Why you should learn Spanish

Spanish is a global language, and sits alongside English and Mandarin as being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. In fact, it is estimated that there are 414 million native Spanish speakers, second only behind Mandarin in the list of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

Spanish has become such a global language thanks to the Spanish Empire, which grew through most of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. At its peak, it expanded over half of South America, most of Central America, a large part of North America and the Philippines. This included modern day countries such as Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Due to Spanish settlement of these locations, the native languages were dismissed and Spanish became the official language. Subsequently, nowadays it is the official language in 21 different countries and thus while officially more people speak Mandarin, Spanish could be considered a more global language as the vast majority of Mandarin speakers can only be found in China.

Furthermore, there are many other countries in which Spanish is widely spoken, even if it is not the official language. For example, in the United States there are an estimated 45 million Latino Americans who speak Spanish as a first or second language. Meanwhile, Spanish was the official language of the Philippines until 1987 and still remains widely spoken in the country. On top of this, Spanish is the third most taught language in the world with more than 21 million students. Subsequently, Instituto Cervantes has estimated that there are in total 560 million Spanish speakers with native competence around the world.

Due to its global significance, one cannot underestimate the importance of speaking Spanish. If you are reading this as a competent or native English speaker, after learning Spanish you will be able to communicate well with roughly a third of the world’s population using only two languages. This opens up huge opportunities around the world and is incredibly helpful for both leisure and work.

Therefore, if you would like to learn this globally significant language, then do not hesitate to join us at Instituto Hemingway. Here at our Instituto Cervantes approved language school, located in central Bilbao, we offer both morning and afternoon classes designed to help you improve your Spanish in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. We even offer free cultural activities every afternoon so that our students also get the chance to learn about the Spanish and Basque cultures. If this appeals to you then please email us at info@institutohemingway.com.

We hope to see you soon!