Which language did French originate from?

French originated from Vulgar Latin, the spoken language of the Roman Empire.

Here's a breakdown:

* Latin: The official language of the Roman Empire.

* Vulgar Latin: The everyday language spoken by the common people of the Roman Empire, as opposed to the formal, written Latin used by the educated elite.

* Romance languages: Languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin spoken in different regions of the former Roman Empire. French is one of these.

Over time, Vulgar Latin evolved differently in various regions, leading to the emergence of distinct Romance languages like French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and others.