The case with the usefulness of French is the same as with every other language from a country with a high % of English speakers.
It's very important to form real relationships. It's not important to go around.
For example, I'm from Germany. Almost every German speaks some decent English nowadays. That means you can easily go around or even befriend people in 1on1 situations with English only. However, as soon as there are group meetings it will be exclusively in German. When my friends and I meet up we speak exclusively German. So, if you are a foreigner and plan to become a regular part of our group, you have to learn that god-damn language. Same goes for France or virtually any other language.
The funny thing is, the more people speak English in a foreign country, the harder it becomes to learn and integrate in said country.
It's very important to form real relationships. It's not important to go around.
For example, I'm from Germany. Almost every German speaks some decent English nowadays. That means you can easily go around or even befriend people in 1on1 situations with English only. However, as soon as there are group meetings it will be exclusively in German. When my friends and I meet up we speak exclusively German. So, if you are a foreigner and plan to become a regular part of our group, you have to learn that god-damn language. Same goes for France or virtually any other language.
The funny thing is, the more people speak English in a foreign country, the harder it becomes to learn and integrate in said country.