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Around 500 million speakers

Huge catalogue, from Spanish originals to Latin American series. The accent differences alone make superb listening practice.

Around 300 million speakers

Shares a lot with English, so vocabulary overlaps more than you expect and the linking rules stay fairly regular.

Around 100 million speakers

Every noun carries a gender and an article. That is the hard part, but once it clicks, long German sentences become surprisingly readable.

Around 120 million speakers

Politeness levels are genuinely complex, but the catalogue of anime and live-action drama is enormous, so there is plenty of real speech to mine.

Around 80 million speakers

Pronunciation is clear and systematic, and the sound changes are consistent. Modern drama is a great source for how people speak now.

Around 65 million speakers

You can largely read it aloud straight off the page, which makes it one of the easiest European languages to start.

Around 260 million speakers

Mutually intelligible with Spanish to a degree, but Brazilian and European pronunciation diverge enough to be worth separating.

Around 1.4 billion speakers

Tones carry the meaning, so listening training is intense. Learning through drama puts the focus exactly where it should be: tones and linking.

Around 400 million speakers

Written right to left, and built on a deep root system. One root expands into a large family of words, so the growth after the start is fast.

Around 250 million speakers

There are many cases, but they follow strict patterns, which makes Russian feel far more regular once the habit sets in.

Around 25 million speakers

Close to both English and German, which makes it excellent value. If you have English, you will get moving fast.

Around 10 million speakers

Highly mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish, so one language opens three.