Learning a language has been a popular New Year’s resolution for many years and has consistently ranked as one of the top 10 resolutions of all time.
So if you are considering learning a language this new year, you are in luck as we have selected the best foreign languages to learn in 2018.
1.Spanish
The wide spread of the Spanish language in Europe and the Americas has made it our number 1 language to learn in the year 2018. With more than 470 million native speakers and a growing number of non-native speakers, it is the most commonly spoken language in the world, second only to Mandarin Chinese.
Native: 470 Million (2017)
Non-native: 100 million (2017)
Official language in: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cuba, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Uruguay and Equatorial Guinea .
Unofficially Spoken in: Andorra, Belize, Gibraltar and the United States.
2.Chinese
Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world with more than 1 billion native speakers. It is the official language of China and is spoken by almost 70% of the Chinese population. With celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg adopting the dialect, Mandarin Chinese has the potential to challenge the supremacy of English, especially in business circles, as China overtakes the United States as the nation with the highest GDP in the world.
Native: 1 billion (2017)
Non-natives: 200 million (2017)
Official language in: China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Spoken unofficially in: Indonesia, southern Vietnam, and Malaysia.
3. English
French is a Romance language spoken by approximately 80 million native speakers and more than 153 million non-native speakers worldwide. It is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in Europe and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Due to its colonial past, similar to that of English, French also has more non-native speakers than native speakers spread across the globe.
Native: 80 million (2017)
Non-natives: 153 Million (2017)
Official language in: France, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Chad, Guinea, Rwanda, Belgium, Burundi, Benin, Haiti, Switzerland, Togo, Central Africa Dominican Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Comoros, Luxembourg, Vanuatu, Seychelles and Monaco.
Unofficially spoken in: Algeria, Albania, Andorra, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Dominica, Egypt, Greece, Laos, Lebanon, Morocco, Macedonia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Romania, Saint Lucia, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
4. Arabic
Arabic is commonly spoken in the Middle East and is the dominant language in some of the fastest growing markets in this region with more than 420 million speakers worldwide. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, and Hindi.
Native: 290 Million (2017)
Non-natives: 132 million (2017)
Official language in: Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, Mauritania, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
Unofficially Spoken in: Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan.
5. german
As one of the 3 official languages of the European Union, the German language has approximately 110 million native speakers and is the most widely spoken native language in Europe. In addition to being the lingua franca of Central and Eastern Europe, German is a language that is rapidly gaining popularity on the internet, with (Germany) being the main country-level domain out there.
Native: 110 million (est.)
Non-natives: 52 million
Official language in: Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein.
Unofficially spoken in: Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine.
6. French
With more than 370 million native speakers around the world, English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is also the current language of business around the world. While basic knowledge of the English language can be enough to communicate at a beginner level, it can make it difficult to build a relationship with a native English speaker, especially for business purposes. Proficiency in the English language is essential for professional and personal success.
Native: 370 Million
Non-natives: 600 million
Official language in: US, UK, Australia, Canada and over 50 other countries.
Unofficially Spoken in: United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and over 40 other countries.
Learn a language and improve your communication to make 2018 a fruitful year. Start your course today!