So you want to do something more practical with your time and have decided to elevate your skills to the next level by learning a second language.
As you may already know, learning a second language can improve your memory, attention span, and problem-solving skills, bring career opportunities, and provide a more authentic experience when traveling. It’s great that you’re investing in yourself!
As a language teacher and passionate learner myself, I would love to guide you on your journey.
My name is Maria, and I have been teaching languages for over four years to students aged 20 to 87. I have seen firsthand how learning a second language can improve people’s lives immensely. That’s why, in this article, I will provide you with guidance on where to start and explain why choosing Spanish as your second language could be the best decision you ever make.
So, why should you choose Spanish as your second language? From an economic, practical, and accessible point of view, Spanish is the best choice. In the following article, I will give you several strong reasons to learn Spanish that I promise will convince you. Are you ready? Let’s get started.
First, let’s answer the question: Is learning Spanish useful? Absolutely! Spanish is a practical language for international travel and business. With over 500 million speakers worldwide, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. Just by learning Spanish, you will have access to more than 21 countries, most of which are in Central and South America. Not to mention parts of the United States.
What is the best thing about learning Spanish? You will be surprised to know that you probably already know some Spanish, which means you will learn Spanish FASTER than other languages! Don’t believe me? I like to tell my students that if you want to learn Spanish faster, treat it like “fancy English.” The kind of “fancy English” full of obscure words that you learned in school but never really used. Let me give you some examples:
Spanish: concentrarse/ English: to concentrate.
Spanish: obligar/ English: to obligate.
Are you catching on? If you want to learn more about these words, you can watch this video to quickly learn how to change an English word into Spanish.
The reason why Spanish and English share words that are so similar in spelling and meaning is because they are both derived from the same source: Latin (if you want to know a little more about the historical context, check out our post called “Words that are similar in Spanish and English.”)
Thanks to this historical fact You’ll be happy to know that if you learn only the basics of Spanish, you will already be halfway to understanding and learning three other languages: Italian, French, and Portuguese.
Italian, French, and Portuguese are similar to Spanish because all four languages are part of the Romance language family, developed from the common spoken Latin of the Roman Empire. Speakers of one language can often understand or learn another language in the family more easily than languages from other language families. The same goes if you already speak these languages. French, Portuguese, and Italian speakers: you will learn Spanish in no time!
If you are still not convinced and still don’t know if Spanish is really worth learning, I will give you even more reasons to learn Spanish:
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- Learning Spanish can help you start a business internationally much more easily and cheaply! There is already an extended expat community in South America taking advantage of the cheap land, amazing landscapes, and high quality of life they can enjoy versus the busy life in developed countries. Having great qualified people for a budget is any entrepreneur’s dream.
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- Learning Spanish can help you invest wisely! It isn’t a secret that some areas of the market in the United States are oversaturated, but what if you could bring San Francisco ideas to an emerging market like Latin America? Some of the people who have done this have found great success. One example is the Rappi app in Latin America, which is basically the Colombian Uber Eats. Rappi has received significant investment from various companies, including SoftBank, which invested $1 billion in the company in 2019. As of 2021, Rappi had over 20 million registered users and had delivered more than 100 million orders. Another example is Mercado Libre, which is basically a less developed copy of Amazon. Mercado Libre has been listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange since 2007 and has a market capitalization of over $100 billion as of 2021.
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- Entering an important consumer niche in the US market! The Latin American market in the USA: today, there are over 40 million people of Latin American origin living in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami. Even most artists understand this and singers such as Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, The Weeknd, Drake, and Will Smith learn basic Spanish so they can penetrate the Latin American music market.
Extra (and also cool) reasons to learn Spanish:
The dating scene: if you are looking for a partner and want to know some loving and passionate people, you might be pleased to know that places in Latin America, such as Colombia, are a great place to find them.
Foreigners tend to agree that Colombia is one of the places to find some of the most beautiful women in Latin America. Some might describe Latinas as intense, in their look, in their way of dancing, of caring, of loving, and describing life with a Latina as “charming and addictive.”
Medellin guru (expat living in Medellin, Colombia website)
Be mindful that Colombia is far away from English-speaking countries, and a majority of Colombians in Medellín only speak Spanish. This is why if you want to enter the dating scene here, you might want to try to learn some Spanish, at least to be able to keep a simple conversation.
Going back to the roots: let’s face it, the biggest urbanized cities in the world are very disconnected from the earth, clean food, and slow living. Things that can bring consequences to our health, mental and physical. Experiencing Latin American culture can bring back the happiness for the little things, reinforce family values, and more especially reconnect you with nature. If you are an environmental/spiritual person, you will love Latin America. A lot of the most ancient cultures are still intact in South America, like the indigenous communities of the Kogi people or the Arhuaco people, who live in northern Colombia and have a deep respect for the natural world.
Okay! Where should you start to learn spanish?
Starting your Spanish journey doesn’t have to be painful or complicated. I actually made a whole article here to tell you where to start. We recommend you choose the right tutor to guide you through your Spanish journey, or if you want to learn at your own pace, invest in a place that facilitates the resources that can take you to proficiency customized for you.
At De Una Spanish School, we offer a range of resources and support to help you learn Spanish at your own pace and in a way that suits your needs. Our team of qualified tutors are all from Latin America and can guide you step-by-step through the learning process.
We provide videos, audios, and other learning materials to ensure that you have everything you need to achieve proficiency in Spanish. We also focus on immersing our students in Latin American culture, so that they gain a full understanding of the language and the people who speak it.
So, if you’re ready to start learning Spanish, look no further than De Una Spanish School. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
Even more, Why if you are from the States you should learn spanish today! But we have set a whole bunch of reasons for that on THIS article.
Thank you for reading, and see you in class !