Learning a language is a minefield of embarrassment, frustration and potential rudeness – heaven forbid! Matt Mills, a Barcelona-based Briton, examines the perils.

Every language has its snares that certain nationalities are destined to get caught in at some point on their journey to becoming the twin-tongued Lothario we all desire to be. Here are just some of the ones that any of us who have had a punt at learning Spanish will have experienced, and if you haven’t yet, the points below may save you from making the same mistakes we did - de nada.

You may think you know everything there is to know about the Spanish language—after all, Spanish is all around us.

Spanish is a language that’s on the rise: It’s a beautiful language with a wide global influence on business and culture. It’s spoken in many diverse areas of the world, so Spanish speakers benefit from being able to communicate with all kinds of people in all types of situations in Spanish-speaking countries and beyond.

However, despite its ubiquity, you might still be surprised by some cool details about the Spanish language. Here are some interesting facts about the Spanish language that will arouse your curiosity.

Almost 470 million people speak Spanish as their native language around the world, while another 21 million study it as a second language. What’s more it’s the third-most-widely spoken language on the internet and the second on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, according to the latest report by the Instituto Cervantes. But the state-funded body responsible for teaching Spanish around the world also warns of what it calls the poor state of spoken and written Spanish.

Here are 10 facts about the Spanish language you might be interested to know: