1. It is the most spoken language in the world
Depending on how they are counted, in addition to the approximately 400 million native speakers, English is understood and/or spoken by 1000-1600 million people. With more than a quarter of the world speaking the language, there is always someone to practice it with.
2. It is the language of international business
With global corporate headquarters predominantly located in financial centres in the United Kingdom and the United States, English has long been the default language for business. It could be, in part, because English speakers aren't the first to want to learn another language and, well, you have to find common ground with people all over the world in some way, right?
3. Most movies are in this language
Hollywood is an inexhaustible source of global entertainment, so it's logical that English became the primary language for movie making. Of course, movies are usually dubbed, but they are best enjoyed in the language for which they were intended.
4. It's easy to learn
This is debatable depending on who you speak it with, but it is generally accepted that English is not the most difficult language you can face. The vocabulary is simple to understand and its relationship to many other languages means that speakers of those languages can see where English concepts come from. Which reminds me...
5. It is related to many other languages
English has a long and fascinating history, encompassing wars, invasions and influences from around the world. The cultures that have helped shape modern English include Roman, Viking, and French. That's why it's a hybrid language composed of Latin, Germanic, and Romance elements.
6. There are things that can be said in hundreds of different ways
One of the best advantages of English is its flexibility: you can often find many different ways of explaining the same thing, thanks to its wide range of vocabulary. It is said to have more than 750 000 words (depending a little on how they are counted, some generous estimates put that figure at 1 million) and new words are added each year (see point 8 below).
7. Sounds different depending on the part of the world in which it is spoken.
A more recent development in the evolution of the English language is the emergence of different dialects in countries where English is the native language. The United Kingdom, Australia and the United States have different ways of speaking and orthographies, influenced by the cultural and historical events that have shaped their development.
8. It's really flexible
Non-native English speakers who learn English as a second language often comment that there are many ways of saying things. That's because English doesn't make distinctions, you can use it as you like. Countries like Singapore have taken this concept seriously, inventing a new type of English called "Singlish", which has absorbed aspects of other languages, such as Chinese and Malay.
9. Continues to change
Selfie. Bae (abbreviation of baby, in the sense of boyfriend, girlfriend, affection, etc.). Smasual (abbreviation of smart and casual, elegant informal style). All these words are new in the English language, but they have already become valuable members of the lexicon. More than any other language, English continues to evolve and assimilate new words that extend - often without translating - into other languages. English is a language that no doubt knows where the party is.
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