Spanish is now being spoken in record numbers throughout North America. More and more people are studying Spanish. Even in Europe, Spanish is often spoken as the language of choice after English. So it is no surprise that Spanish is the second or third most popular foreign language to learn to speak – it is the 4th most spoken language in the world with about 400 million speakers worldwide. In fact, according to some figures, Spanish has more native speakers than English.

Because of the large number of speakers across the world, as well as being the official language on four continents, Spanish is a great choice for those of you who want to learn a foreign language. There are also many other reasons to learn to speak Spanish:

Your English will improve. Many English words have Latin origins, usually coming into the English language from adopted French words. Spanish is also a Latin language, so your understanding of English (and other languages derived from Latin) will improve. English and Spanish also share grammatical structures, since they have Indo-European roots. Studying foreign languages forces you to study grammar, which has the byproduct of improving your understanding of grammar for all languages, even your native tongue.

Understand your neighbors. A few decades ago, most native Spanish-speakers in the United States were only to be found in states bordering Mexico, New York City and Florida. But now, Spanish-speaking people are found even in Canada. Being able to converse with these people is a great way to enrich your life and the lives of others by bridging the communication gap with the people around you.

Traveling abroad will be more fun. You can of course visit foreign countries without knowing a word of the native language and still have fun. But I personally have so much more fun in Spanish-speaking countries by speaking Spanish that it can not be overlooked. I can’t emphasize enough how many more doors and opportunities will open for you if you can speak Spanish and decide to visit say, Mexico or Spain. You will be able to do many more things, and experience a country’s real culture, that other travelers will not.

Your cultural understanding will improve. Being able to converse with and read the newspapers of native Spanish-speakers will give you unique insights into their ways of life and beliefs. Such understanding will widen your outlook of the world and make you a much wiser person.

Learning other languages will be easier. Latin-derived languages like Italian and French will be much easier to learn once you speak Spanish. In fact, other languages like Russian and German will be easier to learn as well since they too share some linguistic roots with Spanish. Having a good understanding of the structure of language in general will also help you when learning languages that are completely unrelated.

Spanish is easy to learn. For native English speakers, Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to acquire. Spanish vocabulary is strikingly similar to English, and because written Spanish is almost entirely phonetic-based, you will have no trouble moving from the spoken word to the written, and vice versa.

Better career opportunities. Since Spanish is becoming so widespread throughout North America, learning to speak Spanish can only serve to increase your value to employers. Especially in the education and medicine fields, Spanish speakers are particularly high in demand. Learning Spanish will provide you with many more opportunities (and more money!) no matter what career you are in, especially those that involve international business, communications and tourism.

Learning Spanish is simply a lot of fun! If you enjoy socializing with other people, reading books and newspapers, or just conquering a challenge, learning to speak Spanish will make these experiences much more rewarding. Learning a foreign language does not have to be boring and tedious. There are certain things you can do that can make it extremely enjoyable and almost addictive. Once you start to see noticeable results with other Spanish speakers, you will be hooked!

And with Spanish, such rewards will come much easier than with other foreign languages. Anyone can learn Spanish, no matter how old you are or from what background you come. It’s never too late to start!

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