French

How many people are native French speakers?

About 77 million people speak French natively, mostly through France, parts of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, and Luxembourg.

How many people speak French in the world?

An additional 202 million people speak French as a second language, bringing the total number of speakers to nearly 280 million people. French is also one of the official languages in numerous former colonies, especially across Africa, where more than 20 countries list French as an official language and large portions of the population speak the language fluently and daily.

Origins of French

French is a Romance language that developed from Vulgar Latin, especially from the spoken Latin of Northern Gaul.