Languages you can learn

Ten languages with CEFR-based paths. Pick one and start at the level that fits you.

English English

German Deutsch

Spanish Español

Portuguese Português

French Français

Russian Русский

Ukrainian Українська

Turkish Türkçe

Chinese 中文

Japanese 日本語

Where these languages actually live

A language page is more useful if it says where you'd speak it. Below is the short map. Open a language for countries, cities, and the variety the app uses.

Europe

German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish

German covers Germany, Austria, and much of Switzerland. French and Spanish spill over borders. Ukrainian is the state language of Ukraine. Turkish is Turkey, plus large communities in Germany and the Netherlands.

The Americas

English, Spanish, Portuguese, French

Spanish is the daily language from Mexico to Argentina, with Brazil as the Portuguese exception. English and French share Canada. English also runs most of the US and a good part of the Caribbean.

Africa

English, French, Portuguese

These are school, court, and city languages next to local ones. English in Nigeria and Kenya, French from Senegal to the Congo, Portuguese in Angola and Mozambique.

East and South Asia

Chinese, Japanese, English

Mandarin is what you'll use in mainland cities. Japanese stays almost entirely in Japan. English is the extra language in India, Singapore, and most international airports.

EnglishUK, US, Canada, Australia, and the shared language of a lot of offices and airports.GermanGermany, Austria, Switzerland. Useful if you work with DACH firms or travel that corridor.SpanishSpain plus most of Latin America. Mexico alone has more speakers than Spain.PortuguesePortugal, Brazil, and parts of Africa. Almost all speakers live in Brazil.FrenchFrance, Belgium, Quebec, Switzerland, and a wide stretch of West and Central Africa.RussianRussia and still a common second language in parts of Central Asia.UkrainianUkraine. Its own language, not a dialect of Russian.TurkishTurkey, and large communities in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria.ChineseMandarin in mainland cities, Taiwan, and Singapore. Not the same as Cantonese.JapaneseAlmost only Japan. Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto will cover most trips.

Interface language and learning language

When you sign up, you choose the language you already know for menus and settings. Lessons, vocabulary and audio use the language you're learning — so you can keep the interface in one language while studying another.

Structured lessons by level

Each language follows a CEFR-based path. You choose a starting level and a daily goal, then move through short lessons, pronunciation practice and quizzes. Open a language page to see where it's used and how Surf Language teaches it.