In your country, was there a time when English was NOT the main foreign language taught?

[Tooting Carmen]

If so, which other language was primarily taught instead?

[Zeno]

Yes, up until the 80s I think the main foreign language being taught was French.

[Mortimer]

In yugoslavia it was russian

[Tooting Carmen]

Yes, up until the 80s I think the main foreign language being taught was French.

Et aujourd'hui, est-ce qu'il y a des Grecques qui toujours apprendent la langue de Voltaire et Rousseau?

[Scarface F]

Ofcourse.

Older Croats in the north will know German; on the coast Italian.

[Tooting Carmen]

Ofcourse.

Older Croats in the north will know German; on the coast Italian.

And Russian?

[Zeno]

Et aujourd'hui, est-ce qu'il y a des Grecques qui toujours apprendent la langue de Voltaire et Rousseau?

Oui, pas mal de Grecs. On m'a appris le français a l' école, mais j'ai presque oublié

(I translated it from Google translate������)

[Dušan]

In yugoslavia it was russian

+1

[sacha]

Of course, French. French is dying amongst the populace, though; there is a higher emphasis on Arabic education now, but many classes are in English. I did all of my schooling in French, English as a 'foreign language' and the only Arabic class I had was a literature class, which I did not take after I was, 14? Don't remember, because I was focusing on the sciences and that was all in French. Then I did the beginning of my university in Arabic but eventually I ended up in Europe taking things in English and French again.

I went to private French Catholic school though, partially in Lebanon, so I am not sure exactly what the public school kids did but I know they did more Arabic. Nowadays they teach mainly in Arabic and English at the same time, French or Russian (French more popular, they only just started offering Russian) as 'foreign language.' Kids do not speak French at all outside of the more educated ones, they just removed it from the Syrian passport.

[Catarinense1998]

In Brazil, during the XIX century, the elites used to learn french here and get degrees in France. If I'm not mistaken french used to be the language used in diplomatic agreements and treaties for a long time, even the noble families in Europe used to contact each other in french for a long time. I think it has something to do with the french influence during the "Enlightment" and within academic world.