The Best Language Combinations: A Guide To Learning Multiple Languages

Can you really learn two languages at the same time? The short answer is: yes, you absolutely can. But here's the crucial bit: it depends entirely on which languages you choose.

The key factor that determines your success isn't your motivation or your schedule (though those matter too). It's whether the languages you've chosen will interfere with each other or support your learning journey.

Here's everything you need to know about choosing the best language combinations for simultaneous language learning.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of this page. Otherwise, here's what you'll discover in this post:

Introduction: A Question From Taiwan

I recently received a brilliant question from Alan in Taiwan that perfectly captures what so many of you are wondering about. Alan asked:

“Hi Olly, I want to arrange frequent sessions in Japanese on iTalki three times per week, and I want to know can I learn French at the same time? I know both of them are not in the same language families so I think it's okay. My schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Japanese speaking sessions, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for French speaking sessions. Does this make sense or is it not a good idea to learn both of them?“

This question comes up time and time again, doesn't it? Can you learn two languages at the same time? Now, you guys know what I typically think about this topic, but today I'm going to take a different approach.

Instead of just telling you not to do it, I'm going to look at the opportunities in learning multiple languages and how you might do it to best effect.

Best Language Combinations: Why Different Families Work

Alan was spot on when he suggested that Japanese and French would work well together because they're from different language families. This is absolutely the right thinking.

The best language combinations are those from completely different language families because there's virtually no confusion between them. Here are some excellent language pairs for simultaneous learning:

• Japanese and French (Alan's choice)
• German and Arabic
• Spanish and Mongolian
• Finnish and Swahili
• English and Mandarin
• Russian and Thai

The beauty of these combinations is that you couldn't really get more different languages. In the past, I've learned both Arabic and Cantonese, and I can tell you there's virtually no confusion between the two whatsoever.

Occasionally, I might find myself speaking Cantonese and a few Arabic words slip out, but that's more from force of habit, not because I'm confusing the two languages.

They're so linguistically different that your brain treats them as completely separate systems.

Why Different Language Families Work

When languages come from different families, they have:

• Different writing systems (alphabets vs characters vs scripts)
• Different grammatical structures (word order, verb conjugations, noun cases)
• Different sound systems (phonemes, tones, stress patterns)
• Different vocabulary roots (no shared etymology to cause confusion)

This separation is exactly what prevents the dreaded language interference that can derail your progress.

Language Combinations To Avoid

Now, let me share a cautionary tale from my own language learning journey that perfectly illustrates why some language combinations are problematic.

I had been studying Italian for quite some time and could speak it really well.

I'd spent considerable time in Italy and was genuinely fluent.

Then I moved back to London, made some Spanish friends and started learning Spanish intensively.

Within six months, I'd forgotten all of my Italian.

The reason? Spanish and Italian are extremely closely related languages. There are so many words which are virtually identical with just minor tweaks between the languages.

You reach this maddening point where you're thinking, “Was it grazie or gracias? How do you say ‘beautiful' again?”

This linguistic similarity creates constant confusion, and unfortunately, the newer language often overwrites the older one in your memory.

The language interference I experienced happens when:

• Similar vocabulary causes word confusion
• Similar grammar patterns lead to rule mixing
• Shared linguistic roots create false friends
• Similar sounds result in pronunciation errors

With all this in mind, here are a few more language combinations to avoid:

• Spanish and Italian (Romance languages)
• Spanish and Portuguese (Romance languages)
• Cantonese and Mandarin (Chinese languages)
• Norwegian and Swedish (Germanic languages)
• Czech and Slovak (Slavic languages)
• Thai and Vietnamese (both tonal, causing tone confusion)
• Arabic and Hebrew (Semitic languages with similar grammar)

The caveat here is that if you've already mastered one language, it actually makes learning a similar language much easier afterwards. If you're fluent in Spanish, picking up Italian later becomes relatively straightforward. Just not at the same time.

Pros And Cons Of Dual Language Learning

Let me be completely honest with you about both sides of this coin.

The Advantages

• Cross-pollination of skills: If you develop a brilliant method for memorising vocabulary in French, you can apply those same strategies to Japanese. The learning techniques transfer beautifully between languages.
• Cultural immersion doubled: You're essentially doubling your exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking about the world. This broadens your perspective tremendously.
• Diverse linguistic understanding: Getting to grips with French is completely different from tackling Japanese. You become familiar more quickly with how different types of languages are constructed.
• Passion satisfaction: If you're genuinely passionate about both languages, then absolutely go for it. It's crucial that we pursue what excites us in language learning.

The Reality Check

But I can't let this topic pass without addressing the significant challenges:

• Time splitting: You're literally halving the time you could spend on one language. This means you'll make considerably less progress in each language compared to focusing on just one.
• Reduced immersion: One of the most important elements in learning to speak a language quickly is total immersion. When your head starts to hurt from thinking in the target language, when you get those language-learning headaches, that's exactly when you're learning the most. Your comfort zone is expanding and your brain is adapting. This kind of beneficial struggle and total immersion simply cannot happen with two languages simultaneously. You can't reach that crucial stage of deep immersion with both languages at once.
• Less effective learning: The mathematics are simple. If you spend half the time on each language, you won't progress as quickly as you would focusing entirely on one.

The 80/20 Approach For Multiple Languages

If you're determined to learn multiple languages simultaneously, here's a compromise that might work better than splitting your time equally.

Focus 80% of your time on your priority language and 20% on the secondary language.

For Alan's situation, this might look like:

• 80% focus on French (4-5 days per week, longer sessions)
• 20% focus on Japanese (1-2 days per week, shorter maintenance sessions)

This approach allows you to:

• Make solid progress in your primary language through deeper immersion
• Satisfy your curiosity about the secondary language
• Avoid feeling like you're completely ignoring either language
• Actually achieve a meaningful level in at least one language

The 80/20 split is far more effective than 50/50 because you'll see genuine progress in your primary language, which maintains motivation and gives you the satisfaction of real achievement.

Best Language Combinations FAQ

Final Thoughts On Best Language Combinations

Alan's instinct about Japanese and French was absolutely correct. These languages represent one of the best language combinations you could choose for simultaneous learning because they have nothing whatsoever to do with each other linguistically.

If you decide to pursue both languages, just be aware that you won't make as rapid progress as you would focusing on one language alone.

But if learning about two different cultures and satisfying your curiosity about both languages is what drives you, then absolutely go for it.

Remember this quote from Greg Anderson that perfectly captures the spirit of language learning: “Focus on the journey, not on the destination. Joy is not found in completing an activity but in doing it.”

Whether you choose one language or two, the most important thing is that you're on this incredible journey of expanding your mind and connecting with new cultures. That's what makes language learning so rewarding, regardless of how you approach it.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.