I'm trying to decide what language to start learning.

[HatMadder]

I'm trying to decide what language I want to start learning. I want to eventually learn several languages, but I'm having a hard time deciding where to start. I've learned bits and pieces of Swedish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese, but nothing even close to conversational. I'd like to eventually learn all the languages I listed and a few others, but I'm having a hard time deciding where to start. Right now I'm thinking either Esperanto, Spanish, or Japanese. They all have their advantages which I will enumerate below. Maybe someone can help me make my mind up

Esperanto
It's an easy language that was designed to be learned by people like me.

Spanish
Growing up in the midwestern United States you pick up a lot of Spanish just from around. I'm from a rural area that doesn't have many native Spanish speakers, but we still hear a lot of it in media or from friends who took Spanish class in high school(I didn't take a foreign language class in high school). Also there's this girl I like who is learning Spanish as a second language and is already semi-fluent, so it'd be nice to have that as common ground.

Japanese
Japanese is the language I think I could be the most passionate about learning, given that I like Japanese culture(and not just for the anime), but it would also be the most difficult of all the languages I'm considering given its vast differences from my own native language.

Those are the languages I'm considering starting soon. I would greatly appreciate any opinions or thoughts on what direction I should go in.

[Teira Eri]

Hmm, that's quite the list of language-learning endeavors you've got going on there! I think, looking at this practically, depending on where you wish to go with your life, you should learn the language that will best suit your goals. Esperanto might not get you too much in the professional world, though it is an interesting and lovely language. But there's not enough demand for Esperanto-speakers, that I know of. 

So, looking mainly at Spanish and Japanese. Spanish is certainly a widely spoken language. If you live in the United States or another English speaking country, Spanish will definitely be of use to you in the long run. Plus, you'll have more opportunities to utilize Spanish in your daily life. 

Japanese is truly difficult. I would know! But I learned it for two reasons: out of passion and for life. Since I live in Japan, learning, studying, and having practical application to naturally develop an understanding of the language was easier than for most people trying to learn in another country. 

Bonus: Spanish is waaaay more romantic than Japanese, in my opinion. Japanese pick-up lines are just plain weird haha.

[takibari]

From your list, I would start with Spanish. From a practical standpoint, it might prove useful in the professional world. If you're considering having an online gig, I see some ads looking for home-based Spanish-speaking professionals. Who knows you'll get a return of your investment from your language learning in the long run. Also, it helps that there is a bit of exposure of Spanish from where you're at (at least in the media and with your friends). It's kind of hard to be studying a new language, and no one around you can relate or at least be interested in. Plus, you already have a possible language learning buddy. You can practice whatever you've learned with that girl you like. Having someone to practice conversations with can do wonders to your learning progress.

[HatMadder]

I was leaning more towards Spanish in my head, and it looks like that's the general consensus from here. Thanks to you guys for the advice. I've began the Duolingo course(not the best resource I know, but it's free and it works well as a supplement to other resources), and I'm gonna go looking around for some more resources soon. I appreciate your opinions.

[takibari]

49 minutes ago, HatMadder said:

I was leaning more towards Spanish in my head, and it looks like that's the general consensus from here. Thanks to you guys for the advice. I've began the Duolingo course(not the best resource I know, but it's free and it works well as a supplement to other resources), and I'm gonna go looking around for some more resources soon. I appreciate your opinions.

No problem. Hey, you might want to check out the YouTube Channel called SpanishPod101. They offer some lessons that you might find helpful. Some of those lessons include Spanish Words for Every Day Use, Must-Know Spanish phrases, Spanish Listening practice, etc.

Also, why look elsewhere, check out this forum's Spanish Thread:

http://linguaholic.com/forum/80-spanish-language-learning/

It features the usual General Discussion section, Vocabulary, Idioms, Grammar, Literature, and Spanish Lounge for Spanish only conversations. Good luck, mate!

[lingvo]

Spanish is the most useful language between the three choices for sure. But you must pursue the language you feel more passionate to learn. I personally suggest Esperanto first since It will help you to enhance your overall language learning proficiency. And I don't recommend to ever touch japanese unless you have a good reason to spend several years of hard work it takes. Japanese is ambiguous and unflexible (commit a spelling mistake and you will end up saying something different ), therefore it takes a while to get used to its unefficiency.

[宇崎ちゃん]

As I have explained in a pinned topic here before, just follow your heart.
If you have no interest in Esperanto, you will have a difficult time learning it, same is true for Japanese and Spanish.

I have tried to learn Spanish multiple times before (even recently), but I was never really passionate about the Spanish language, culture, etc., so I postponed it once again.
I have recently started learning Spanish and Russian at the same time, but out of the 2 I only sticked with Russian.

[mykunos]

I know it can seem like such a difficult task to decide which language to learn, but really, try not to spend so much time deliberating on that, when you could be investing your precious time and efforts and resources towards actually learning a language. It's best to try and not over-complicate it - what language is the most practical for you? Which gives you the most joy and excites you the most while learning? I will say that practicality alone is not a strong motivation to learn a language. It may work initially, but when you hit a plateau in your language-learning, you're going to need a real love of the language to fall back on - something you might just not have if you're learning the language for a job or school or whatever. So I'd say if you have a language choice that provides 1. a practical and functional purpose for you and 2. makes you happy and excited to learn - go for it!

[lingualbabe]

From those three choices, I would recommend either Esperanto or Spanish. Why? Well, like you said, they're fairly easy to learn given your circumstances and you might have a need for them in the future. I do know that Spanish is kind of a popular language when it comes to translation sites as well, you might end up using it for your career in that way. With Esperanto, since it's easy, it can be a nice "getting your feet wet" kind of learning. I always advice people that ask me what language to learn to try and find a language that is closest to their native language. This way, you can figure out your own strategies and techniques before diving into more difficult languages.

Japanese is really one of the harder languages to learn. But I'm not saying you cannot learn it, it just requires a lot of effort, determination and patience. And once you have mastered other languages, at least you have this stepping stone already. It can be easier for you to learn Japanese by then. Anyway, since you watch anime, you're exposed to certain words from that language already which is a good thing. However, watching anime just isn't enough to make you learn Japanese. You can use it though with a combination of other resources.

I hope this helps you and good luck! Enjoy language learning as the journey is what makes it very rewarding. As others have said, make sure you really are interested in these languages, it will make learning them a lot more enjoyable and fun.