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.)
