French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, French and its closest relatives—the langues d'oïl, historically spoken in northern France and southern Belgium—descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. It was influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul and by the Germanic Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Over time, French largely supplanted most regional Romance varieties across France, Belgium and Switzerland. As a result of French and later Belgian colonialism, it was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole, were developed. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.”
— Francis Bacon, "Of Seeming Wise", in Essays (1625); Brian Vickers (ed.) The Major Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002) p. 389.
“Une nation de singes à larynx de perroquets.”
— A nation of monkeys with the throat of parrots.
“France, famed in all great arts, in none supreme.”
— Matthew Arnold, The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems, "To a Republican Friend" (c. March 1848)
“France was called the 'feminine nation'. It would be better to call it the 'androgyneous people'. It is the androgyne of Plato, the male and female being which grants the sceptre alternately to the mind and to the heart when it does not confer sovereignty, as often happens, to the simultaneous synthesis of both.”
— Charles Maurras, For a French Awakening (1943), p. 81
“La France a perdu une bataille, mais la France n'a pas perdu la guerre.”
— Translated: "France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war".
“Our country, our nation is built by two institutions, the state and the language. A language whose epicenter today is no longer on these banks of the Seine, but probably much more towards the Congo River basin.”
— Emmanuel Macron - Macron lashes out at Zemmour: “Our identity is not built on narrow-mindedness"

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, French and its closest relatives—the langues d'oïl, historically spoken in northern France and southern Belgium—descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. It was influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul and by the Germanic Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Over time, French largely supplanted most regional Romance varieties across France, Belgium and Switzerland. As a result of French and later Belgian colonialism, it was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole, were developed. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Not who you're looking for? Others named French: ethnic group of France · type of military jacket or tunic in Russia · family name · English cricketer (1765-?)

Overview

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, French and its closest relatives—the langues d'oïl, historically spoken in northern France and southern Belgium—descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. It was influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul and by the Germanic Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Over time, French largely supplanted most regional Romance varieties across France, Belgium and Switzerland. As a result of French and later Belgian colonialism, it was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole, were developed. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

French across IJR

On Watch

A 21-year-old named David Leroy French reportedly opened fire into a crowd in Tucson, Arizona #newsKagan Dunlap

In the Arcade

ZoeCraft: Frenchie EditionMine, build, and adopt pets — from Sarasota to Candyland. Now starring the Frenchie parody.Landgrab: George French EditionPaint the map. Hold the line. Take the world. Now starring the George French parody.Landgrab: George French EditionPaint the map. Hold the line. Take the world. Now starring the George French parody.

Studio characters

Dawn FrenchThe late-night sketch version — live in your chat.French StewartFamously busy. Currently all yours.Jeremiah FrenchAsk anything — within reason.

Ask Genius about French Create in Studio Build a game Watch videos

Notable quotes

“The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.”
— Francis Bacon, "Of Seeming Wise", in Essays (1625); Brian Vickers (ed.) The Major Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002) p. 389.
“Une nation de singes à larynx de perroquets.”
— A nation of monkeys with the throat of parrots.
“France, famed in all great arts, in none supreme.”
— Matthew Arnold, The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems, "To a Republican Friend" (c. March 1848)
“France was called the 'feminine nation'. It would be better to call it the 'androgyneous people'. It is the androgyne of Plato, the male and female being which grants the sceptre alternately to the mind and to the heart when it does not confer sovereignty, as often happens, to the simultaneous synthesis of both.”
— Charles Maurras, For a French Awakening (1943), p. 81
“La France a perdu une bataille, mais la France n'a pas perdu la guerre.”
— Translated: "France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war".
“Our country, our nation is built by two institutions, the state and the language. A language whose epicenter today is no longer on these banks of the Seine, but probably much more towards the Congo River basin.”
— Emmanuel Macron - Macron lashes out at Zemmour: “Our identity is not built on narrow-mindedness"

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.