International hearing; The use and status of the French language in Mauritania evolved considerably during the twentieth century. The peak was in the 1960s and 1970s, when Mauritania became independent and French was granted official language status. In 1991, thirty years after independence, French lost this status, with Arabic becoming the only official language in this multilingual Muslim country, where only part of the population has a variety of Arabic as their mother tongue. French still continues to play an important role in public life and, for some, in private life as well. Its presence can be seen in particular in education, in the media and in borrowings by Mauritanian languages. Conversely, one notes the influence of local languages and realities on the French spoken in Mauritania. The importance and status of the French language in Mauritania changed a lot during the 20th century. Their acmé was in the 1960s-1970s, when Mauritania became independent and French had the status of official language. In 1991, thirty after independence, French lost this status, with Arabic becoming the only official language of this multilingual Muslim country, where only part of the population had a variety of Arabic as their mother tongue. French, however, retains an important place in public life and, for some, in private life. His presence can be seen in teaching, in the media and in the borrowings made by Mauritanian languages. Conversely, however, we note the influence of local languages and realities on French spoken in Mauritania.