Most people know that English is the most spoken language in the world today (meaning it’s the lingua franca), and many of us depend on this when we travel or move for work in new countries. I have a hunch from my personal experiences, and I consulted some numbers to find out if and to what degree French people speak English.
According to the Eurobarometer 386 in 2012 and a 2018 Eurobarometer report:
- less than 20% of French people feel comfortable speaking another language, such as English 1.
- “the lowest proportions of respondents who mention English as a language of study are found in Croatia (19%) and France (20%).” 2.
However, this data doesn’t tell us if “comfortable” means fluent, nor if these 20% exceptional respondents are primarily in rural or urban areas. Let me provide some clarity from my personal experiences.
Table of Contents
Less than 20 percent feel comfortable, but more than 20 percent have the ability to speak
Although the reports show that about 20% of students take classes in English and that about 20% of people of all ages are comfortable speaking another language, it doesn’t tell us how many have the ability to speak French. I think it’s more than 20%.
On many occasions, I have introduced a non-francophone speaker to a group of French friends. The result is interesting. I know that some of my French friends can speak English because I’ve heard them do so in professional or urgent situations. And yet, in a casual context. they freeze up. They will almost always defer to French because English is uncomfortable.
BUT, they can still speak it.
Even more poignant examples are cases in which I’ve heard French people speak English out of necessity, but who refuse to speak with me. This is even the case with friends and long time acquaintances. When I ask them why, they simply say, “if it’s necessary, I can speak English. But I’m not comfortable with it.”
BUT, they can still speak it.
Confidence is key
This is a good time to talk about how big a role confidence plays in speaking. French people have a nasty habit of critiquing each other’s language skills. As a result, many of them feel uncomfortable, nervous, or embarrassed speaking English.
If you have a hard time understanding this as someone who has never learned a foreign language, try approaching a group of foreigners, and say a few words in their language. The surprise in their response can more than overwhelming. I’ve done this in Spanish and German, and both times they either start immediately speaking English or laugh a bit.
I think this is why the French people’s comfort metric is so low in the Eurobarometer report. Many of them learn English at a young age and could easily make steady progress until fluency as an adult. But there’s an element of exponential decay occurring: they get small bits of negative feedback that lead to complexes and a lack of confidence that adds up over the years. Those French people then write that they are “not comfortable” when asked on the survey.
The few exceptions to this are the students who travel internationally in their early years of college (of which the European ERASMUS study abroad program is a popular choice), as well as those who take classes in English during that time. They will force themselves to speak English and can find some ‘comfortability in being uncomfortable,’ if you will.
Overall, this is why I think more than 20% speak English, but only 1/5 report feeling comfortable in another language. It’s a question of confidence.
Do more French people speak English in cities than in the countryside?
Yes, you would run into much higher percentages of French men and women capable of speaking French in cities than in the countryside. This has almost always been true in my experiences.
I’ve done ride-sharing trips across France and stopped in many small towns. The overwhelming theme is that these small town people cannot speak English and often refuse to even try. It can even get to the point of being uncomfortable.
For example, I was once traveling with a non-francophone person between Reims, France and Luxembourg, Luxembourg. We stopped at a convenience store for gas and to get some snacks, but I defaulted to speaking English in order to accommodate my friend. The man behind the counter turned red and looked very unhappy. He asked in French, « do you speak French? We’re in France. » After a few more words and no response from him, it was clear he only wanted to speak his language.
That’s not to say that this is always the case in small cities, but I certainly believe that such mentality is common in the countryside. Usually I default to French, but several conversations with non-English speaking French people has given me extra reason to believe that this is more common than I realize.
The reason for English’s predominance in cities is the same for any skill: the most talented individuals naturally go to bigger cities where wages are higher, and private and public resources available for teaching and honing those talented individuals go there as well.
In addition, most of the international scene takes place in cities. This is the primary context in which speaking English has immediate value for French men and women.
The most obvious example of this is Paris. It is among the three most visited cities in the world according to Mastercard. The international language is English, so the demand for English competency is high and immediate.
I think a third reason is the concentration of English-teaching universities in cities. Compared to the United States, it’s extreme. The vast majority of universities are based in Paris, and others are typically based in major cities like Lyon and Aix-Marseille. This naturally feeds into the optic provided by the Eurobarometer, since only 20% of students study in English and are likely stay in cities afterwards.
In addition, the French university system is staunchly divided into highly-prestigious private universities such as HEC and less prestigious public universities such as La Sorbonne. Schools like HEC are typically business schools and always demand full proficiency from their graduates. These campuses are virtually always based in Paris and sometimes have satellite campuses elsewhere. This is another part of what makes Paris such a hub for English speakers: the top private business schools are there.
Do younger generations speak English better than older ones?
At a global scale, younger generations of non-native English countries speak the language better than older generations. This is largely due to education systems adapting to the need for communicating internationally, in both private and public sector matters. Younger people are also more apt to handle technology, which is a primary channel for English across the world.
Globalization and the Spread of English among Youth
It’s easy to forget how quickly the world has become globalized and what this has done for English as a global language. A trip from the New York to Paris 10 years ago would have cost $1000, whereas today you can do it for $400.
Roaming fees in Europe 3 years ago would have cost you a fortune (they even bankrupted some people). Today, roaming charges are illegal on the continent. And many European cellular providers provide no-roaming plans for calls and texts to the United States.
Globalization includes communication via the internet, media, and entertainment consumption as well. It’s only within the last 10 years that we have really seen growth in international connections via social media, which puts people form all around the world in contact instantly. Many communities around the globe consume American television series and films, and they get exposed to English that way.
In short, globalization touches everyone, including the French. Because it often includes the use of communication technologies and affordable travel, younger generations profit more easily from it and what if offers by way of teaching English.
Why don’t French people speak English well?
Why is it that only 20% of French people speak English, whereas neighboring countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands speak is at very high levels (all above 50%)?
We can answer this question by looking to the history of the French language. During the centuries before World War 2, French was the lingua franca (global language). France has an enormous amount of power in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries because the other European powers either lost wars to her or were busy fighting their own.
Napoleon Bonaparte is probably the most notable example. In the early part of the 19th century, he effectively became the emperor of Europe. He had vastly superior military knowledge compared to his contemporaries and was a notable general in the 1789 revolution. He was also wildly ambitious, which led him to establish Napoleonic code — the basis for most Western legal systems today — and to conquer much of modern Germany, all of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and more. There’s a certain pride that comes with this prowess.
Without going into a history lesson, it’s important to note that the French people and older generations still feed off of that history and power. France has a very strong sense of nationalism, and many French people hold to it. Many don’t want to learn another language; they want others to learn their language, or they simply want to remain in France.
Conclusion
In conclusion, yes, French people speak English. Officially, only about 20% feel comfortable in the language, and only about 20% learn in English during their studies, but I suspect that more than 20% are capable of speaking. It’s simply a question of confidence.
Typically, the younger generations will speak it better. Older ones cling to the pride of speaking their language, which was once a great symbol of power and pride.