Learning multiple languages opens up new opportunities for communication and cultural understanding for people of all ages. Being fluent or at least competent in more than one language makes traveling abroad easier, especially if you plan to go to Europe, which has a diverse mix of languages and cultures. In fact, 24 official languages are spoken across Europe, and dozens more languages and dialects are also used. Taking some time to learn the language of the country you’re visiting before you travel to Europe can help you to better connect with the culture while you’re there.
Table of Contents
Learn the Languages of Europe Online
French
- Numbers in French: One of the first things to learn in French is how to count; you’ll need the words for numbers to understand how much something costs or the street address of someone’s house.
- Learn French: These online lessons start with saying hello and progress from there.
- Basic French Vocabulary: There are two courses on this site: one for beginners and one for intermediate students. Each course consists of 12 lessons.
- French in Action: Once you finish these 52 half-hour lessons, you should know enough to get through a trip to France.
- Memrise Online French Course: Try these video lessons to help you get started learning French.
Spanish
- Learn Spanish Free Online: Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, and this course breaks it down into easy lessons even beginners can follow along with.
- Spanish Vocabulary: Learn common Spanish words that will be useful on your trip to Spain here.
- Complete Spanish: Listening to native speakers is one of the best ways to learn a language, and this course capitalizes on that idea.
- Spanish Proficiency Exercises: The University of Texas at Austin prepared these materials to help people master the Spanish language.
Italian
- Directions in Italian: Being able to ask for directions when traveling is incredibly important.
- Italian Level Test: People with some exposure to Italian can test their knowledge here to figure out what level of proficiency they’re at.
- Italian Conversations: Listening to this podcast can help language learners pick up on the intricacies of how the language is actually spoken in Italy.
- Italian Adjectives, Pronouns, and Adverbs: Expand your understanding of Italian with this grammar guide.
German
- How to Order Food in a Restaurant: Part of the fun of traveling is eating the local cuisine, but you’ll need to know how to order it first.
- Learn German Adjectives: Mastering grammar can be tricky but will help you to become a better speaker and writer of German.
- Formal and Informal German Greetings: Being able to say basic things, like hello and goodbye, in Germany will go far to impress the locals, since most tourists don’t make that much effort.
- Words in German: Explore useful German vocabulary here.
Russian
- Russian Alphabet: The first step in learning Russian is learning the alphabet.
- Learn Russian: Pearson designed this online course, which starts with listening to a conversation at a restaurant.
- Read Russian Videos: Being able to read Russian will make traveling through Russia much easier. This video course is designed to turn beginners into people who can read basic Russian sentences, signs, and menus.
- Common Russian Phrases for Beginners: People not ready to commit to learning the whole language can still benefit from learning common, simple phrases.
Ukrainian
- Free Ukrainian Lessons: Choose a lesson and follow along with the flash cards to start learning Ukrainian.
- How to Read the Ukrainian Alphabet: Like Russian, Ukrainian is written in Cyrillic letters.
- Free Ukrainian Lessons Online: Read through this Peace Corps training guide and listen to the accompanying audio to get a grasp of basic Ukrainian.
- One Minute Ukrainian: This podcast is designed to help listeners learn the language a bit at a time.
Polish
- Polish Pronunciation Dictionary: Polish can be tricky to pronounce. Type in a word here and you’ll hear how it should sound.
- Polish-English: Anki is a flash card program that allows users to create their own flash cards to memorize vocabulary. They have a premade Polish deck available for free.
- Common Ways to Say Thank You: Simply being able to say thank you can make traveling through Poland more pleasant for you and everyone you meet along the way.
- 20 Travel Phrases You Should Know in Polish: Tourists who aren’t ready to commit to learning the entire Polish language will benefit from knowing these key phrases related to traveling.
- Polish-English Dictionary: Cambridge Dictionary offers this free online Polish-to-English translator.
Romanian
- An Introductory Guide to the Romanian Language: This printable course packet is a comprehensive guide to learning Romanian.
- 15+ Beautiful and Useful Romanian Words and Phrases: Many of the most important and useful words in Romanian also sound pretty.
- How to Learn Romanian Language Basics: Knowing how to say yes, no, please, thank you, and hello is vital for anyone considering a trip to Romania.
About the Author
Lyric Fergusson
Lyric is an accomplished poet, best-selling author, award-winning screenwriter (studied at NYU film school), amazing chef, singer/songwriter, and mommy of two amazing little kids! After growing up in Hollywood she decided to delve into a profound spiritual journey and became a yogi-monk for almost a decade. She enjoys helping Asher conduct research, writing for our blog, and loves traveling the world (Paris is her favorite city), and sharing her experiences with you!
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