Introduction:

With 41 million native speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States. It is only next to Mexico when it comes to Spanish speakers. As per studies, the number of speakers in the Spanish language has quadrupled since 1980 from 11 million to 41 million and it is estimated that by 2060 US would become the largest Spanish-speaking country surpassing Mexico with an estimated population of 130 million Spanish speakers. These reasons might make you think that learning Spanish is mandatory in the US. However, it is not.

Yes, many schools in the United States encourage learning a foreign language or a second language and Spanish is one of the options which is also very popular. With a large number of students opting for the language course, it might seem to be mandatory but it is not. It is an individual choice and there are many other options such as French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, etc. available to be learned as a second language. It again varies from one school to another and some even teach only English. It is also one of the easiest languages to learn for native English speakers which makes it convenient for scoring good grades and thus a preferred choice of many students in school.

However, being one of the most spoken languages after English, learning Spanish has its own advantages in the US. It definitely looks good on your resume, especially if you are applying for a job where it is needed to interact with the Spanish community. This can make you the desired employee and also help you get an advantage in terms of financial aspects.

With huge growth in the Spanish population in the United States, learning the language can be the doorway to its culture. This can lead to a more tolerant population where people are willing to live in harmony with other cultures and languages.

English, especially American English is considered to be the de facto national language of the United States with approximately 78 percent of people speaking it at home. There is no official language as such in the US, however, Spanish with almost 13 percent population is considered to be one of the most spoken languages after English in the US. Thus, learning a language that is widely spoken across the country can definitely prove to be helpful in many ways.

For someone who has never been exposed to another language except English, learning Spanish can be a good starting point keeping the opportunities of being exposed to the language in mind. Also, finding a partner to practice the language could be comparatively easy as a considerably good population speaks Spanish in the United States.

It is difficult to force someone to learn a new language or in fact any other skill. Most people learn new languages because of their love for them or when there is a need to learn one.

With importance in economic, political, and cultural relations internationally, Spanish is definitely an important language to learn that can be very handy in many situations. Though it is not mandatory to learn Spanish in the US, learning it can prove to be of great personal advantage.