Why Study Spanish?

Inhispania in Madrid offers you the chance to pick up a new language or improve the knowledge you already have, but why Spanish and why is it so worthwhile?

A World Language
* There are over 350 million native speakers of Spanish, more than of any other language except English and Chinese.
* Spanish is becoming an increasingly global language, and in the year 2000, 420 million (7% of the world population) spoke Spanish which makes it the world's largest first language after Mandarin Chinese.
*Spanish is the official language of 21 countries.
* Spanish is one of the official languages of international conferences, the United Nations and the European Union.
* Spanish is spoken in California, Florida, large areas of the Southwest and New York and other large cities.

* There are 16,429 Spanish periodical publications, 927 dailies, 254 television channels and 5,112 radio stations.

An Attractive language
* Spanish has features that are easy to assimilate in the early stages because:
* It has a very simple sound system, with just five vowel sounds.

* There is a direct correspondence between spoken and written forms.* The basic points of grammar are quite simple.

A Language for Business

* Spain is in a period of international expansion and openness to foreign markets.
* Spanish is one of the languages used for business in the European Union.
* The 19 Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America offer vast potential in terms of trade and investment.
* Knowledge of Spanish opens up a new and promising dimension for those individuals, firms or enterprises who want to try new countries and ventures.
* Speaking Spanish offers the key to the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Spain and Latin America.
* The vitality of Spanish and Latin America culture is also evident in many other areas of life: music, fashion, sports…