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Made a New Year’s resolution to improve your love life? Or want to find someone special before Valentine’s Day? It might be time to try becoming bilingual! Our new survey, done in collaboration with language learning app Babbel, has discovered that speaking multiple languages can make you seem more attractive.
A partnership between EliteSingles and Babbel (the world’s top-grossing language learning app1) the survey questioned over 6,000 singles in 11 countries.2 It revealed an interesting fact: all around the world, speaking different languages boosts your chances in love. In fact, three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed say they think it is attractive when someone speaks more than one language.
In the UK, this result is even more pronounced: of the 520 Brits in the survey, 76% said that they’re more attracted to people who can speak another language.
Language skills beat gym bods
The survey also revealed another surprising fact: not only is multi or bilingualism attractive, it’s actually seen as more swoon-worthy than classic attraction factors like having a 6-pack/athletic build. In fact, nearly all of UK respondents (96%) would rather date someone with great language skills than date someone with a gym-honed body.
The top reasons for picking language over looks are mostly to do with UK singles preferring worldly matches. 40% say that their language attraction is due to them finding other cultures interesting, while 14% say that they like the mystery of a foreign language. For an additional 21%, it’s because being able to talk about things like love in different languages is a sign of intelligence.
Whatever the reason, having an understanding of other lingos is definitely good for your love life – great news for the 54% of UK respondents who can speak more than one language!
Why should singles speak more than one language?
The survey also revealed that 40% of UK singles would learn a language to improve their romantic prospects – and the survey would suggest that doing so is far from a bad idea.
Indeed, singles who speak more than one language can find that it expands their dating pool. “Being able to communicate is fundamental to human interaction,” explains Mike Redfern, a Babbel Country Manager. ‘’It’s no surprise that in 2018, in the global society that we all live in, being able to speak other languages is such an important quality in a partner.”
Sophie Watson, spokesperson for EliteSingles, agreed, saying that ‘’connection and great communication are vital parts of a first date – especially if you want to land a second one.’’ She adds ‘’this survey goes to prove what we and our members have long known – the body’s most attractive muscle is the mind!’’
Boosting attraction is as easy as un deux trois
So, of all the languages you could start learning, which is the most attractive? When it comes to finding love in other languages, UK singles picked their top three languages revealed themselves to be classic romantics: Italian took out the top spot, with 64% of UK respondents considering it the romance language to rule them all. Meanwhile, the second most popular language to get hearts racing was French, with 62% of the vote, followed by Spanish on 46%.
Simply having a French lilt is popular too: 47% of Brits agree it’s the world’s most alluring foreign accent. This is followed by Italian on 45%, Irish on 32%, and Spanish 28%.
How to talk about love in different languages
So what’s the best way to boost your language skills – and thus your love life – in 2019? Obviously learning a new tongue is a process best taken a step at a time but, if you’re feeling inspired to start right away, EliteSingles and Babbel are here to help. We’ve put together a quick guide to the words for love in different languages. Want to let a French speaker know that you adore them? Feel like learning the Italian for ‘I love you’? Start here.
10 ways to say I love you in different languages:
French: Je t’aime
Italian: Ti amo
Spanish: Te quiero
Portuguese: Eu te amo
German: Ich liebe dich
Swedish: Jag älskar dig
Tagalog: Mahal kita
Russian: я люблю тебя (Ya lyublyu tebya)
Korean: 사랑해 (Salanghae)
Mandarin Chinese: 我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ)
Bonus: a Babbel pronunciation guide with even more ways to say I love you:
Feeling inspired? Meet language minded singles with us and make your language skills pop by visiting Babbel.com.
Sources:
1 Founded in 2007, Babbel is a language learning app that helps you speak a new language like you’ve always wanted to. Available for iOS and Android, the app lets users learn 14 different languages from 7 display languages, with 73% of surveyed customers feeling that they’d be able to hold a conversation within five hours of using the app.
2 The Babbel /EliteSingles Languages Survey was conducted amongst 6,000 Babbel and EliteSingles users in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and USA, in 2017
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