How to Choose a Language to Learn (and Stick With It)

Deciding which language to learn can take longer than learning the first hundred words. Spanish because it is popular? Japanese because you love the films? Something nobody else in your class speaks? The best choice is the one you will keep practicing, and that depends more on motivation than on rankings. This guide walks through the questions that matter, explains what makes a language harder for English speakers and shows how chance can break the tie.

Start with your reason

Motivation is what carries you through the slow middle months, so begin by naming yours:

• People: family, a partner or friends who speak the language.
• Travel: a trip you are planning or a region you keep visiting.
• Culture: books, music, films or games you want to enjoy in the original.
• Work and study: a career path, colleagues or a university requirement.
• Curiosity: the fun of a new sound system or writing system.

A language connected to something you already love will usually beat one chosen only because it seems useful.

How hard is it for English speakers?

The US Foreign Service Institute groups languages by how long its English-speaking students typically need to reach professional working proficiency. Languages closely related to English, such as Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish, sit in the quickest group at roughly 24 to 30 weeks of full-time study. Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean sit in the longest group, at around 88 weeks.

Treat those figures as a guide for intensive classroom training, not a verdict. Difficulty also depends on what you already know: a speaker of Portuguese will find Spanish easier, and a learner who already reads Chinese characters has a head start with Japanese.

Scripts, sounds and grammar

Three things shape the early experience of any language:

• The writing system. Latin-script languages let you start reading on day one. Others, such as Russian (Cyrillic), Greek or Korean (Hangul), need a few days to a few weeks to learn the alphabet. Hangul is often praised for being quick to pick up.
• Sounds. Tones in Mandarin or Vietnamese and unfamiliar consonants take practice to hear and produce.
• Grammar. Some languages have many noun cases or verb forms; others have simple forms but very different word order.

None of these is a reason to avoid a language — just a reason to set realistic expectations.

Let chance draw your shortlist

If you are stuck between options, or just curious, the Random Language Generator above can widen your horizons:

1. Set How many? to between 1 and 50 — five to ten makes a good shortlist.
2. Press Generate. Each language appears with its English name, its own name in its own script and an approximate number of speakers, such as Czech (Čeština · ~11 million speakers).
3. Cross out any that do not spark interest, then listen to a song or short video in each remaining language.
4. Copy or export the list as CSV, JSON or TXT to keep your shortlist.

The speaker counts are rounded estimates, so use them for a sense of scale rather than an exact figure.

Check resources before you commit

A language with plenty of learning material is easier to stick with. Before deciding, look for a beginner course, a graded reader or podcast, a dictionary app and a way to practice speaking — a class, a tutor or a language exchange partner. Less widely taught languages can be wonderfully rewarding, but expect to search harder and to rely more on native speakers and authentic media.

Habits that keep you going

• Short daily practice beats long weekly sessions.
• Learn useful words first: greetings, numbers, food and the verbs you use most.
• Speak early, even with mistakes — native speakers usually appreciate the effort.
• Track small wins, such as your first understood song lyric or menu.

For quick vocabulary practice, random everyday words make good flashcard prompts:

Pro tips

• Pick the language you are excited about, not the one you think you should learn.
• Spend a week sampling two or three languages before committing to one.
• Learn a new alphabet in the first week so it never becomes a barrier.
• Schedule a fixed daily practice time, even if it is only ten minutes.

Frequently asked questions