do french people learn english in school?

[SusanSocks]

as they very rarely seem too speak it when being interviewed for tv

That's not what I've found tbh. I teach French, German and Spanish in the UK. We do exchange trips. The Germans generally speak excellent English (both parents and kids, but the kids are better and speak much more natural, colloquial English).
The Spanish and French are a bit better than we are at their languages, but not that much (considering they encounter English constantly, whereas our kids will barely ever see or hear a word of the foreign language outside of lessons). Their parents often don't speak much English at all.

As others have said, learning a language at school does not prepare you to be interviewed in it years later as an adult!

My husband is French he said he was reading books such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for his BAC. I guess not everyone takes English to the same level. Generally I find the French who don’t use English a lot think they speak bad English but it’s was better than most English people’s French.

My husband is French he said he was reading books such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for his BAC.

UK kids still do serious literature for MFL A Level too. Molière, Camus etc are still on the set texts list.

Many Canadians could (me) and many couldn’t (my parents).

A level French wouldn’t allow you to do that and frankly is quite pitiful. I was reading French novels, Le Monde etc.

Studying a language and being fluent and able to hold real conversations isn’t what a levels are designed for.

Why would they give an interview in English? I’ll worry about that when I hear Starmer discuss immigration in French.

In the Netherlands and Germany, you still get a lot more English spoken media, lots of music in English and tv spoken in English with subtitles (not dubbed).

Remember the press here losing it a bit because Boris Johnson spoke in French while in France, we just assume Brits can’t do it.

I dunno OP, how is your French?

Holiday/social.language is very different from formal business language. I can speak and read French fairly well. Recently I was chatting informally to some French colleagues at an international conference. I found it really hard going to speak about my work. I had to speak slowly and carefully and I didn't have some of the necessary vocab I needed. I would not have wanted to do it in a pressured situation.

Quite right. This thread immediately started with snark post after post.

A huge reason foreigners speak better English than English speak foreign languages is because they listen to British music.

I have Argentinian relatives. My grandfather's brother moved there in the early 1900's and had a huge family and they all speak Spanish but they also speak English as a result of listening to our music.

My great cousin says his first born child's first words were "Smoke on the water...."

Yes a lot of people across the globe have a working knoweldge of English because of its cultural dominance. That is very different to being able to confidently give a political interview or speech in your second or even third language. Which was the OPs question.

It was quite an odd question anyway as it implied French politicians and celebs SHOULD be giving interviews in English.

There are nuances here. A lot of educated French people in the public eye speak English very well, but tend to use French in public as the French are very proud and protective of their language and culture and keen to preserve it. As an example Emmanual Macron can speak very good English but generally he gives public speeches in French, even to an international audience.

Generally yes, rather better than us British speak French

but culturally the French see their own language as a perfectly acceptable global language and tend to avoid using English even if they’re good at it. See how Eurovision still stubbornly repeat the scores in French and they always give their own scores in French

The Dutch and Scandinavians meanwhile recognise English as the main international language of communication and are always much more comfortable with it

broadly I’m with the French- I don’t think anyone should feel obliged to speak English. It helps if you speak a globally well understood language yes but who says that should be English? French and Spanish are other great examples

I

Most children in France learn English - by law, they have to spend an hour and a half a week in primary school learning a foreign language. I am always in awe when I hear footballers from across the globe giving interviews in English - and many European politicians speak very good English. If, however, you are talking about “the man in the street”, it’s amazing how many of them do speak English. How many Brits do you think would be able to converse in French if stopped by someone from French television?

no, not the man in the street
the eurovision song contest is a prime example

OP you are missing the historical and cultural context here. As explained by @sesquipedalian the French regard their language as a global lingua franca on a par with English.

For many centuries French was THE language of diplomacy and international.organisations. Being able to speak diplomatic French was seen as part of a good education for upper class British people - the late Queen Elizabeth spoke pretty decent French as it would have been seen as part of the default education for someone of her background going in to public life.

"It was quite an odd question anyway as it implied French politicians and celebs SHOULD be giving interviews in English'

Exactly. Very odd question.

it is of interest to me,
i have been accused of asking ridiculous and odd questions

not helpful really.
shame

Yes we do learn it. It’s not really a requirement for professionals, a bit like it’s not a requirement over here. I don’t believe the majority (or even a large minority) of British presenters learn a foreign language to the standard they could present/debate/be interviewed? I could be wrong, but I’ve not seen it on a regular basis.

In Eurovision all countries give the points in both French and English.

this is the kind of answer i appreciate.

Anecdotally my French husband found it difficult adjusting to using French business language when he returned to France two years ago as his whole career had been in English until that point. So despite his studies all being in French to degree level and being born in France to French parents his natural business language was/is English as that is where he worked for 15 years.

No problem. Your question did rather come across as cultural chauvanism. Why do you think French public figures should speak English. Maybe reflect on that assumption.

it is obvious, when compared to germans and dutch generally.
but it get it
it seems easier just to accuse me of chauvinism than enter into a reasonable discussion.
merde

Politicians would not be advised to speak publicly in their school English because they may make serious errors of meaning and they would also sound, frankly, silly struggling on. Can you imagine Keir Starmer giving a speech using GCSE french? Mais, non.
Sportspeople may learn English once established and on the circuit, but a french footballer playing for PSG is unlikely to have focused that much on his school lessons and more likely to have been practising footie than going on trips to London.
Alcaraz is a great example of a sports person who has embraced English lessons with gusto. Used to be very quiet when interviewed at Wimbledon and now they can't shut him up 😄

@SusanSocks different countries have different cultural norms and atttitudes towards languages shocker. I mean you are not this ignorant surely?

The French empire was at one time almost as widespread as the British empire, therefore a lot of the world still speaks French as a second language. It is not the same for Germany or the Scandanavian countries Add in to it the fact French was adopted as the formal language of diplomacy, supra national organisations and courts for many centuries and you can see why France is different in its atttitude towards learning and speaking English than some other European countries.

@Ginmonkeyagain
I mean you are not this ignorant surely?

Ok. I'm not wasting any more of my Sunday morning talkiing to a poor quality troll.

right back to you @Ginmonkeyagain
what a sanctimonious poster you are
better get back to work