5 reasons why learning Spanish is a good idea

5 reasons why learning Spanish is a good idea:

If you need more reasons to start learning the Spanish language, other than how interesting it sounds, just because you want to, or if you're thinking of learning a new language and are considering Spanish, I hope the following reasons can help you make your choice and inspire you to take on the challenge of learning this beautiful language.

1 - Millions of people around the world speak Spanish as their native language

Spanish is the official language of 25 countries around the world; you can find Spanish speaking countries in Europe (where it originated in Spain), the Americas, the Caribbean, and even Africa! There are around 400 million people speaking Spanish. You can travel around the world and put your Spanish knowledge to good use.

2 - Spanish has different varieties or dialects from place to place, but with learning just one you can communicate efficetively anywhere and everywhere Spanish is spoken

That's right. Just by learning a general Spanish, the simplest to pronounce, you can go anywhere the Spanish language is spoken and understand and be understood in return. It really is all the same, with differences in how some letters and words are pronounced (and the local slang). You don't need to learn the more difficult pronunciation from Spain's Spanish, just by learning a general Spanish you can travel to many countries around the world and communicate effectively.

3 - Broadens your business opportunities 

Being at the top of the world's most spoken languages, and an official language in four continents in 25 countries, for entrepreneurs and business people it could come in handy, especially if considering expansion. And you don't even have to be a business owner or entrepreneur to benefit from Spanish, knowing such a versatile and convenient language as Spanish can give you an advantage and open some doors. It certainly will look good on your resume.

4 - Basic Spanish syntax has similarities with English

Although there are some differences, at the beginning of your studies you will see that the order of sentences is quite similar to English. English is a SVO type of language, meaning that to construct basic sentences a subject comes first, followed by a verb, and ending with an object. Spanish is also a SVO type, so when you take on Spanish you will have this as and advantage if your native language is English. You won't have to start thinking 'upside down' or 'right to left' to understand what you're reading or learning.

5 - Learning and practicing a new language will keep your mind sharp, and learning one that you will actually use is even better

Many languages are very attractive because of their origin, or sound, or the cultures surrounding them, but sometimes these languages are only spoken in that particular country, or perhaps are not even used anymore. Learning a language that's widely used, like Spanish, is more useful and will be of greater benefit to you than learning one of these 'ornamental' languages as I will call them, since you can learn them and they are beautiful, but you will rarely, if ever, use them. According to researchers* who compared people that only speak their native language to people who speak a second language, speaking another language can improve your brain function and prevent brain diseases that come with age, such as Alzheimer's and dementia. And people who speak another language are also better at multitasking (which I have to say is a good skill to have lately.)

Learning a language that you can actually use is better because it is the practice of switching between languages regularly what stimulates your brain. Spanish is a language that you can use even without leaning the country if you live in a place with many Hispanic visitors, like the US, for example; it's a language that you can actually put to use.

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 I'd also like to add that learning Spanish is fun! It will allow you to travel with confidence to different continents, how great is that? You can go to South America, Caribbean Islands, Europe, and even Africa and find people who speak Spanish.

I hope these reasons can convince you to start learning today, and I wish you much fun in your learning! Good luck :)

*The researchers I mentioned are Ellen Bialystok from York University in Toronto, and Judith Kroll from Penn State University.