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Love your language: from French schools in France, to Spanish schools in Mexico
Given that English is the most widely spoken second language in the world, a native Anglophone could perhaps be forgiven for being a little lazy and never getting around to learning a second language; after all, if everyone else speaks English, then what’s the point, right? .
Well, it may surprise some to learn that whilst many people in the world do indeed speak English, around 75% speak no English whatsoever. That’s a lot of people.
With this in mind, the value of speaking a second – or even third – language can’t be overstated. From small business owners, to tourists and travelers, interacting with other cultures takes on a whole new perspective when you can communicate with them in their own language.
So what are the best languages to learn? Well, if you’re planning on moving to Bulgaria permanently, then clearly Bulgarian would be a good move. But for practical purposes, most people would be more inclined to learn French or Spanish…something with a more global reach.
Furthermore, the best place to learn any language is in a country that speaks it natively. If you want to study French, then you are best to look for French schools in France. Studying in the UK or US will be less beneficial, as you’ll probably only be speaking it in the classroom. But if you enroll on a French course in Lyon [more details], for example, you will be speaking it every waking hour of the day.
Learning a global language
English is the world’s most widely spoken second language, but as far as native speakers are concerned, it is the third most common language after Mandarin, which has over 800 million speakers, and Spanish which has around 330 million native speakers. Mandarin is a little more difficult for English speakers to learn, given that the sounds, pronunciations and alphabet are based on a completely different language system to what they’re used to.
It’s for this reason that Spanish is top of many language ‘to do’ lists. A significant number of English words actually originate from Spanish, such as ‘aficionado’, ‘rodeo’ and ‘pronto’, to name but a few. And many Spanish phrases are used colloquially across the English world, such as ‘mi casa, tu casa’. And this familiarity could well make Spanish the perfect language to learn for monolinguals everywhere. Whether it's in Peru, Argentina, Bolivia or Mexico, just make sure Spanish is the local lingo!
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