The top TEN languages spoken in the world

10. French -- Number of speakers: 129 million.
Often called the most romantic language in the world, French is spoken
in tons of countries, including Belgium, Canada, Rwanda, Cameroon, and
Haiti. Oh, and France too. We're actually very lucky that French is so
popular, because without it, we might have been stuck with Dutch
Toast, Dutch Fries, and Dutch kissing (ew!).
To say "hello" in French, say "bon jour" (bone-JOOR).

9. Malay—Indonesian Number of speakers: 159 million.
Malay-Indonesian is spoken - surprise - in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Actually, we kindly fudged the numbers on this one because there are
many dialects of Malay, the most popular of which is Indonesian. But
they're all pretty much based on the same root language, which makes
it the ninth most-spoken in the world.Indonesia is a fascinating
place; a nation made up of over 13,000 islands it is the sixth most
populated country in the world. Malaysia borders on two of the larger
parts of Indonesia (including the island of Borneo), and is mostly
known for its capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
To say "hello" in Indonesian, say "Selamat pagi" (se-LA-maht PA-gee).

8. Portuguese -- Number of speakers: 191 million.
Think of Portuguese as the little language that could. In the 12th
Century, Portugal won its independence from Spain and expanded all
over the world with the help of its famous explorers like Vasco DA
Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator. (Good thing Henry became a
navigator . . . Could you imagine if a guy named "Prince Henry the
Navigator" became a florist?) Because Portugal got in so early on the
exploring game, the language established itself all over the world,
especially in Brazil (where it's the national language), Macau,
Angola, Venezuela, and Mozambique.
To say "hello" in Portuguese, say "Bom dia" (bohn DEE-ah).

7. Bengali -- Number of speakers: 211 million.
In Bangladesh, a country of 120+ million people, just about everybody
speaks Bengali. And because Bangladesh is virtually surrounded by
India (where the population is growing so fast, just breathing the air
can get you pregnant), the number of Bengali speakers in the world is
much higher than most people would expect.
To say "hello" in Bengali, say "Ei Je" (EYE-jay).

6. Arabic -- Number of speakers: 246 million.
Arabic, one of the world's oldest languages, is spoken in the Middle
East, with speakers found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Furthermore, because Arabic
is the language of the Koran, millions of Moslems in other countries
speak Arabic as well. So many people have a working knowledge of
Arabic, in fact, that in 1974 it was made the sixth official language
of the United Nations.
To say "hello" in Arabic, say "Al salaam a'alaykum" (Ahl sah-LAHM ah
ah-LAY-kum) .

5. Russian -- Number of speakers: 277 million.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Yakov Smirnoff are among the
millions of Russian speakers out there. Sure, we used to think of them
as our Commie enemies. Now we think of them as our Commie friends. One
of the six languages in the UN, Russian is spoken not only in the
Mother Country, but also in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the U.S. (to name
just a few places).
To say "hello" in Russian, say "Zdravstvuite" (ZDRAST-vet- yah).

4. Spanish -- Number of speakers: 392 million.
Aside from all of those kids who take it in high school, Spanish is
spoken in just about every South American and Central American
country, not to mention Spain, Cuba, and the U.S. There is a
particular interest in Spanish in the U.S., as many English words are
borrowed from the language, including: tornado, bonanza, patio,
quesadilla, enchilada, and taco Grande supreme.
To say "hello" in Spanish, say "Hola" (OH-la).

3. Hindustani -- Number of speakers: 497 million.
Hindustani is the primary language of India's crowded population, and
it encompasses a huge number of dialects (of which the most commonly
spoken is Hindi). While many predict that the population of India will
soon surpass that of China, the prominence of English in India
prevents Hindustani from surpassing the most popular language in the
world. If you're interested in learning a little Hindi, there's a very
easy way: rent an Indian movie. The film industry in India is the most
prolific in the world, making thousands of action/romance/ musicals
every year.
To say "hello" in Hindustani, say "Namaste" (Nah-MAH-stay) .

2. English -- Number of speakers: 508 million
While English doesn't have the most speakers, it is the official
language of more countries than any other language. Its speakers hail
from all around the world, including the U.S., Australia, England,
Zimbabwe, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Canada. We'd
tell you more about English, but you probably feel pretty comfortable
with the language already. Let's just move on to the most popular
language in the world.
To say "hello" in English, say "What's up, freak?" (watz-UP-freek) .

1. Mandarin -- Number of speakers: 1 billion+.
Surprise, surprise, the most widely spoken language on the planet is
based in the most populated country on the planet, China. Beating
second-place English by a 2 to 1 ratio, but don't let that lull you
into thinking that Mandarin is easy to learn. Speaking Mandarin can be
really tough, because each word can be pronounced in four ways (or
"tones"), and a beginner will invariably have trouble distinguishing
one tone from another. But if over a billion people could do it, so
could you. Try saying hello!
To say "hello" in Mandarin, say "Ni hao" (Nee HaOW). ("Hao" is
pronounced as one syllable, but the tone requires that you let your
voice drop midway, and then raise it again at the end.)