10 languages worth learning in the world

As human beings have grown closer economically and in life, the ability to communicate and understand each other has never been more important than it is today. Whether you are traveling, doing business, or enriching yourself academically, learning another language can be very practical. Here is a list of the 10 most worth?while languages to learn.

10. Portuguese

Often compared to Spanish, Portuguese actually has a separate, distinct history, including being influenced by Vulgar Latin and Celtic. It is also much harder to learn than Spanish. While Portuguese may seem obscure on the surface, there are actually more than 230,000,000 Portuguese speakers who claim it is their native language. In fact, it is the official language of 10 countries spread as far away as Angola in Africa and East Timor in the Pacific. Naturally, Brazil's status as an emerging economic powerhouse also makes learning Portuguese particularly useful.

9. Russian

With over 250,000,000 native speakers, Russian is geographically the most widely spoken Slavic language. Its use of the Cyrillic alphabet may seem a little intimidating at first, but once you learn it, it serves as a good foundation for understanding other Slavic languages such as Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian. Furthermore, in addition to being an important language in the business world, Russian has the largest collection of scientific and technical literature in the world and is very useful for those who are hungry for knowledge.

8. Japanese

As an economic powerhouse, Japanese is an essential language. When traveling in Japan, you might be surprised to find that very few signs are written in English, and most people don't understand English. Over 120,000,000 people speak Japanese, considered by some to be the hardest language in the world, with three complex writing systems, multiple forms, and a grammatical structure that many may find confusing. Nonetheless, those who learn it find it a very interesting language to learn.

7. Hindi

Like English, Hindi is the official language of the Indian government. It is a truly rich language, with most of its vocabulary drawn from Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic, Turkish and English. While most people associate it with India, it is also the official language of Fiji and the regional language of Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius. As the world's fourth most spoken first language (over 260,000,000 speakers), you'll have plenty of people to converse with!

6. Arabic

Arabic is the official language of 26 countries with approximately 422,000,000 native and non-native speakers. It has become an extremely important language in the fields of energy and security, especially as Middle Eastern cities such as Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar have become some of the fastest growing economic centers in the world. However, the language can be a challenge because it contains a variety of dialects (eg, Egyptian Arabic and Moroccan Arabic contain significant linguistic differences) and has complex writing styles.

5. German

There are many good reasons to learn German, the most important being that it is the most spoken first language in the EU. Of course, since Germany is an economic powerhouse in Europe, it is also an important business language. While younger generations in Eastern Europe are more likely to learn English, those who grew up behind the Iron Curtain are more likely to learn German, which can be useful when traveling in Poland, the Czech Republic or even Russia. Although German has a more complex grammar compared to English, it is more logical.

4. French

Before being replaced by English after World War II, French was the language of choice for business and travel in Europe. Today, as many as 110,000,000 people speak French as their first language, and another 190,000,000 speak French as a second language. Additionally, the language is officially or de facto spoken in 31 countries in Africa alone, and the continent is expected to have 700,000,000 speakers by 2050! Americans who want to speak French with a native speaker don't have to travel far, as both Quebec and New Brunswick have French as their primary language. Other than that, it's just a lovely language to learn!

3. Spanish

Spanish is self-evident in this list. About 470,000,000 people speak it as their first language, and another 100,000,000 speak it as a second language. It is the official language of 20 countries, mainly in South America and the Caribbean. Of course, it's also a very practical language for Americans to learn as the Latino population grows in Florida, Texas, and the Southwest. As a bonus, it's one of the easiest languages to learn.

2. Mandarin

With China's rapid development, it will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy within a few years. Therefore, the world's most spoken language (about 955,000,000 languages) becomes very important. It's a very difficult language to learn; subtle intonation can change the meaning of a sentence, but it gets easier with practice. The grammar system is relatively simple, although writing Chinese characters is notoriously difficult.

1. English

More than 400 million people speak English as their first language, and another 1.1 billion speak English as a foreign language. In short, it is nearly impossible to travel internationally or conduct business without knowing it. In fact, commercial pilots need to say it, as do most diplomatic positions. Difficult spelling rules and absurd grammar can present serious challenges, but if you say it, you're really in the driver's seat.