Updated on December 22, 2023 by Lou Mac
If you’re asking yourself “Why learn Spanish?” let me convince you.
Learning Spanish changed my life.
It opened up so many opportunities and experiences for me, and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you.
There are endless reasons you should learn Spanish: to create new connections, learn something fulfilling while also having fun, to travel easily and open yourself up to new cultures, and maybe even for career opportunities.
In this post, I’ll go over all of these reasons in detail. Ready to be motivated?
1. You Can Connect with People in Spanish
Connecting with other people can be interpreted two ways: the most obvious being able to communicate ideas to other people. But the other way, which is less commonly considered, is having real, human connection on a deeper level.
Globally, more than 559 million people speak Spanish. Native speakers account for 460 million of those, making Spanish the second most spoken native language in the world (after Mandarin). And, if current trends continue, 1 in 3 people in the US will be able to speak Spanish by 2050.
Spanish is all around us, and by learning to speak it you’re opening yourself up to being able to speak to (literally) millions of people—people with different experiences, opinions, and views on life who you may have otherwise never been able to communicate with. How amazing is that!
And no, unfortunately using Google Translate isn’t quite the same. Truely, there is zero comparison between communicating with an app and being able to converse freely with someone.
Then beyond communication, we have connection.
Human connection is an essential part of life for most people, a deep bond formed when we feel seen and valued. And when you make an effort to speak to someone in their own language, that builds trust and connection.
You’ve probably heard the quote from Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
While this is technically a misquote, its meaning is nonetheless powerful. The words we speak reflect so much more than just the expression of our needs and feelings.
2. Learning Spanish is Fulfilling
Ah, yes. The old dream of fulfillment.
It’s what most of us are searching for in our lives: We want to feel like we have purpose, that our lives have meaning. We want to feel fulfilled.
It’s a pretty complex and subjective idea, but what I’ve interpreted it to mean (at this stage in my life, anyway) has largely been influenced by the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
Essentially, “happiness” and “fulfillment” come from small but meaningful moments and activities. They don’t seem like much on their own, but when added together can change your life.
This is where learning Spanish comes in.
Instead of spending your time passively consuming technology like social media or reality TV shows, it is much more fulfilling to spend it actively working towards a project and producing something valuable you can use in the real world.
Learning Spanish is a meaningful and valuable way to pass your time, a skill you can use in the real world. It opens the door for so many possible experiences and possibilities.
I know, it’s tempting to spend the afternoon on TikTok (I know this from experience). But what would happen if you just spent half an hour less a day on social media a day and started learning Spanish instead?
On average, we spend two (or more) hours a day on social media. That works out to be around 730 hours a year, or more than 30 days straight with zero sleep.
Do you think you could spare a few of those 730 hours?
3. Knowing Spanish Helps You Travel Freely
What do Machu Picchu, the Iguazu Falls, the Atacama desert, and Patagonia have in common? Aside from being some of the most spectacular sights on earth, they are all found in Spanish-speaking countries!
Which brings me to my next point: travel is another excellent reason (and a great motivator!) for learning Spanish.
It’s the official or national language in twenty one countries. Some of these include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Uruguay. So if you’re ever planning on visiting some wonders of the world, or in general travelling anywhere in Spain, Central America or South America (which, you should!) knowing Spanish will come in extremely useful.
Not knowing the local language could mean you encounter some awkward, stressful or even potentially dangerous situations. It pays to be aware of what is being said around you, and to know how you can reply back.
If you don’t know any, here is some (literal) survival Spanish to help you get started (and here’s how you can learn it quickly!)
Aside from safety, knowing Spanish means you’ll get to know the local culture better. And after all, isn’t that what travelling is all about? (aside from the food, of course). How can you do that if all you’re able to do is smile awkwardly at them and occasionally pluck up the courage to say ¿dónde está el baño?
Don’t you want to know where all the locals eat? Where the best markets are? Find out if you should really visit La Sagrada Familia during peak tourist season? Spoiler alert: No, you shouldn’t.
Your experience of Latin America and Spain will be unbelievably different if you’re able to learn Spanish and it’s so worth it.
4. You Open Yourself Up to Incredible Spanish-Speaking Cultures
You may or may not know this already, but learning a language is not just about the language itself—it’s also about the culture that goes with it.
This became my biggest drive for learning Spanish. While I was keen to learn it for the ability to travel, the underlying reason was because travel allowed me to experience different Spanish and Latin American cultures.
These cultures have unique foods, music, styles of dance, traditions, norms and ways of seeing the world. You’ll be exposed to all of this—and more—when you start learning Spanish.
For example, just being able to listen to music in Spanish opens up a whole new world! For me, I got hooked on reggaeton, a genre which I previously knew nothing of (well, apart from Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina, obviously). Fast forward a few years, and reggaeton pretty much makes up the entirety of my Spotify Wrapped.
Food is also a huge part of Latin culture. You’ll be introduced to incredible foods and drinks you never knew existed, and won’t be able to live without!
History is another thing you’ll learn about, the good and the bad. Like me, you may even end up feeling ashamed at how little you knew about Latin American and Spanish history—but glad that you’ve started making the effort.
Lastly (and most importantly), we’ve got the people themselves! Getting to know Spanish speakers through their own language is the best part of learning Spanish.
If you have an affinity to a particular Spanish-speaking culutre then it’s probably a good idea to learn their Spanish dialect, because you’ll learn a ton about their culutre in the process!
5. Speaking Spanish Is Good for Your Brain
Did you know that learning a language can increase the size of your brain? It’s also been shown to improve executive functioning and working memory.
And, evidence suggests that speaking two languages can delay the onset of age-related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
So along with all these other awesome benefits of learning Spanish, it’s also just great for your brain!
6. Studying Spanish Is Enjoyable!
Language learning isn’t usually associated with the word “enjoyment,” and I think that’s mostly thanks to traditional learning methods which bore the hell out of us (even thinking about my high school French class is enough to make my mind wander off).
But when you learn a language on your own, it can actually be fun!
Depending on how you chose to learn it, it can almost feel like a game. Either that, or it doesn’t feel like learning at all: I’m talking about Spanish TV shows, movies, music, books and games. Yes, they count as studying!
It’s also fun and incredibly satisfying advancing and seeing your hard work start to pay off. When you can listen to Spanish music and understand some of the lyrics, hear people chatting in Spanish on the street and get the gist of their conversation, or read Spanish comments online and know what they’re talking about.
Spanish language TV shows and movies also take on a different feeling.
For example, instead of watching Money Heist in English (whose awful dubs make my ears hurt), you can watch La Casa de Papel (“The House of Paper,” much more romantic!) in Spanish and have a completely different experience of the series.
Or you could watch Narcos and actually hear the differences between the beautiful Spanish accents. The Paisa accent will make you swoon, and you might even notice that the actor who plays Pablo Escobar is actually Brazilian!
7. Spanish Opens Up Career Opportunities
I’ve put this section last because personally it was low on my list of priorities, but learning Spanish could open up career opportunities.
This could be through getting a job related to Spanish, such as teaching it or using it for customer service. Or it might be through getting a promotion in your current job because Spanish is a skill your employers are after.
Even if this isn’t the case, having a foreign language on your CV still shows potential employers that you’re motivated, dedicated and reasonably intelligent.
So: Why learn Spanish? Why not!
Yes, learning Spanish is a lot of work. Yes it can be frustrating, and yes, sometimes it feels like you’ll never get there. But it is also incredibly enjoyable, not to mention rewarding, working towards and achieving a goal, while expanding your knowledge at the same time.
If you need a bit of help to get started, download my free Guidebook to Self-Learning Spanish for Beginners. It’ll help you through the initial stages of learning Spanish and give you an idea of how to become fluent.
I hope this post has been enough to push you to learn Spanish, or even just to consider trying it!
If you still need some convincing, let’s end with this quote:
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.”
Paulo Coelho