If you want to exist in this world, I recommend learning Spanish. I say this as someone who has a solid grasp on English and French, and a bit of Spanish, Mandarin, or Portuguese. I wish I had learned Spanish sooner, and definitely wish I knew it over what little I know of Mandarin. Spanish is a strange language in the sense that it’s both popular and overlooked by Westerners. Outside of the USA, people are quicker to learn English or Mandarin for business, and French to look classy. I think this is a mistake, and that Spanish is the main language aspiring learners should be looking at.
The 3 big languages are English, Mandarin, and Spanish
French and Portuguese are distant fourth and fifth options. If you want to be a global citizen, it’s important to know as much of these five languages as possible. If you know Spanish and English, you’re functioning at a much higher level than most white collar professionals, and you have access to a wider range of people. Spanish should be your second language learning priority after English, despite China being a massive and “rising” country.
You’re not going to live in East Asia
Sure, there’s a lot of cool stuff in Asia. But the vast majority of the quality-of-life improvements in Asia are happening outside of China and Japan. These are smaller countries, with their own distinct languages. Yes, things are orderly. Yes, the women are petite and beautiful. But that doesn’t mean that there’s more opportunity for you in Asia than in the West. Generally speaking, middle income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are up and coming, connected to the global economy, and offer a high quality of life. Most countries in Asia still have a way to go if you want to live in the region.
China is not the future
A lot of people talk about learning Mandarin and its importance. I personally don’t think it’s of any importance unless you’re going into international trade or foreign policy. I say this as someone who knows a tiny bit of Mandarin. China isn’t “there” yet. It’s a country that is propping up its people. China won’t be “there” anytime soon. The average Chinese person would live a more dangerous life than they currently do, but it would be more fulfilling and filled with exciting life experiences. That’s because China is not as wealthy as it may appear at first glance. The country is propped up by a massive national debt.
The rise of Latin America is understated
This is due to two things: debt and racism. Latin America, as a region, is not ratchetting up its debt levels the way China is. This means that Latin American countries are unable to create the technology that the Chinese can. But they’re involved in sustainable, fiscally responsible economic growth. Every business a Latin American person starts has a basis in reality. Money isn’t wasted chasing new consumerist ideas. China looks flashy, but they have the opposite problem. I predict that over the next decade, you’re going to want to be in Latin America and the Caribbean over China. By a wide margin.
Latin Americans will be traveling more
This is bound to happen as the region becomes wealthier. People who are from Latin America are bound to be traveling around the world more and more, for both business and pleasure. Not knowing Spanish will mean you’re missing out on opportunities to make money, new friends, and hook up. The wealthier the world gets, the greater the value of knowing Spanish.
Spanish is spoken in Equatorial Guinea
This is a bit of a wild card. But if you want to be able to communicate with people from this part of the world, Spanish is an asset too.
Latin culture is great
Colonization made things hard for a lot of Latinos. But generally speaking, Latin culture is great. It’s fun, friendly, and family oriented. Latin American countries have also figure out how to keep living costs low. They didn’t have a choice given the state of their economies. We could use some of this in the west.
Spanish and Portuguese are related
Your mileage may vary when it comes to learning one after the other. But the two languages are related. I figure that if you can learn Spanish, you have a stronger chance of learning Portuguese than if you tried to learn Japanese after Chinese. This is because Chinese has completely different phonetics from Japanese.
Brazil is only one country
That’s why you learn Spanish first. No disrespect to Brazil. Brazil is one of the best countries in the world at the moment. It’s on the cusp of greatness.
How can I learn Spanish?
The first thing I would do is become wealthy enough to actually be able to visit a Spanish speaking country. None of this stuff matters if you’re poor. The good news on that front is that the floor is rising, globally. But getting your hands is tricky. Build online and get to the point where you can afford to travel to a Spanish speaking country. If you see no way out, learn by immersion. Watch TV. Talk to Spanish tourists. Practice your writing with ChatGPT or DeepSeek. The world belongs to the self-taught. You can pay for lessons if you absolutely need to. But make sure you’ve exhausted the free options first. You will be surprised by how far you can go with just the free options.
If you’re a digital nomad, aspiring Casanova, or simply looking to be an interesting man, learn Spanish. I would say that’s priority number one for anyone who wants to be anyone. Outside of the USA, Spanish is highly overlooked as a language by English speakers. Don’t let shiny object syndrome distract you. Spanish is a beautiful and useful language. One that there’s value in learning over the others.
Thanks for paying attention.
