Unlike many other countries where the inhabitants are impressed if you speak ten words in their language, the French tend to think it is normal that everyone speaks French. If you have ever been on a holiday in France you know what we are talking about.

Your trip to France will be greatly enhanced in both ease of communication and friendliness if you speak the language.

Much of the creative thinking that has shaped the western tradition has been done in French. Impressionist painters like Monet, musicians like Ravel and Boulez, novelists like Flaubert, Camus and Sartre have had an influence on world culture.

Jean Calvin helped define Protestantism; Enlightment writers like Voltaire championed human rights; Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent feminist, and Michel Foucault was a founder of postmodernism.

When deciding on a foreign language for work or school, remember that French is the language that will give you the most choices later on in your career. Being able to speak French is an asset for anyone interested in working in international organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, NATO, OEDC, International Olympic Committee, the European Community, and International Red Cross.

Also, think of French company names that you often come across in Singapore, such as: Carrefour, Christian Dior, Danone, Gillette, JCDecaux, Lafarge, L’Oreal, Michelin, Peugeot, Pierre Cardin, Renault and Thomson.

The Executive MBA program offered by INSEAD requires students to take some of the courses at their Fontainebleu campus in France. The National University of Singapore has tied up with French Grandes écoles for their double degree programs in Engineering, Science and Computing. Top students in these programs spend their 3rd and 4th years in a French Grande école, and return to NUS to complete their Masters programme (1 to 3 years).

According to the French Chamber of Commerce Singapore, 400 of the 6000 foreign companies present in Singapore are French, ranging from one-employee start-ups to multinationals.

Students and researchers who know French have access to these works for several years before they are translated into English. Many significant works are never translated and remain accessible only to those who know the language.

French universities are highly sought after by students wishing to pursue higher degrees in the field of engineering, physics, medical research and medical genetics.

French is the second most commonly taught second language in the world (after English). During your international trips, it is very likely that your knowledge of French can help you communicate and make friends with people who may also speak French as a second or third language.

French is the lingua franca of culture, including art, cuisine, dance, fashion and design. France has won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world and is one of the top producers of international films.

Strange as it may sound, studying French will enhance your knowledge of English. More than a third of all English words are derived directly or indirectly from French. It's estimated that English speakers who have never studied French already know 15,000 French words. It has been claimed that 60% of the English language is nothing but mispronounced French.

The two languages, in fact, share a lot of cognate words. In fact, English has borrowed more words from French than any other languages. Example: curieux (curious), mariage (marriage), capitaine (captain), compartiment (compartment), forêt (forest), h?te (host), biologie (biology), bébé (baby), dangereux (dangerous), papier (paper), artificial (artificial), anniversaire (anniversary), couleur (color), etc.

You may be surprised by the amount of French you already speak. Chic, Bon Voyage, Touché, A la carte, Bon appétit, C'est la vie, crème caramel, cuisine, déjà vu, eau de toilette, encore, femme fatale, hors d'?uvre – they are all French words.