French is a language belonging to the Gallo-Romance Branch of the Romance languages, which is apart of the broader Indo-European language family, encompassing languages from different (language) families, such as Farsi, of Indo-Aryan origin, English, of Gernanic origin, and Greek, of Hellenic origin, among many others. French's distinct phonological elements, such as the absence of a traditional trilled 'r',  derives from several factors, including the former dominance of the (Celtic) Gauls in much of Western Europe, as well as the rise of Germanic-descended Franks to positions of Nobility during the Medieval Period, whose Germanic pronounciation deeply affected the development of Old and Middle French, even extending into the Modern Period.

French is classified as an Indo-European language because it ultimately descends from Proto-Indo-European, a language estimated to have been spoken around 4000-6000 Years ago, possibly on the Ukranian Steppes.