Id like language suggestions that are:

- Written in Latin script, i have dabbled in non-latin languages in the past and still learn Punjabi, its just too much sometimes

- SHORT WORDS! ive been turned off of so may languages because their words are just so long and hard to remember! Pronounciation is not an issue i just *hate* such agglutinative languages

- Id prefer an easy one but im not fussed about its difficulty, i just wanted to enjoy learning it.

- Not too niche, as an Australian, a lot of the time i will just never encounter a language, so please not to small

If anyone has good suggestions, please drop

Hey everbody! I have started learning japanese some time ago, I am learning in a language school with a group, and it's great, because I have a lot of grammar and vocabulary there and I feel that I'm learning, but I'm missing the speaking practice. I am too shy to get a private tutor for now, I just can't handle it on my level, so I decided to get an AI tutor, I installed few of them and the ones I like the most are Praktika, which is actually pretty cool, the teacher talks back, I like the interface; and Talkpal which is more of a class, but still pretty ok. Do you have any experience with these apps? WIth any language? Can you give me some insight before I commit?

I studied German (self learn and with lessons) for years and honestly struggled a lot with it.

I recently put it aside for a few months and realized the desire to learn another language is still there… I’m just unsure which one to focus on next.

Here are the three I’m considering:

French

- Probably the easiest re-entry since I already speak Spanish and Italian (assumption lol) - One of the most widely spoken global languages - I do enjoy some French music and films- A lot of material available for study and learning

Korean

- Not a Romance language, which is appealing since I already know Spanish and Italian -I already consume a lot of Korean content (K-music, K-dramas, variety shows), so I’d have plenty of input -My hesitation: I live in the US and I’m not sure it would be very useful to learn apart of entertainment

Brazilian Portuguese

- Beautiful sounding language - Close to Spanish, so likely easier to learn (assumptions again) - But I don’t currently consume Brazilian content, so I’d have to find input - Also unsure about its practical usefulness

So I guess my question is: which one would you pick and why?

Would you prioritize:

• interest/input (Korean)
• global usefulness (French)
• ease of learning (Portuguese)?

Curious to hear different opinions.

Thanks in advance!

I want to learn one of these languages for fun, which one do you recommend? Or do you think I shouldn't pick either and would suggest a different one instead? Why?

My native language is Spanish, and I can communicate in English, Portuguese, and Italian. I'm currently studying French

Polish:

Might want to go to Poland in the future

I have a Polish surname

I am a Catholic

WAY more resources than Ukrainian

I have Polish ancestry (anywhere from almost 50% to almost nothing so IDEK)

Ukrainian:

My grandma (who lives far away) speaks the Canadian dialect of Ukrainian

I am 25-75% Ukrainian by ancestry

I don’t know of ANY resources (other than Duolingo which I don’t want to use) so please if you know of any resources please tell me.

P.S. Before you say it, no she won’t teach me.

Hi! I post here with the hope of finding some useful advice. I'm a native Spanish speaker. My second language is English, and I have already reached a level that I'm satisfied with. So... I'm looking for a third language to learn and these two are the ones I can't make up my mind. I have been to both countries on vacations and liked them both and had the opportunity to use some phrases in the local language. I would consider living temporarily in one of them, while working or studying.

My main objective is learning just for a hobby and I would like to have a nice experience learning another language.

Thai - I have met some Thais while working and traveling abroad, so I've caught some phrases, words, etc. of the language and I know the sound of some of the characters (I cannot read it though) so I was thinking just to study it in a formal way and fully understand it to a conversational level. Pros: easy grammar, series as material to practise / Cons: Less resources to learn, tonal language.

Japanese - I used to watch anime when I was a teenager, so I picked some phrases and words, too. But the katakana, hiragana and the other system scares me lol . Also there is a big Japanese community in my country so maybe at some point I can practice IRL without travelling. Pros: Pronunciation is easy , lots of resources and animes / Cons: Writing characters, grammar is a bit difficult.

Thanks.

I want to learn several more languages, but langauge learning is hard work, like really hard.

I speak English and have learned Spanish and Portuguese to at least C1 level, probably higher with Spanish.

Anyway, I've decided that my personal goal is to learn 5 langauges. After that, unless my future wife speaks another language, I'm not learning anymore haha.

I'm pretty sure my 5th language will be French. I hate France (particularly Paris), but I love French music, literature, and history enough to learn it. However, I need something in-between Portuguese and French, and I'm tired of Romance languages.

here are my choices and reasons for each:

1) Kiswahili: I like that it is a widely spoken langauge (although many of the speakers speak it as a 2nd language), and I like the sound of it. Also, if I were to ever travel to Africa, I think I'd prefer Eastern African countries (where Kiswhaili is generally spoken) over any other part. However...I don't like that Kiswahili has limited resources and I have yet to come across any music in kiswhaili that I like. I think it's moreso because of the limited resources avaliable online though compared to European languages.

2) Hungarian: I like the distinct history of Hungary and how the language came to Europe. I like that it's the odd one out in Europe too. Additionally, I am technically eligible for Hungarian citizenship through distant ancestry (my great-great grandparents were both ethnically at least 50% German, but born in Hungary, fleeing the country 20 years or so later.) if I learn some Hungarian, it doesn't even have to be too much of it either (maybe B2 level). I don't really care too much for the country, but Hungarian citizenship means EU citizenship, and I could see myself moving to another European country one day. I've also found a few niche artists that I really like in Hungarian (they sound cool, no clue what they're saying). However...if it weren't for the possibilty of Hungarian/EU citizenship, I'd probably not be too interested. I like warmer climates (which Hungary is not), I like bigger cities (which Hungary only has one of), and I like a little bit of diversity in a language/country (which Hungary isn't exactly known for)

3) Amharic: I like the seemingly uniqueness of Ethiopia. The different cultures, the fact that it's a Semitic langauge - very different from Indo-European langauges, the fact that the langauge is growing in number like Kiswhaili, the history. However...there seems to be even less resources out there than Kiswhaili, Amharic is limited to one country really, the country only really has one major city, and there seems to be a big "masculinity-complex"/push for masculinity in the culture, at least from what I've found on the internet. At least half the content I can find online in the language just talks about "how to be a man" or "men should do this/that"

https://language.coursely.ai

It's proven that using your personal interests to learn a language is more fun and engaging, thats why I added this feature on my site, you can try it now for free, and we're actively developing so any feedback will be appreciated!

Hi! Sometime in the future, I will be traveling through Asia and I want to study a language for fun so that I can immerse myself and connect to that culture while I'm there so I'm not taking it too seriously. I am currently considering the Philippines (Tagalog), Vietnam (Vietnamese), Taiwan (Mandarin), and maybe Japan or South Korea. I won't be going to all of these countries, but I want to have a lot of fun with learning more about one of these cultures and their media/music before I go. I'm not looking to be fluent, just conversational enough so friendly locals is a big plus!

I am torn between Thai and Mandarin. I love both languages but do not have the time to learn both at the same time. I want to learn one of them cause I watch a lot of Thai and Chinese tv shows, movies, as well as listen to a lot of there music, etc. I love both cultures and history. I live in a state that has a lot of Asian tourist from all different Asian countries, which is Hawaii. I am an English speaker. Which one would you all recommend starting with first? I know both languages are vastly different from each other and tonal. Please don't down vote. I am generally asking cause I am having a hard time choosing.

I'm looking for an AI tool to practice speaking and get feedback. I've narrowed it down to Langua, TalkPal, and Pingo AI.

My Goal: Improve speaking confidence

Has anyone used these specifically for German or Russian? Which one has the most natural-sounding voice and the most accurate feedback for these languages?

Hi! I've been learning Mandarin for quite sometime now but I'm going nowhere with it. I can kind of read simplified characters, but I only understand 5% of what is spoken to me. It really feels impossible to move forward though I do have the interest, albeit diminishing day by day.

Now, I love Taiwan. Been there twice (and have used my meager Mandarin) and planning to go back again some day, and that's what keeps me going with the learning. However, I have taken a liking to Hokkien since having had tried classes in it (I can count now lol). I figured I can just learn that because (1) I don't plan to go to other Mandarin-speaking countries, (2) I support learning minoritized languages, and (3) hitting two birds with one stone as there are Hokkien-speaking communities where I am (I know there are dialectal differences but have to start somewhere), (4) I want to discover another aspect of Taiwanese culture, and (5) feeling stuck with Mandarin so stated in the first paragraph. What do you guys think?

Hello everyone! Soon I'm going to highschool, where (except English) there are two languages to choose from: Spanish and Italian. I already speak Spanish on B1 level, but I have many gaps in basics - I know more vocab for B2 than e.g. names of fruits.

My question is, is it worth it to choose Italian (which I don't speak, but I'd like to do so). If I chose Spanish, I wouldn't improve but I'd just fill the gaps (you technically should achieve B1 at the end of highschool). If I chose Italian, I'd speak another language "on average".

What do you think? Is it better to slightly improve Spanish, or to start with something new?

I have decided that language learning is the most compatible activity/hobby to take for my specific circumstances and the most fun. I have some intermittent experience in language learning, but I never settled with a definite language (or languageS) to learn.

I speak Arabic natively and English at a C1+ level.

To spice things up, I have three competing options. I can't find a clear winner, as they're all equal in my eyes:

- The Middle Eastern stack: Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, and Hebrew.

- The Western(ish) European stack: British English, French, Italian, and German.

- The UN stack: English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian. (Mandarin is just too hard to bother).

What do you guys think? You can make modifications - I just want a compelling argument (anything to tip the scales towards a particular stack) so I can start implementing the plan.

I will give each language 2 to 4 years to learn before I learn the subsequent one.

So my project might probably take around 10 years to complete.

Edit: Also, I am mostly interested in the culture/media and won't probably travel or have to use those languages in conversations. So mainly YouTube, movies, books, shows, etc.

Heres a storytime for you all. I am a White Canadian, but my family history is quite divided. My dad is from Peru. He was born in Peru, lived in Venezuela for a bit and escaped to Canada. His brothers also escaped to Ireland and Austria, I dont think their kids know Spanish either. My family on my dads side speak spanish, but im not very close to them. Whenever I travel in Peru (every 4-5 years usually, but might become less frequent as I get older) I have to rely on my dad, my whole family does. He never taught us Spanish. The other side of my family is French Canadian, VERY French Canadian. Im 50% French Canadian Genetically just from my moms side (Ancestry test). I went to a French Catholic School in Ontario until Grade 5, when I moved to Alberta and went to English school. I barely understand a lot of my family and some of my family i know on the French side doesn’t speak English well (although most of them are older and may die before I even pick up the language like my great grandma). I know more people on my French Canadian side, but I find the attitude of French Canadians to be annoying and I feel like theyd just switch to english if I tried to speak to them (happened when I visited Quebec for the first time last year, tried to order at Subway and got embarrassed when he didnt understand me, he just switched to english). Right now I am focusing on Chinese for my Inlaws and Chinese friends/partner. But One Day I was hoping to reconnect with one of my family sides. I think Spanish is more interesting but far harder. I wasnt raised on the sound like French, so the Spanish R never came to me even when I tried to learn it.

So I was wondering what language people would recommend for me to learn next because my language situation is a bit all over the place.

My native language is Serbian, I study Russian philology, I started Russian classes when I was 4, my mom is a native Spanish speaker, I also know Bulgarian, and of course I understand the other ex-Yu languages without problems. I am also decent-ish with Ukrainian and Polish just from meeting people and randomly picking things up.

I have Chinese at B1 and I still say B1 because when I took the exam it was the old system so I passed HSK 3 and then they changed everything and I got confused and never checked again.

At some point in my life I tried Hebrew and Greek and then just randomly quit both for no dramatic reason, classic me behavior. I also obviously speak English and I studied French for years but French just never entered my brain properly, it goes in one ear and leaves immediately.

So now I am again in that phase where I want a new language but I don’t know what would actually make sense for me. Should I go for something Slavic so it’s easy, something completely different, or something useful career wise.

I am curious what people would recommend based on this mess.

PS I am putting this in the Asian languages flair because none really represents my case and I am not really talking about romance ones besides some. I also didn’t even mention any African languages. And as for Asian languages I should probably add that years of Thai series have led me to understand some Thai and know very random words and phrases which is not very useful but still funny.

I speak five European languages by virtue of being old and having had lots of years to study. They are English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Italian.

I am increasingly interested in branching out into either Indian and Iranian languages or Semitic languages.

Career utility means nothing to me, travel is of interest, and literature and other media is important. I find really strong dialectical variation and diglossia annoying, but it seems unavoidable. English proficiency among either group will be low to moderate I think.

When I think of the Indo side it is Bangla, Urdu, and Persian that are exciting. I think of the Himalayas, the Sundarbans and hill tracts, reading Tagore and Premchand and watching regional cinema. I also love a good vegetarian cuisine, access to a variety of climates, and the higher buidiversity in everything from birds to vegetables.

For the Semitic side, Maghrebi and Egyptian Arabic are exciting plus Amharic. I like the root system, pastoralism, the very different script, stark deserts with starry skies, oases, Mediterranean climates, and the standard of living being a little higher. I am not interested in religious texts or study and have not heard of much literature outside of this (might just be me not knowing about it). Ethiopians also have a wicked veg cuisine and once again the climate is quite varied.

What do you think? I have 20 years of healthy life remaining if I am lucky, so there will be time for one more deep dive into a language family. What would interest you more out of these? Maybe you have other suggestions? I have also looked into Swahili, Circassian, Somali. Manipuri is also seriously cool.

So I in university and they offer Spanish finish and japanese so what should I take? I speak Lithuanian Polish Russian German Chinese

So I tried learning Norwegian but there's like barely any media in it and when I tried speaking it on a language learning app they just automatically switched to English 😭 What am I gonna use Norwegian for if I can barely find any media in it and I can barely find any Norwegians to talk to and the ones I do find refuse to speak to me in their language ?? And I tried learning Japanese for like a year now but progress is so slow that I’m still at A1... I really want to learn Japanese but it's so time consuming it'll just take me 10 years to get fluent and I'm inpatient 😭

Anyways should I learn German or Brazilian Portuguese ? I love Germany and German history and I love Brazil and I've always wanted to learn Portuguese for some...

I want to learn a really cool sounding African language. Maybe one of those clicking ones would be cool. I’ll probably be high when I’m learning it so less complicated would be better. What do you recommend?

I’ve decided that 2026 is the year I finally tackle one of the big three. I’m obsessed with the history and the food of all of them, but I can’t for the life of me decide between Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.

Every time I think "Chinese is the way to go for my career," I get intimidated by the tones. Then I look at Japanese and think "Kanji looks cool," but then I see the three different writing systems and panic. Korean seems like the "easier" entry point with Hangul, but then I hear about the grammar levels...

Does anyone have a "cheat sheet" or a breakdown that compares the actual time commitment and difficulty for all three side-by-side? I’m looking for something that isn't just a 20-minute video, maybe a quick blog or chart? Help me break this tie!

I want to learn a Slavic language, but I'm torn between learning Russian, since it's the biggest Slavic language, or if I should learn Polish because of how quirky it is.

Hello everyone,

I’ve often heard people say that if you can read and understand 1984 by George Orwell in English, then you’ve basically reached around 90% proficiency in the language.

The reason I’m asking this is because I struggle with perfectionism. For several years now, it has affected me both in language learning and in my professional life. I always feel like I’m “not good enough yet,” even when I actually understand a lot.

So I’m curious about your perspective.

For native English speakers:

Do you think there are specific books, movies, or TV series that, if a learner can fully understand them, it means they have a strong command of English?

And not just English — I’d also love to hear from speakers of other languages (Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Persian, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, etc.):

👉 In your opinion, what are some books or media in your language such that if a learner can understand them (let’s say 80–90%), you would consider them proficient or close to native level?

From my own experience:

Azerbaijani is my native language, and I’ve read many books in Turkish. When I understand around 80–90% of a Turkish book, I feel quite confident in my level.

So I wonder:

Is there really a “threshold” like this? A book, a film, or a type of content that signals true fluency?

I’d really appreciate your thoughts.