Time spent learning a language is never useless, in my opinion.

erinja:Time spent learning a language is never useless, in my opinion.

Time spent learning something is never useless.

Ĝis, Novatago.

an Esperantist asking if it's useless to learn Dutch and Portuguese? that's a new one.

Not so strange really.

After all most national language learning (as an adult) results in an abysmal level of communicative ability, which contrasts markedly with what happens when you learn Esperanto.

Portuguese and Dutch are both useful languages I'm sure! I don't speak either but, anyone who has studied languages for years and researches Portuguese and Dutch will find Portuguese is more widely spoken than Dutch or even French which is my second language now Spanish is probably better because it's widely spoken but, I've also studied Greek some and don't speak it yet but, once I get a handle on Spanish I will return to it although in America it seems useless but, if you have a desire to learn something that doesn't matter. Greek seems useless and Dutch has more speakers than Greek and Esperanto has less speakers than Greek but, to my surprise its far from useless even though I've never encountered an Esperantist to speak it with I noticed its a useful language for online communication especially with the Creators of livemocha, Deutch info and Slovak.eu Being these people never respond in English or French if you ask a question but, are quick to respond in Esperanto. Don't choose a language based on usefulness alone although it should be one factor you consider but, it's rather you can use it. Even Latvian which hardly has any speakers when compared to French or Spanish but, there got to be a use for it being people learn it. The best natural languages for an American to study besides Esperanto or Spanish would be Dutch, Norwegian or Swedish as a first study because of ease of learning them. Spanish for an American seems to be most practical because its widely spoken as a Second language of Many Americans and it's easy but, challenging but, however if you want to learn Portuguese or Dutch do it. It's not a waste of time Dutch will help better English, German and other Germanic languages and also other languages to lesser extent and Portuguese with any romance language and vice versa and will also help with Bettering your English etc. Portuguese is widely spoken all over the world and Dutch is spoken in the Neatherlands, Belgium, South Africa and Indonesia as a second tongue. Afikkaans is Dutches Daughter and Even some Americans can speak Dutch. So what if Dutch doesn't have more than a certain number of speakers which is still over twenty million Esperanto has less but, we learn it.

I used to spend time trying to justify languages I was learning. How many spoke it? How likely was I to use it? I especially wanted to be ready with a rational for people who asked why I was learning it. I finally gave up. I decided to learn because I wanted to and that was it. Not to say there aren't valid "practical" reasons for learning a particular language (job, trips, family, etc), but sometimes you just gotta learn because YOU want to. End of story.

Of course, I don't just pick up a language and say, "hmmm, sounds like fun, I think I'll learn it today". I still want to be able to use the language. For example, I keep plugging away at German because there are a lot of theological books in that language and I want to read those books in their original form. Esperanto? It is unique, has a very cool history and an amazing user base. The atmosphere is so relaxed and enjoyable too. Plus, because it is so new, it's culture is still developing and, at least to me, unlike any culture in the world. That's exciting!

My feeling is if you don't have a vested interest in learning a language, even if you have super practical reasons for learning it, it will be a constant struggle and, in the end, probably useless. If you want to learn it, and you enjoy it and have fun at it, then it can never be useless. Even if you were the only person in the world to speak it.

As a native speaker of Portuguese, let me throw in my two cents: as many people mentioned before, Brazilian economy is growing steadily and its GDP is among the highest of the world, so there are lots of business opportunities in that language. In addition, in America Portuguese is much less spoken as a second or third language than Spanish or French, so mastering Portuguese will highlight you.

Apart from that, I'd say Brazilian Portuguese is one of the easiest languages one can learn. While written br-pt is just as hard (or easy, depending on who you ask to) as French and Spanish, spoken br-pt majorly simplifies its grammar, e.g., we get by with only 3 verbal person-conjugations, instead of 5 or 6 ans Spanish and French and we barely use object pronouns at all.

Also, Brazilians feel very flattered when foreigners have the trouble of learning Portuguese, so they're very helpful and friendly -- if you use services like Livemocha or italki, you'll receive immediate feedback from Brazilians (in my experience, it's always been a bitch to be the first reviewer in Livemocha, specially because I liked to give careful, elaborate pieces of advice) and find lots of people to chat. On the other hand, few Brazilians speak foreign languages, and if you ever visit Brazil, it won't be easy to get around speaking English only.

Brazil also has a large cultural output, such as movies, TV series (specially soap-operas), books and comic-books, which will help you practice, as well as get acquainted with elements from Brazilian culture even if you can't visit it just yet. I, myself, love webcomics and I think they're a great way to learn a little about foreign languages, these are some of the best Brazilian ones:

Malvados (Malbonuloj)
Um Sábado Qualquer (Iu Sabato Ajn)
Mentirinhas (Mensogetoj)

How is the question raised in this thread linked to Esperanto? It can fit in "Pri Aliaj Lingvoj" (About Other Languages). I don't comprehend why it is in "En la angla." (In English)

Demian:How is the question raised in this thread linked to Esperanto? It can fit in "Pri Aliaj Lingvoj" (About Other Languages). I don't comprehend why it is in "En la angla." (In English)

I agree why isn't this topic being discussed in esperanto or French?

brw1:

Demian:How is the question raised in this thread linked to Esperanto? It can fit in "Pri Aliaj Lingvoj" (About Other Languages). I don't comprehend why it is in "En la angla." (In English)

I agree why isn't this topic being discussed in esperanto or French?

Well, English is the only language I know!

InsaneInter:

brw1:

Demian:How is the question raised in this thread linked to Esperanto? It can fit in "Pri Aliaj Lingvoj" (About Other Languages). I don't comprehend why it is in "En la angla." (In English)

I agree why isn't this topic being discussed in esperanto or French?

Well, English is the only language I know!

If English is all you know I think it might be easier to start with Dutch because its very similar to English but, if your studying Esperanto finish with you basics from basic to Advanced, Communicate, and get a good Esperanto foundation preferably basic fluency or at least intermediate then start what you want and portuguese and Dutch will both be easier for u. If one is going to call Portuguese or Dutch a waste of time one might as well say Hungarian is a waste of time and so is Swedish etc but, truth is they are not just the fact hungarian and Swedish are beautiful languages makes them worth the study.