Why learn spanish?

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Who's learning Spanish these days? For starters, residents of the United States, a bunch not known for conquering monoligualism, are studying Spanish in record numbers. Spanish, too, is becoming of greater importance in Europe, where it often is the foreign language of choice after English. And it's no wonder that Spanish is a popular second or third language: with some 400 million speakers, it's the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese and Hindustani), and according to some counts it has more native speakers than English does. It is an official language on four continents and is of historical importance elsewhere.
 

The numbers alone make Spanish a good choice for those wanting to learn another language. But there are plenty of other reasons to learn Spanish. Here are two:​



Knowing your neighbors!  Not all that many years ago, the Spanish-speaking population of the United States was confined to the Mexican border states, Florida and New York City. But no more. Even when I lived less than 100 kilometers from the Canadian border, there were Spanish-speaking people living on the same street as I did. Wherever I've lived in recent years, knowing Spanish has proven invaluable in speaking with others who don't know English.



It's easy!  Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. Much of its vocabulary is similar to English's, and written Spanish is almost completely phonetic: Look at almost any Spanish word and you can tell how it is pronounced. And while mastering the grammar of Spanish can be a challenge, basic grammar is straightforward enough that you can have meaningful communication after only a few lessons.