Fear not, learning romance languages isn’t a cue to panic buy roses or book a last-minute trip to Venice.
But August is Romance Awareness Month – a brilliant reminder to keep the spark alive, intentionally, playfully, and linguistically too.
And when it comes to love, we’d argue learning romance languages has serious courtship currency.
What Are Romance languages?
There five original romance languages are direct descendants of Latin, which was once the language of the Roman Empire.
Now, it’s the sweet-talking foundation for:
- Spanish (approximately 558 million speakers globally)
- French (approximately 312 million)
- Portuguese (approximately 267 million)
- Italian (approximately 90 million)
- Romanian (approximately 28 million)
Unsurprisingly, these languages still share a ton of common vocabulary, grammar quirks, and a rhythm that makes the crummiest pickup line sound poetic.
Why Learning Romance Languages Remains Relevant in 2025
Despite the noticeable absence of the lingua franca English, learning romance languages remains a powerful tool in terms of:
- Global reach beyond origin countries – For example, more French speakers live in West Africa than France. More Spanish speakers live in Latin America than Spain. And as for Portuguese? Brazil owns it.
- Growth areas – Parts of Europe are shrinking demographically. In contrast, Francophone Africa and Latin America are booming.
- Worldwide clout – Spanish and French are official UN languages and widely used in diplomacy and international business.
Love and Language Still Going Steady
All the same, romance languages have long been associated with affairs of the heart.
Blame the medieval troubadours who waxed lyrical about love and lit the fire for centuries of romantic poetry. Their legacy still lingers in every Eiffel Tower proposal and every movie with a gondola ride and a Latin accent.
So, this August, why not fall in love with love with a new language?
At la Academia, our flexible range of learning options covers all romance languages. Let learning romance languages steal your heart this year.
Get in touch for details about your preferred language of lurve.