By Zaki Salleh
IPOH: “Je peux parler français,” meaning “I can speak French.”
This is a key asset for Nur Maira Madihah Mohd Hamidi, 23, who is fluent in the language. The eldest of three siblings from Ipoh, she is a graduate of the French Language and Linguistics program at Universiti Malaya.
French is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with 72 million native speakers and approximately 238 million using it as a second language. It’s no surprise that French is among the most offered courses in colleges and universities worldwide.
Discussing her passion for the language, she took French classes and passed the Le diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF) exam while studying at Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah. Her excellent results in French sparked her interest.
“Although I pursued a Science Foundation program at UiTM Dengkil and performed well, I lost interest in continuing in that field,” she said. “I then decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in French at Universiti Malaya.”
Nur Maira further explained that learning French initially posed challenges.
“A significant difference in French is the ‘gender’ of nouns. Unlike Malay and English, where we don’t differentiate nouns by gender, in French, you must remember whether a noun is Féminin or Masculin.
“Pronunciation can also be tricky for beginners. For example, ‘Croissant’ is pronounced KWA-SON, not kroison, while ‘Noir’ is NU-A, not noyir.
“The most challenging aspect of French grammar is French conjugation. Each verb has nearly 17 different forms that must be memorized,” she added.
Now working at the Ho Yan Hor Museum, Nur Maira finds it advantageous to communicate in French with visiting tourists.
Her main focus now is to take the DELF exam at higher levels.
“I also want to be a tour guide. In the future, I plan to combine French with tourism and hospitality in Malaysia, especially in Perak.
“I aim to develop community-based tourism projects involving local communities and French tourists in Perak.
“For example, I want to provide experiences that immerse French tourists in our local culture, such as learning about customs, traditions, and daily life,” said the aspiring travel agency owner.
