Best language to learn?

[Bigtallfatbloke]

German

 

[killiekosmos]

Spanish is quite straightforward and probably more practical. Ignoring Chinese languages, English and Spanish are the most widely-spoken across many countries.

 

[stevenb]

I would like to learn Portuguese 1st, then spanish as spanish is very similar. I know a fair bit of French but could most deffo improve on that.
To be multilingual can generate so many worldwide job opportunities as well as some excellent ones here in the UK.
It's finding the time to learn that I struggle with.
I would no doubt find it easier if I went to a college class rather than studying at home.

 

[Dayvo]

Spanish or French, possibly Dutch or Italian; it depends on your reasons.
Although, as Zimzum says, Arabic might be useful in the years to come, inchallah!

 

[punkypossum]

I'm about to start learning Maori - don't suppose it's very useful though!

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Latin is very good for being patronising. You throw a few latin tags into a conversation, and when they look incomprehending, you say, "I'm terribly sorry, I assumed that you'd have at least basic latin."

 

[rich p]

I did 3 years Italian from scratch and it's rewarding when you go to Italy and find they can understand you ( a sympathetic listener at least). I found learning it such a rewarding experience on many levels - when speaking it in their country, as a social experience with like-minded students, as a stimulus to a lazy mind etc.
It is obviously best to learn the language of a place your going to visit and like as an incentive to keep doing the homework. The drop-out rate in night-classes is very high despite the upfront cost.

 

[Fnaar]

I'd go with the Spanish, for reasons mentioned by others...it's relatively easy compared to Fr or Ger in terms of grammar, widely-spoken in world terms and also easier than Fr Ger It or esp. Port. in terms of pronunciation; it is almost entirely phonetic, meaning that once you know what sound a letter (or pair of letters) makes, it remains constant. Italian is phonetic too, but has more inconsistencies. Portuguese is difficult in terms of pron., but is a superbly sexy language (and a splendid country!) However, knowing Sp. will give you a fantastic headstart in both Port and Italian, as they are so similar. Also, ahving some Fr will help your Sp vocabulary development. I speak v. good Sp, and reasonable Portuguese and French. On a recent trip to Italy (my first) I was easily able to communicate, and impress/befriend the natives.

Remember though that a language is not just for Christmas, it takes time, and the more you devote to it, the more you'll get out of it. The good old BBC has some excellent online language learning stuff here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
try some out. Good luck... knowing other languages opens doors and your mind, too.

 

[Cathryn]

I'm learning some Hindi for my India trip. My standard first phrase is:

Do chay ke sath dudh, kripaya

Two teas with milk please...

 

[Brock]

Spanish is clearly the choice.

 

[Cathryn]

French is better for seducing people....

 

[Brock]

what's french for 'freckle' ?

 

[Abitrary]

If you don't have an ulterior motive, learn French.

 

[bof]

My daughter speaks reads and writes some Japanese and when we went to China she could read quite a lot but not understand a single spoken word. Weird.

 

[Cathryn]

what's french for 'freckle' ?

tache de rousseur

Red stains. Nice.

Pourquoi?