How Can You Know Which Is the Best Language to Learn?

Maybe you love anime, or are a fan of paella… or perhaps you are fascinated by the marvellous parades of the Brazilian carnivals. There are several compelling cultures all around the world that may make you want to learn their language. But with so many fantastic options available, how do you know which one to study?

To help you decide, we have compiled the most important aspects you should bear in mind before choosing which language you should learn. Discover them below!

1. Which Language Do You Already Speak?

All languages belong to a language family. Those that are closely related tend to be similar in many aspects, like vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

So, if you want to learn a language without it presenting much of a challenge to you, you should go for one that is related to the language(s) you already know.

For example, Italian speakers will find it less difficult to learn Spanish, French, or Portuguese instead of Russian. As you already know English, learning Norwegian or Swedish should not present much of a challenge.

In this way, you will have a head start and will be able to boost your CV much faster!

2. Passion

You should also choose a language that you are passionate about. Even the “easy” languages will take you a fair amount of time to learn. So, if you do not have a deep interest in them, you will probably just get tired and quit.

Find something that drives you and that thing will take you to the language that you are passionate about. Are you an ambitious businessperson who wants to expand their company? Then Chinese or German are great options for you. Do you like watching anime for hours? Then Japanese should be your pick!

3. Gauge Your Language’s Economic Potential

This tip may not apply to everyone, but the economic potential of a language will be a key factor for many. You should consider which language is important in your field and give it priority over the rest.

If you are in the energy and oil business, Arabic is a clear choice. But those who work in tourism may be better off speaking French, Italian or Spanish, since France, Italy and Spain are the countries that receive a higher number of tourists.

Not only will this give you more opportunities for practice, but it will also boost your career and give you the possibility of asking for better salaries.

4. Choose a Language That You Are Going to Use

If you are not going to use the language, what is the point in learning it? Maybe you love the way French sounds, but if you do not see yourself communicating in the language in the short term, you are not going to be motivated.

Whether you are planning a trip or to live in an area where your target language is used a lot, try to think in which ways you are going to put in practice all you have learnt.

Photo via Freepik

5. Available Resources

Another key factor you should bear in mind before choosing what language to learn is how you many resources you are going to have at your disposal. If you want to learn French, Spanish, or Italian, you will find thousands of movies, songs, and books on the internet.

Now, if you are learning Icelandic, the story will be different. You may find some resources (like our Spotify playlists with songs in a variety of languages), but it will not be as easy.

The good thing is that, no matter which language you want to learn, you can find native speakers on the web that are interested in your learning your language. In this way, you can do a language exchange and make new friends at the same time. Of course, it may be harder to do this with Tamil than with Chinese, for example, but it is still feasible.

And if you want to learn a language with a native-speaking teacher, we can help you! Our online classes are taught by native instructors with years of experience in the field. Our courses cover pretty much any language, from the popular ones, like Chinese, Spanish and French, to the hidden gems, like Tamil, Swahili, and even Klingon.

Our Spanish teacher, Cecilia, and her two students at an online lesson.

You can also join our affordable online open-group classes with learners from all over the world at the same level as you in your target language. Or you can request to have closed-group classes tailored specifically to the needs of you and your friends or workmates.