French is not difficult as far as language learning goes. Arabic and Mandarin Chinese are on the other hand quite difficult to master. It takes years to learn the alphabet and read simple sentences. And both have al;ien ideas to Indo-European languages, example Chinese is a tonal language, so there are three or four ways of saying "Ma", which can mean horse or mother, depending on where the word stress is put.
More than 50% of English words derive from Normand French, because of the heavy influence and transformation of English after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, a very important date as far English is concerned. In England, French was lingua franca for the aristocracy and bourgoisie centuries after 1066 as it was in other parts of Europe.
You can really see the difference in these texts below.
Take for instance this text in Old English (pre-1066)
Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
5
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
10
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning!
ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned,
geong in geardum, þone god sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat
15
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile. Him þæs liffrea,
wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf;
Beowulf wæs breme (blæd wide sprang),
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
20
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal
25
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.
Here you can see Anglo-Saxon, Frisian influences, noite how the verb goes at the end as in other West Germanic languages, and how most words do not look familiar, except the propositions, on, in, to, ofer (over).
Now take a Middle English text post-1066
Actus Primus. Sceena Prima.
Enter Richard Duke of Gloster, solus.
Now is the Winter of our Discontent,
Made glorious Summer by this Son of Yorke:
And all the clouds that lowr'd vpon our house
In the deepe bosome of the Ocean buried.
Now are our browes bound with Victorious Wreathes, 5
Our bruised armes hung vp for Monuments;
Our sterne Alarums chang'd to merry Meetings;
Our dreadfull Marches, to delightfull Measures,
Grim-visag'd Warre, hath smooth'd his wrinkled Front:
Much of the lexis (words), adjectives and verbs in the Middle English text come from French (and from French they come Latin), example: Measure, Monument, delightful, Front, armes (spelt as arms in Modern English), victorious, ocean, discontent, duke, enter, glorious, merry, change...
I have also observed that even the syntax is more like French than any Germanic language, here the word order in a sentence ressembles French interference, example: And all the clouds that lowr'd vpon our house, similar to French "et tous les nuages qui sont basses sur notre maison"
but other sentences retain the original Germanic syntax, example: In the deepe bosome of the Ocean buried. (but this does not exist in Modern English)
Many important English words that we use everyday, even unlikely words come from French. Example Because (comes from the Normand French
bicause), bargain comes from Normand French
bargaignier,no longer used in French, and purchase comes from the Normand French Pourchassier.
French is very close to English, or English is the most franchified Germanic language. You needn`t be scared of French brother! 
But you are right, for Cyprus maybe not.
