I Already Learned Spanish. What Should I Learn Next?

For those who already speak a Romance language, such as Spanish, is it worth studying another, such as Portuguese, or French?

By Izabella Klein, LanguageBird Portuguese Instructor

Learning two Romance languages like Spanish and Portuguese is easier than learning languages that do not share the same etymological origin. This study expands our cultural baggage and enriches our vocabulary since both languages have 89% similarity. Romance languages are connected by words that share the same etymological root. Among the ten most spoken languages today, three of them are Romance languages such as Spanish, Portuguese and French. Together with Italian and Romanian, they are the main Romance languages in the world.

Learning one Romanesque language after another can seem somewhat challenging, but as they share the same roots it will be easier than most people imagine. Learning new languages increases our cognitive ability, and the more you practice the easier it is to learn new languages. This is because the brain areas where language learning takes place are the same, and develop more as we study and practice. 

If you have already taken online Spanish courses and want to take another language, consider learning another Romance language while the concepts are still fresh. This post will provide a breakdown of some of the more popular Romance languages.

Online Spanish Courses

Spanish is the most widely spoken Romance language. Officially present in twenty countries, it has more than 500 million speakers, native or not. The five countries that speak the most Spanish are Mexico, which is the most populous, Spain, the country of origin of the language, Colombia, Argentina, and even the USA, due to a large number of immigrants. It is a language that is pronounced faster than Portuguese, giving in less time, more content.

Online Portugese Courses

Each language we learn can interact with our senses, having its own musicality. Brazilian Portuguese is found in the Samba, in the Bossa Nova, in many other Brazilian musical genres. It is the second most spoken Romanesque language in the world, with 81% of the speakers being in Brazil. For students that are already confident Spanish speakers, learning Portuguese online could be the next logical step in their journey to becoming a polyglot

Online French Courses

The third most spoken Romance language is French, taking into account only the native speakers of countries where it is the official language. However, if you take French students into account, that number goes up to half a billion. French is the most studied language, after English, as a second language. 

It would be very cliché to say that French is the language of love in the collective imagination. Paris reinforced the association of the language with romance through a list of renowned filmmakers who explored in their films the passionate universe of French. And perhaps it is due to this desire to “fall in love” that so many people decide to study the language.

Learn Languages Online with LanguageBird

LanguageBird currently offers courses for credit in 14 different languages. Whether you are interested in learning another world language, reinforcing your English skills with ESL classes, or want to learn American Sign Language, we are here to help! Contact us today or download the guide below to learn more about LanguageBird courses for credit.