Can the high school students in France choose which language they want to learn as the second language?

Question

Can they decide which language they want to learn like the students in the US?
If yes, how many choices do they have ?

Answer 1

Yes, and this starts in 8th grade generally speaking. Some schools start as early as 6th grade (European class setting), and in my case, I started a second language in 3rd grade.

The choices differ. Most of the time, English will be the second language. If you live in the Northeast of France, German is offered, or sometimes Italian due to the many immigrants who came to work in coal mines. If you like in the Northwest of the country, English will apply again due to the proximity to the UK, and sometimes, some dialects like the Brittany one.

In the southwest of France, many will pick Spanish because it is so close to Spain, while in the Southeast, Italian may predominate. Among other languages, you may also study Latin if interested, or Greek.

Usually, you will find a combination of English with German, Spanish and Italian in junior high, and then a few more as you move on to high school, which begins with grade 10.

Answer 2

Yes, and they can also choose their first language . it just depends on the high school they're in.
In most schools, English is the 1st foreign language as we call it. Then it's usually Spanish or German.

Then you have your 2nd foreign language and you may have a third one or Latin.

It all depends on what you want to study later.