# Best foreign language to learn for fun? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257 "2020-01-11T01:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/21 "2020-01-11T18:04:46Z")
Whatever language you choose, make sure there’s someone or a community to speak it with. Learning ancient Latin would be cool, but unless you’re able to able to converse directly with someone you’ll never be able to polish and correct your pronunciation. I know a couple of handful of words in different languages that I hear clearly in my head and sometimes vocalize to my myself, but is unintelligible to a native speaker. Once, while studying the Iliad, the professor gave us a treat by being in another professor to some of it in ancient Greek. It was the most boring monologue I’ve ever heard! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/22 "2020-01-11T19:27:02Z")
+1. The language most fun is one you can use. Having a local community is helpful. There may be courses or conversation classes at your local library, college, university, church or cultural centres. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/23 "2020-01-11T19:48:34Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Does anyone learn [Esperanto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto) anymore? You had to bring that up. Now the entire Tonto-job-interview routine is going to brain-worm me all day. For all you kids [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RwwUuxV9It4/hqdefault.jpg "Kemosabe: Tonto (Jay Silverheels) - Tonight Show 1969") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwwUuxV9It4) ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/24 "2020-01-11T19:54:45Z")
I took 4 semesters of Turkish in college because it has no grammatical gender. I actually said out loud “this is the language for me!” That said I did take a year or Latin in high school and got As and Bs. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/25 "2020-01-11T20:02:24Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > … I’m Irish and Italian so I might learn one of those. Italian is beautiful, relatively widely spoken and not that difficult to learn. That would be my pick. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/26 "2020-01-11T20:07:24Z")
Italian. _Andiamo!_ ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/27 "2020-01-11T20:25:56Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Whatever language you choose, make sure there’s someone or a community to speak it with. Learning ancient Latin would be cool, but unless you’re able to able to converse directly with someone you’ll never be able to polish and correct your pronunciation. I know a couple of handful of words in different languages that I hear clearly in my head and sometimes vocalize to my myself, but is unintelligible to a native speaker. > > Once, while studying the Iliad, the professor gave us a treat by being in another professor to some of it in ancient Greek. It was the most boring monologue I’ve ever heard! What drivel did I post in the last sentence??? :smack: Edit: Once, while studying the Iliad, the professor gave us a treat by _bringing_ in another professor to \*read \*some of it in ancient Greek. It was the most boring monologue I’ve ever heard! ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/28 "2020-01-11T20:32:33Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > Italian is beautiful, relatively widely spoken and not that difficult to learn. That would be my pick. Plus lots of great TV shows available to practice listening with. Montalbano, for example. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/29 "2020-01-11T20:53:43Z")
Also, the OP should prepare a better answer than “It was for fun.” as some native speakers may be insulted by that, “You think our language is fun(ny)?”, though most will be appreciative. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/30 "2020-01-11T21:28:30Z")
I’ll add Italian as my pick. If you know some French or Spanish you’ll pick it up fairly quickly. It’s a great emotive language, and gives you a great excuse to tour the Amalfi Coast and eat yourself silly! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/31 "2020-01-11T22:35:03Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Also, the OP should prepare a better answer than “It was for fun.” as some native speakers may be insulted by that, “You think our language is fun(ny)?”, though most will be appreciative. Funny how? Like I’m a clown? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IWINtUCshxY/hqdefault.jpg "GoodFellas I'm funny how I mean, funny like I'm a clown") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWINtUCshxY) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/32 "2020-01-11T23:21:38Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I would prefer a non obscure language that is still used somewhere in the world today so no Latin, ancient languages, etc. I’m Irish and Italian so I might learn one of those. For someone whose first language is English you’ll probably find learning Italian easier than learning Irish. There are also a LOT more Italian speakers in the world. That said - I’ve studied Irish off and on for, oh, a little over a quarter century now. I’ve had fun with it. I’ve enjoyed the vastly different word order from most other European languages, the way they change the front instead of the end of words, and so forth. There’s an app called Duolingo that’s free and offers a wide variety of languages. You can play around with the various languages to get a feel for them then maybe decide from there. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/33 "2020-01-11T23:26:39Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Does anyone learn [Esperanto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto) anymore? Jes! Estas kelkaj esperantistoj ĉi tie sur la Straight Dope. Aliĝu al ni! Yes! There are a few Esperantists here on the Straight Dope. Join us! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/34 "2020-01-11T23:30:56Z")
Italian is beautiful to my ears. I can speak a tiny bit of French and German. I would like to learn a tonal language myself but I don’t think I have the ear for it any more. Why not try Navajo or Ojibwe or Hawaiian? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/35 "2020-01-11T23:33:40Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Basque. A language with no cousins. Maybe arrived with aliens? > > There is a lot of help on the internet. Finnish/Hungarian/Estonian is another small language family to consider. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/36 "2020-01-12T00:00:07Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Why not try Navajo or Ojibwe or Hawaiian? Don’t know about Ojibwe or Hawaiian, but Navajo is supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/37 "2020-01-12T00:04:23Z")
Italian. An easy way to learn (besides going to the country) would be to watch Italian movies. And they are so entertaining - at least the ones from the 1940-70s. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/38 "2020-01-12T00:05:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Jes! Estas kelkaj esperantistoj ĉi tie sur la Straight Dope. Aliĝu al ni! > > Yes! There are a few Esperantists here on the Straight Dope. Join us! Mi nur povas murmuri uzante Esperanton. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/39 "2020-01-12T00:08:20Z")
Nobody’s mentioned American Sign Language (ASL) yet? Not only is it fun to learn, it’s very practical if you cross paths with deaf people, and while it uses English words, it is not English because it uses completely different grammar and syntax. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257/40 "2020-01-12T00:17:44Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > +1. The language most fun is one you can use. Came here to say this. When I was first signing up for electives in middle school, I wanted to take French. My mom crapped all over my dream and told me to take Spanish because I’d actually use it. I did, grudgingly. It still pains me to admit how right she was. I use it all the time and really enjoy it. After English, it’s the most useful language for almost everyone in the US. Also, in my experience, Latinx folks are really nice about people butchering their language; they’re typically a lot more patient and appreciative of the effort than Americans talking to people who speak imperfect English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-foreign-language-to-learn-for-fun/846257.md?page=3)