People Debate Which Language They'd Choose If They Could Become Instantly Fluent

"If I want to know..."

"Spanish. If I want to know another language, I might as well pick one that is going to be useful. Spanish has over 500 million speakers."

Cswbizzel

It does indeed! You make your life so much easier if you travel to Spanish speaking countries, too.

"I'd pick..."

"I'd pick Japanese cause it's meant to be hard to learn as a second language and I could watch anime without dubs and subs."

NortherlyFire

That is indeed a plus. You're probably not the only Westerner who would love that.

"I figured..."

"French, because I moved to Montreal in my 20s. I figured I'd be able to learn and practice my limited French skills and eventually become fluent, but the second my French falters the person I'm talking to just switches to English."

mallordermonster

You'd probably be better off trying your luck further east. Montreal has plenty of English speakers and it's easier for residents to switch to English with Anglophones than to keep speaking French.

"I think..."

"Welsh so I could pronounce this town’s name. I think it would be a great bar bet. Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch."

VivecaD

I... I'm not even going to try.

Welsh is fascinating.

"I like the cold..."

"Finnish. I like the cold, I like sniper rifles, my profession is forestry and I prefer distance from my nearest neighbors, I would emigrate there if I had a half decent grasp of the language."

cmdr_shadowstalker

It sounds like you'd be in heaven if you moved over there, so you might as well learn the language!

"Half my family..."

"Japanese, because half my family speaks it and it would make my life real convenient."

try-me-bitch

You should keep learning some – your family would appreciate it so much!

"It's the language..."

"Michif. It’s the language of my ancestors, the Métis, it’s hard to learn because it’s a combination of Cree and French."

ShredderDont

Did you know?

Michif emerged in the early 19th century as a mixed language, adopting a consistent character between about 1820 and 1840.

"I'm already fluent..."

"Chinese. I'm already fluent in English and near-fluent in Spanish. I've studied Latin and French, and can get the gist of pretty much any Romance language in its written form. It's kind of old hat."

nakedonmygoat

We've got someone with an ear for languages here! We see no reason why you shouldn't go ahead and learn.

"It's written..."

"Arabic. It's written right to left instead of left to right, and unless the writer opts to use the little vowel markers, you have to figure that part out for yourself. It makes my brain hurt in a good way, and I like a challenge."

nakedonmygoat

Engineers who are even halfway decent at the language stand a chance at significantly boosting their salaries, too.

"I like the sound..."

"Swedish because I like the sound and it has two tones which makes it so musical. I already speak Dutch, German, French and Spanish."

triple-negative

We have no doubt you'll become fluent in no rime. We'll check back in on yoiu in a year or two.

Knowing another language truly expands your world – those who are able to speak at least one other language are definitely setting themselves up for success!

Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!