31st edition of the French Language and Francophonie Week

The Semaine de la langue française et de la francophonie (French language and Francophonie week) was created 30 years ago by the French ministry of culture and is held around the 20th of March to gather all French speakers and lovers of the French language all over the world. 

The week’s highlights

Many events are held in France and the world during the week: Here’s an overview of this event’s highlights: 

• Cité internationale de la langue française in Villers-Cotterêts is holding events focused on culture: meeting with artists in residence, reception of the laureates of the school contest “Dis-moi dix mots”, award ceremony for the prize “Dis-moi dix mots pour créer du lien” dedicated to young people in exile.
• TV5 monde deploys a range of actions on its platform throughout the month of March: creation of a new digital library, release of the book 101 words of Francophonie, a sneak peak of the documentary series Génération F and Destination Francophonie in Yukon.
• Abroad, the Instituts Français, Alliances françaises and French colleges from the AEFE network also celebrate French language and Francophonie on the five continents.

On March 20th, presentation of the International Francophonie Day

The International Organisation of La Francophonie holds every year the International Day of La Francophonie on March 20, date of creation of the organisation. The platform 20mars.francophonie.org lists all events scheduled all over the world. Use the interactive map to locate events close to your location. 

University Francophonie is also under the spotlights throughout the month of March. On its website, the Francophonie University Association offers to discover a selection of activities (conferences, sports events, contests) celebrating French language. 

French language all over the world

The Observatory of the French Language of the OIF releases a report every four years on the status and use of French language around the world. 

• 321 million French speakers worldwide;
• 5th most spoken language globally;
• 93 million pupils and students are taught in French;
• 4th most used language on the internet;
• 51 million people are learning French.

Campus France helps you learn French

Campus France facilitates access to information and educational programs for those who wish to learn or improve their level of French. 

• The catalogue of short programs, cultural and language stays allows you to quickly find a program to learn French in just a few clicks:
• The French+ programs allow you to learn French while discovering cutting-edge technological sectors, as well as excellence in gastronomy and hospitality:
• The guide on French as a Foreign Language tests and degrees provides key information needed to certify sufficient proficiency in French to register to a French higher education institution.