By Borislava Panayotova

Pourquoi ai-je besoin de réapprendre ça? Warum muss ich das nochmal lernen? ¿Por qué necesito aprender esto otra vez? Cur hoc ego postulo, iterum discere? Wonder what all those sentences mean? Well, all of them mean the same thing: “Why do I have to do this again?” I’m sure everyone has said this at some point in their careers.

In order, the languages above are French, German, Spanish, and Latin. You can pick any of those languages to learn in high school at Tempe Prep. Now, the sentences above are probably incorrect but Google Translate isn’t the best. If you are taking one of these languages, you will most likely be able to correct all the grammar and vocabulary in the sentences. French, Latin, German, and Spanish will help extend your knowledge of the world.

Latin

If you attended TPA in middle school, you would know the grueling work it takes to learn only one verb. All those different endings are enough to drive you insane. Most important writings of the Middle Ages were written in Latin. Kids in the 19th century were learning Latin. You may not know it, but the language of one of the most powerful empires in history is all around us. Latin takes a lot of hard work, but in the end it’s worth it. Learning Latin will give you a basis on other European languages making them easier to learn.

To change it up a bit, did you know that, instead of Latin the entire four years of high school, you can switch to Greek in junior year? If you are a big mythology fan, you might want to consider taking Latin.

Spanish

700 million is a big number. It might not look like one but it is. That’s about how many people speak Spanish worldwide. Heck, most of South America speaks Spanish (not looking at you, Brazil). It’s an important part of not only the ability to understand people, but the ability to connect to a whole other world. The Spanish culture is extremely diverse and you can always find other traditions that surprise and interest you.

If you are looking to become one with your world and are looking for a language that can give you that experience, pick Spanish. I believe the words Dr. Cardoso, the Spanish teacher, used were “the ability to navigate in a globalized world.”

German

Don’t give hate to Germany, kids. They don’t deserve it. Germany is actually a fascinating country that became a united country, not a group of small kingdoms, in the 1800s.

German is the language of business. Who knew that? If one is looking to go and become a stock market person, one should go and learn German.

To my utter amazement, Herr Gray told me that compound nouns are the most interesting part about learning German. A magnificent example is that a glove is a hand shoe.

German also sounds interesting. If by a one in a billion chance you’ve heard a German person speaking, you would notice how fascinating the sounds are. It has a sort of toughness that makes you think they are angry.

French

If you are looking for the opposite of German, French is where you’ll find it. While German gives you the sense that you are walking on a rocky mountain, French is more like floating on clouds. My belief is that the nonexistent ‘r’ sound gives you a feeling of softness. It surprisingly rolls off the tongue.

While the language is definitely hard, you might learn a few things about life outside of the city of love. Madame Pardini says that students would learn the difference between Parisian life and the life of the people of South France.

French will usually follow the path that you want to follow.

In all cases, learning languages is good for your future. It isn’t just to give you an advantage with collages and jobs, but to help you connect with the world. Knowing multiple languages is a great way to receive more real-world experiences.