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, "Bonjour" (bone-JOOR).
9. Malay—Indonesian Number of speakers: 159 million.
Malay-Indonesian is spoken - surprise - in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Actually, we kinda 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 Noble 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-koom) .
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.)
Read More...
Return to the Blog...
