French students usually start learning a third language, such as Spanish, German, or Italian, in middle school around the age of 11 or 12. This is typically part of the curriculum to develop their language skills and cultural awareness.
Chat with our AI personalities
More countries speak Spanish than French. Spanish is an official language in 21 countries, primarily in Central and South America, while French is an official language in 29 countries, primarily in Africa and Europe.
Given your fluency in English and Spanish, languages such as Italian, French, or Portuguese might be easier to learn due to their similarity in vocabulary and grammar structures. These languages belong to the same language family, which can help you grasp them more easily compared to languages from different language families.
Of course it varies pretty much, because education is under the administration of the 16 "Bundesländer". So some start later, in the 5th year of school, but like me, some start in the 3rd grade. In German these years are called "Klasse", instead of grade. Some private schools also start teaching foreign languages in 1st grade, but these are private schools with linguistic focus.
Yes, French is considered to be one of the international languages. It is an official language in many international organizations like the United Nations, the European Union, and the International Red Cross. French is also widely spoken and studied around the world.
A second language is a language that a person learns in addition to their native language and often has some degree of proficiency in, while a foreign language is a language that is not commonly spoken in the learner's environment and is usually learned for academic, business, or personal reasons. The distinction lies in the context in which the language is learned and used.