As French and the other Romance languages originates from Vulgar Latin which was spoken then by merchants and soldiers, there exists many similarities among the languages, in terms of sentence structure, vocabulary, and the conjugation of verbs. Thus, if one spoke one of the other Romance languages to begin with, it is certainly easier for them to learn more about the technicalities of the French language.

Just as many other languages, there are many ways of learning French today, in order to cater to different needs. Students learning the language in school may have to learn in the traditional way of dissecting grammar rules and memorising vocabulary, while other language centres may make use of more unconventional methods, such as the learning of French through gestures, as well as the learning of French with a specific aim in mind. For example, casual learners may learn French with the goal of being able to converse comfortably with locals if they travel to French-speaking countries, while businessmen may learn the language in order to communicate more efficiently with business partners. These different groups of learners will learn different types of vocabulary as well as different emphases on tone and formality.

One special characteristic that makes the French language immediately distinguishable is the lyricism of the intonation of the language; and this must be grasped before being able to truly know French. The French language is particularly known for its elisions, which means that French is spoken in phrases instead of individual words, since words are pronounced together through the joining of the end syllable of the first word with the syllable at the beginning of the second. This gives a flow to the language and thus the musical quality to its pronunciation.