First of all, you don't have to! You really don't. It doesn't matter what your parents, teachers, friends, or any other person say. YOU decide. And believe me, no one has never learned anything by force, yet. It simply doesn't work like that.

So, our starting point is that it is up to you to decide whether you would like to learn English, or not. So, let's look at the possible benefits.

More and More Opportunities

Much of the world's communication is performed in English.

In English speaking countries the internal communication is done in English. For example, in the US you can expect many people to talk in English.

In most other parts of the world, English is used as a bridging language, if you are communicating with someone from another country. For example, let's say you are German and your client is Italian. You would naturally communicate in English.

As a conclusion, we can see that if you know English well, you can use it to communicate with people from around the world. This opens the door to many great opportunities:

1) You can get more knowledge. An incredible amount of resources is revealed to you, if you know English well: books, courses and of course, a great part of the World Wide Web.

2) You may get a better job if you know English. Many positions require dealing with clients, service providers or colleagues from other countries.

3) You are able to manage better abroad. You can speak with confidence and get your message across clearly, instead of hesitating and stammering.

4) You can meet many new people from around the world. Do that while you travel or even from home using the internet. The bottom line is: you simply have much more options. These can help you in life.

Any Downsides?

Like in mastering anything, it involves learning, and practicing, and making mistakes, and picking yourself up again. It takes time and money, but most of all, it takes will power.

However, it doesn't have to be backbreaking. Not if you do it right, and step by step.

Let's have a look at this: English is a language that people use to communicate ideas. It is comprised of two main parts: words and the rules people use when they combine words together. Those rules are called grammar. So this is what you should focus on: building your vocabulary and establishing your grammar. The first one is more fundamental, so start with that.

And remember, the harder it seems, the more fun it is when you accomplish your goal!

Ola Zur is the editor of Really Learn English http://www.really-learn-english.com/, an illustrated English resources site. More information about building English vocabulary can be found at Building Vocabulary and Some Common Mistakes http://www.really-learn-english.com/building-vocabulary.html - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.