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 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.)
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