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But what’s going on with the “Frenchie” accent? A weapon of mass seduction for many years, the French language is no longer unanimously accepted. Enough to lose your Latin as Valentine’s Day approaches, and that’s an understatement considering that it’s Italian that is now wreaking havoc in love. Dante’s tongue is even today considered the sexiest in the world.
“Oh la la”, “c’est la vie”, “bon appetit”, “do you want to sleep with me”, and of course “I love you”, are among the best known – and used – French expressions. in the world. And for good reason, with a few exceptions, they constitute the pinnacle – seen from abroad in any case – of romanticism and sexy attitude. At least that’s what we liked to believe and imagine until the publication of this new study on the most popular languages in the world, according to very specific criteria. Carried out by OnePoll for Babbel, among several nationalities, this survey tells us – just two days before Valentine’s Day – that the language of Molière is no longer considered the sexiest in the world. One thing to know before engaging in an endless monologue to try to seduce this or that potential partner from elsewhere.
So romantic!
According to the results of this study, it is Italian which dethrones French for the first time as the sexiest language on the planet. Nearly three in ten adults surveyed (27%), whether they live in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom or the United States, believe that Dante’s language is undoubtedly the sexiest in the world, followed by French which is losing its lead but remains – all the same – among the most popular, just like Spanish in Latin America. But make no mistake, the French language still dominates the debates if we are interested in its character, not sexy, but romantic. More than a third of respondents (34%) propelled it to the rank of the most romantic language in the world. Enough to keep up appearances on February 14.
Speaking two different languages, an obstacle or an advantage in terms of love? It seems that respondents lean towards the second solution, with more than half of them (53%) considering it sexy to have a date with someone whose mother tongue is different from theirs. And this can even constitute an asset in the long term if we consider that an overwhelming majority of French people (79%) plan, if the situation arises, to learn their partner’s mother tongue. A desire particularly linked to the fact of wanting to communicate clearly with the loved one (46%), but which is also intended to be synonymous with commitment and respect (49%) as well as a certain interest in the culture of said partner (52%).
What if the soul mate of the French lived outside the borders of France? They would undoubtedly go looking for him or her in Italy (16%) or Spain (11%), while they themselves would cause more of a sensation in the United Kingdom, but then… the Italians, who once again steal the show from the little Frenchies.
*This study was conducted by OnePoll for Babbel among 6,000 people aged 18 and over from a representative sample of the populations of Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. United between December 5 and 12, 2023. Note that 1,000 people were interviewed in each country.