Knowing at least one of the 6 Most Widely Spoken Languages In Europe can be really helpful if you’re planning to pack your things and go on vacation or planning to work in the Old continent. Europe is a small place, and transportation is fast and comfortable, and it’s all pretty well connected. So are speakers according to the studies made by the Research and Speechwriting unit of the European Commission.
Walking through the Sena, or following Frankenstein’s path along the Rhine, kissing someone by the Berlin Wall or taking selfies while crossing Abbey Road are good reasons to go to Europe. But being able to talk to people can make beautiful a trip one of the best experiences in your life. Especially if you want to meet a stranger on a train, or if you already felt for an Andalusian singer.
Luckily for us, Europeans tend to know how to speak at least two languages. According to the studio, the Research and Speechwriting unit elaborated, more than half of Europeans can speak a second language, or at least hold a conversation. 25% of Europeans can speak two languages other than it’s own, and the 10% of the population can speak at least three additional languages. These numbers can sound unbelievable for people raised in a one language country, but Europe is full of multilingual countries, even if they accept only one language as official. Take the case of Catalan people. Their native language is Catalan, yet a good part of their education is in Spanish, also TV is mostly in Spanish. So before they knew it, they were already speaking two different languages.
It’s surprising to know that almost all the population from Luxemburg, Latvia, Netherlands, Malta, Slovenia, Lithuania and Sweden consider they can hold a conversation at least in one foreign language. In contrast, more than half the speakers from Hungary, Italy, Uk, Portugal and Ireland consider they can’t speak any other language than their native one. Given these numbers, you might want to consider where are you planning to go, or where you would like to go, before signing for some class.
So if you already checked the 10 Most Widely Spoken Languages In the World , and you decided you wanted to go for the germanic or latin roots, this list can be decisive for choosing your next language to learn.
Here comes the list of the 6 Most Widely Spoken Language In Europe!
6. Polish
Polish is in the 6th place of the list, spoken by 8% of Europeans. It is also an extremely hard language to learn because of its phonetic system. But listen how beautiful does Pocahontas theme sounds sang by a Polish singer.
5.Spanish
Spanish shares the place with Polish with an 8% of European speaking it. It’s also the second most widely spoken language in the world with 410 million speakers, most of them Americans. Is the language of Cervantes, Quevedo, Vargas Llosa and Borges, to name some of the greatest writers in history.
4. French
Français ma’belle, these are words that go together well. Everything sounds better in French, maybe that’s why the 12% of Europeans speaks it. French gave us science fiction with Jules Verne, gave us realism with Flaubert, gave us existentialism with Sartre, and some of the most beautiful poets in modern history. It’s also the key to understanding Edith Piaf in all of her beauty. Don’t you wanna learn some French? Cause I do.
3. English
Well… if you’re reading this note, you certainly have no need to sign for English classes. Yet, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in Europe as well as in the world. The 13% of Europeans consider they can hold a conversation in English. After all, most of our generation has been raised by Hollywood movies and North American music (go, Britney, go!).
2. Italian
Sharing the second place with English, Italian is spoken by 13% of the European population. No wonder: Italian is the language of Renaissance, and Opera, and it is completely irresistible..
1. German
And here we are! The first place for the most widely spoken language in Europe goes to… German!. Spoken by 16% of the European population, and also by Sideshow Bob, German is considered the language of philosophy. Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Adorno, Horkheimer… German is as hard as interesting as it can get.
So, have you make up your mind? Hopefully, this 6 Most Widely Spoken Language In Europe list made you want to learn them all.
