear a lot of French spoken on the streets of this vibrant city.
Canada
Canada might border the USA but there are ten million native French speakers living here. Wow, right? The reason is obvious – cities like Quebec and Montreal are well-known for being home to millions of French natives, and most youngsters grow up speaking both English and French. In fact, Montreal is the fourth biggest Francophone city on the planet! (Paris is number one, of course).
French Polynesia
The French Polynesia is a gorgeous place to live, and if you’re the type of person who craves endless sunshine, it should probably be at the top of your list. A jewel amongst French-speaking countries
You’ve got over a hundred islands to choose from, including Tahiti where the famous French neo-impressionist painter Paul Gaugin moved at the turn of the 20th century. But, really, can you live anywhere in the French Polynesia and experience paradise on earth. However, the natives pretty much speak French and French only, which means the language barrier is quite high.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a very multilingual country, and French is just one of its languages. Other reasons to go stay in Luxembourg include fairytale castles, awe-inspiring cliffs, magical forests and the fact that the natives absolutely love wine.
Madagascar
Yes, Madagascar was a kids’ movie. But it’s also Africa’s biggest island that’s bursting with colour, wildlife and sunshine. Especially if you’re big on biodiversity and nature, Madagascar is well worth a prolonged stay. In fact, it’s the only place on earth where you can watch lemurs go about their business in the wild!
And while Malagasy is spoken more than French here, French is still an official language. The biodiversity alone makes it a top French-speaking country.
Martinique
If you can picture yourself sipping an exotic cocktail on a Caribbean island as the sun sets, Martinique might be up your street. It’s famous for its rum, and with West Indian, Creole, Africana and French influences, it’s home to some of the most delicious food around.
Rwanda
Rwanda is said to be one of the best countries in Africa to go travelling these days. It’s especially perfect for wildlife lovers – indeed, if you’ve always wanted to see gorillas up, close and personal, Rwanda should be at the top of your bucket list!
French is just one of a few official languages, with others including Swahili, Kinyarwanda and English.
Sadly, Rwanda recently mixed its education system up, and English is now the official language, having replaced French. But there are still lots of Francophiles in Rwanda, which makes it a great place to go and learn the language!
Seychelles
Seychelles is a country that is home to – count them – one hundred and fifteen islands. That’s a lot!
It also means there are LOTS of sun-kissed beaches. And parks? Seychelles has got lots of them, too. It’s top French-speaking country, and great place to get a tan.
The Seychelles is literally heaven on earth. Even better for a French language learner, it doesn’t have an indigenous population as such. Instead, it’s home to a wide-ranging multi-ethnic group of people as diverse as Seychelles Creole, English and – of course French.
Switzerland
Switzerland is a bit of a global outlier in that there is no such thing as a Swiss language (there is Swiss cheese, of course). Instead, there are a number of official languages, and French is one of them.
It’s not the most popular, but one in five Swiss nationals speak it. That’s not too bad at all. Moreover, many more have what you could call a “working knowledge” of the language.
However, the main reason you’d go and learn French in Switzerland is because you’ll get to understand the differences between Standard French and Swiss French, the latter being the variety that the good people of Switzerland speak.
Vanuatu
This is an eighty-plus island archipelago based in the Pacific. It’s home to 3 official languages, of which one is French. If you’re into scuba diving, volcanoes and beaches (preferably deserted ones), Vanuatu might be the destination for you.
Be warned, though, that an English-based creole called Bislama is the most popular language here. However, the French influence is strong, especially if you go and stay in Port Vila.
If you have something to say about our list of top French-speaking countries, why not leave us a comment below?
