What language would you like to learn and why?

[TheImpOfThePerverse2026]

I did Spanish to GCSE and French to A level, can also speak Greek to a reasonable level.

I've never learnt German, I love hearing it spoken (big German community where I live and English is used as the common language) but it's unlike any other language I know. So different from the shouty Mediterranean languages, it always sounds clear and concise (I'm happy to be corrected on this though 😅).

Gaeilge.

It was considered naff when I was in school but there’s been a huge revival. When I’m finished my masters I’m going to start lessons.

Were you taught that in school?

Sorry, stupid question. Maybe I should learn English as a second language 😉

I find the idea of learning languages so romantic. I’ve tried loads of them. French (a-level), German while living there and Spanish for a couple of years at school. A bit of Czech, Portuguese, Esperanto, Korean, Chinese and two different Scandinavian languages. (And who doubts me when I have self-diagnosed myself with adhd? - joke!)

It is of huge sadness to me that I am shit at all of them. But I keep on trying. I am toying with the idea of Irish next.

Arabic.

I only speak a few words of Arabic and can't read it at all. Learning it properly would open up new possibilities.

I keep persisting with Welsh, as I have always thought it important to learn the language of the country that you move to. I am considered very unusual around here, as I have English as my first language, rather than Welsh!

I would love to learn French, as it sounds beautiful.

The sad thing is that I am much better at reading other languages than I am at speaking them, as I don't have the confidence and the ability to remember the grammar rules when speaking!

Irish. I've been living here (Ireland) since 1999, and have picked up a cúpla focal by osmosis but would love to become fluent enough to hold an entire conversation in it (well, one that isn't about hats, I learned that from the Teletubbies in Irish!).

I wouldn't know where to start with Arabic, I know a few words but the alphabet 😳

@TheImpOfThePerverse2026 If English is your first language then German will be easy! English is a Germanic language and it makes sense to our brains (usually). I did French, German and Latin at school and spoke French and German to a reasonably fluent level. German was much easier.

Interestingly, I also have a Czech friend who told me that they were asked to learn either English or German at their work (In Czech Republic) to progress professionally and they tried doing both and kept getting confused as they found them so similar. They thought that after many years now of living in England they could probably learn German as their English was fluent enough to not get mixed up.

I would like to learn Welsh for absolutely no reason, other than I'd love to be able to speak it. I have visited Wales twice, probably, so it's not going to be much use to me, but it sounds rather fab and I think you should keep native languages going.

French always sounds beautiful, even when they speak English with the French accent.

I can speak Spanish to A-Level standard but I would love to speak Slovenian!

I had no idea about that, thank you!

I would love to speak welsh. I live in Wales and the job opportunities would be so much greater if I spoke welsh.
I've tried to learn but I can't make the sounds. *I'm deaf which doesn't help.

Also Norwegian or Dutch, because I would like to live there.

@Hatty65 If you live in or around Wales, there are in-person classes that you could attend. Alternatively, providers like learnwelsh.cymru or Popeth Cymraeg also offer online classes. It is a tricky language to learn, but sounds lovely when spoken, and it is brilliant when you realise that you can finally understand a few words, or part of a conversation!

@EarlofShrewsbury You're right about the lack of Welsh language having an effect on your employment opportunities. I couldn't work in any other department of my workplace due to being unable to speak, read and write fluently in Welsh. I'm glad that Welsh is promoted, but I do wish that I could pick it up much more quickly than I do!

@TheeNotoriousPIG That sounds fabulous, but I'm on the East coast, just north of Grimsby. I've no idea why I've always fancied Welsh, but thanks for the info.

Russian. I learnt a little in a fun module at school, and I love how Baltic languages sound. Id love to go and speak to real people and find out how things really are there too.

I would love to speak my little boy's language, he is 6, profoundly disabled and non verbal but when he has a snuggle with me he cuddles right in and tries so hard to tell me things. I would love to know what he's saying to me, he looks at me so intently that I am sure whatever he's saying is of the utmost importance.

So many! But realistically Spanish and French and some basic Korean. Also I would like to learn BSL and ASL

This is my issue, I know the words but confidence in speaking isn't as good as my ability to read/ listen.

Spanish/Catalan, Greek and Turkish - these are the places I travel to the most .

I always find my greek becomes stronger when I'm in Spain! 😂

Italian. I keep plugging away at it. It’s such a beautiful language, but it’s not just the beauty but the nasal stretchy crunchiness of it that I love. I wasn’t at all bad at it after 3 months aged 18, but I never got to the point of true fluency and I know I never will. I could always be a bit better though.

I'm learning BSL (been at it a while, am about to take level 3 exams) and it's been amazing. It actually has a chance of being useful either at work or if I meet a Deaf BSL user in some other places. I tried learning a few spoken languages over the last few years but nothing stuck - I think it was difficult to find time to practice and I often felt like most people I might meet who were native German speakers for example would likely speak much better English than I speak German and we'd just revert to English anyway.

BSL is fun to learn, useful without needing to go abroad and easy to practice. There are loads of free vocab videos on YouTube to start with and see if it sticks. There are also BSL TV programmes to watch which I find much easier to follow than I ever did French TV when studying that. I can also practice more in public / the staff room at work. Nobody (hopefully) thinks I'm weird if I'm practicing signs in the corner, but they will notice and think I'm weird if I just keep saying random disconnected German words...

Also BSL can be alot more 'fluid' than some spoken languages and grammatical mistakes are easier to hide / forgive.

Russian intrigues me too. I can read a little as the alphabet is similar to Greek but only know how to say a few words.

I have a lot of customers who speak Russian as a second or third language, they're from former Soviet countries so grew up listening to their parents or grandparents speak it.

Arabic and BSL for starters, then Japanese, Turkish and Danish. I speak a few words/phrases of Arabic but reading/writing has so far been impossible.

Arabic

it’s a beautifully expressive language in how it’s used sometimes a little dramatic compared to English 😆

its incredibly hard to learn I used to be able to get by in (Egyptian Arabic) but not now just the odd word I understand