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5 Compelling Reasons To Learn Spanish

5 Compelling Reasons To Learn Spanish

If you are considering learning a second language, why not learn to speak Spanish?  Here are some compelling reasons you might want to learn Spanish as a second language.  

The Spanish speaking population is huge and growing, especially in the United States.
Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide making it the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. The last census shows that  it is the primary language for 34 million people in the U.S. And half  of the western hemisphere speaks Spanish. This includes  South America (except Brazil, which speaks Portuguese), Central America, Mexico, and pockets in the United States, especially California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Spanish is the second most popular language after English by a long shot.  States like California require bilingual legislative notices and official documents. In Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, Spanish is the official and most commonly used language.

Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn.
Much of its vocabulary is similar to English and there are thousands of cognates. Cognates are words that are basically the same in two languages,  such as “abrupt” in English is “abrupto” in Spanish. It is the number one foreign language being taught to children in elementary and high school. Plus there are many easy ways to learn beginner’s Spanish. You can take Spanish courses at your community college.  Or you can check out one of the many “learn Spanish” sites where you can purchase Spanish CDs or online Spanish lessons.

Spanish is almost completely phonetic.
Once you learn a few pronunciation rules, you will be able to pronounce any Spanish word correctly. The basic grammar rules are pretty straightforward. You can learn to have a Spanish conversation after only a few lessons.

Spanish language is an important tool to learn additional languages.
Once you learn Spanish, you'll have a head start in learning the other Latin-based languages such as French or Italian, and learning Spanish can even help you learn Russian and German.

Business opportunities abound for those who are fluent in both Spanish and English.
With each passing year as our Spanish speaking population grows, the ability to speak both Spanish and English will continue to become more and more valuable for people who live in the U.S. If you work in a service industry such as medicine and education, you'll find your opportunities expand by knowing Spanish. If you're in any occupation that involves international trade, communications, or tourism, you'll similarly find opportunities to use Spanish for business.

Economic globalization has been the big push behind the increasing importance of being able to communicate with those from other countries. For obvious reasons, the second language U.S. citizens choose to learn is Spanish.

Learn Spanish for cultural expansion.
Learning Spanish will give you the opportunity to learn how other people think and see the world.  Spanish also offers a wealth of literature, both modern and traditional.

You just read some excellent reasons to consider learning to speak Spanish. However, there are as many good reasons as there are individuals.  What is your main interesting in learning Spanish?  Whatever your reason is, know that you are in good company. There are currently  6 million people in the U.S. taking Spanish courses right now. So what are you waiting for? Start learning Spanish today!