It can be hard to choose which language to study or, if you are studying one already, to know that you’ve chosen well.

So here’s a little more on the importance of studying Spanish.

But First…

Why is it important for you to learn a second language?

Much of the research on language acquisition is complicated and difficult to explain in a few lines. – However, plenty of benefits do exist.

For example, this interesting talk I came across on TED’s YouTube channel by John McWhorter. Although some of the reasons may seem obvious, John does a great job summarizing.

According to McWhorter, four main reasons to learn a second language are:

We can better understand the perspective of other cultures: that is, if you want to understand a culture, be part of it and understand its deeper traits; language is the ideal channel for this purpose.

Bilingualism is health: according to McWhorter, speaking a second language decreases the chances of developing dementia. Also, author Mia Nacamulli mentions “being bilingual does not make our brains smarter, yet it makes us healthier, complex and actively engaged”.

Learning a language is fun: finding similarities between languages, sharing languages with another person, watching foreign programs, traveling or working in another country are some of the fantastic things you can access if you learn another language.

We have thousands of resources to learn: never in history have we had so many resources thanks to the Internet. Now we have YouTube tutorials and thousands of audio and visual resources at our disposal.

Need even more reasons to get started?

Being bilingual gives you access to a better job, you are able to communicate better and have richer experiences when you travel abroad, and you will be a more open person.

So, why Spanish?

Many people may not know the importance of Spanish. This is because for many years, Spanish has been considered a language of very little importance, because it’s spoken in mostly developing regions.

The truth is that the Spanish-speaking population continues to grow in quantity as well as economically, socially and culturally importance (Especially in USA).

This doesn’t mean that English has lost its importance, but that Spanish is becoming more widely spoken throughout the world.

In other words, if you know English and Spanish you will have access to the political, social and cultural panorama in the whole American continent.

Want to know the best part?

Still doubting if you should study Spanish? check out these 17 reasons that will certainly change your perspective on the Spanish language:

Spanish is a world language

The Cervantes Institute (2016 ) estimates that there are more than 567 million people who speak Spanish in the world.

lavanguardia.com

Spanish Speakers in The United States is growing

According to some studies, there are 37 million Spanish speakers in the United States and the Association of Spanish Language Academies predicts that it will soon be the second largest country of Spanish speakers in the world, after Mexico.

There are more spanish students than ever before

The Cervantes Institute (2016 ) estimates that there are 21 million Spanish students worldwide. The United States ranks first in a number of Spanish speakers, followed by Brazil, France and Italy.

Spanish is a common official language

The Cervantes Institute estimates that there are 21 countries that have Spanish as an official language, including: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Perú, Venezuela, Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Equatorial Guinea.

The purchasing power of Hispanic Americans is strong

The purchasing power of Hispanic Americans increases every year, especially in countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, and Chile. This contribution to GDP (Gross National Product) is 9.2%.

You can read great writers

Great writers have bequeathed transcendent works for the world in Spanish language:

Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, José Zorrilla, Leopoldo “Alas” Clarín, Benito Pérez Galdós, Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Miguel Hernández, Federico García Lorca, Miguel Hernández, José Ortega y Gasset, Luis Cernuda, Pedro Salinas, Miguel de Unamuno, Javier Marías, Ana María Matute, Carmen Laforet, Miguel Delibes, etc.

And more just from Latin America:

Gabriel García Márquez, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa, Alejo Carpentier, Juan Rulfo, Oliverio Girondo, Adolfo Bioy Cásares, José Lezama Lima, José Martí, Rubén Darío, Amado Nervo, Roa Bastos, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Mario Benedetti, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, Alfonso Reyes, José Gorostiza, Xavier Villaurrutia, José Vasconcelos, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Garro, Alejandra Pizarnik, Gabriela Mistral, etc.

Tourism in Latin American countries is also growing

In its latest report(2016), the World Tourism Organization commented that two of the ten most visited countries are Spanish speaking: Spain and Mexico.

Investors from all over the world are present in Latin America

The development of big startups is growing in Latin America: Clip, Pig.gi, CityWallet or WishBird. Big companies like Fortune 500 Startups continue to invest in the region.

Spanish speakers are excellent athletes

American and European professional sports leagues are full of Spanish-speaking stars such as Messi, Big Papi, Paul Gasol, Alexis Sánchez, Alex Rodríguez, “Canelo” Álvarez, Sergio Pérez, Cavani and James Rodríguez.

cnn.com

The great musical genres come from Latin America

The great musical genres come from Latin America such as Cumbia, Salsa, Tango, Mariachi, Mambo, Merengue, and Reggaeton. Many famous Spanish-speaking singers are also known around the world such as Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Carlos Santana and Ricky Martin.

The quality of the films in Spanish is good

More and more Spanish-speaking films are winning awards around the world such as Amores Perros, El secreto de tu ojos, El Laberinto del Fauno, Sueño en Otro Idioma, etc.

The different accents in Spanish are easy

Although there are many countries that speak Spanish with different accents and dialects, they share the same rules, and it is easy to learn the differences between them.

S panish is one of the official languages

Spanish is one of the official languages of the United Nations and of most of the world’s largest organizations.

You can learn Spanish on Internet

The Cervantes Institute has estimated that Spanish is the third most spoken language on the Internet and the second most spoken language on Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia.

Every time there will be more people speaking Spanish

The Cervantes Institute has estimated that by the year 2030, 7.5% of the world population will speak Spanish and that in about 20 years it will reach 7.8% of the world population.

English is actually quite similar to Spanish

You might not know that English is actually quite similar to Spanish. There are many words that look like Spanish. These are called cognates. Examples:

Actor (English) – Actor (Spanish)

Admirable(English) – Admirable (Spanish)

Area (English) – Area (Spanish)

Auto (English) – Auto (Spanish)

Cafe (English) – Café (Spanish)

Among many others! 1011 Spanish Cognates

Spanish gives you access to other romance languages

I already said that Brazil is the most important country in the Americas that does not speak English or Spanish. Well, Portuguese also has many similarities with Spanish. It doesn’t mean that by learning Spanish you will know Portuguese, but it is a breakthrough. Also, as I mentioned before, many Brazilians are learning Spanish too!

Here you have the best reasons to Learn Spanish.

I won’t lie, it takes a lot of practice and consistency with your studies, but if you work hard, you’ll get there.

Recommendation

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Thanks, Aramiz de Gaula