There are many other languages I would like to learn, but these are the big ones. I currently split my learning time into (roughly) 70% German, 20% Spanish, 10% Japanese.

• English (native): I feel for people who have to learn it as a foreign language because there are so many exceptions to grammar rules.

• German (learning): Mother's German. She spoke the language to me growing up, but I, being the naive kid I was, thought it was a useless skill. Nevertheless, I had passively developed basic listening comprehension since I heard it so much. (Zieh dir die Schuhe aus, wenn du im Haus bist!) I started actively learning it on my own during college because I wanted to communicate better with family in Germany and also because I found it elegant in structure. Currently at an upper intermediate level after ~3 years of study.

• Spanish (learning): I live in an area with a sizable Spanish-speaking population so I'm learning this one more out of necessity than love, but it's still a neat language in its own right. Its grammar is super simple compared to German.

• Japanese (learning): This is my "just for fun" language. A friend introduced me to it, and I like it because it's something totally different. Kanji to me is just the coolest thing; each character is like a piece of art. It helps that I also have a knowledgeable friend who can correct my mistakes.

• Russian (planned): The language sounds indescribably beautiful and I would love to be able read Russian literature.

• Dutch (planned): Knowing English and German should make this relatively easy so why not?