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Do the Greeks speak foreign languages? According to a research of Eurobarometer, they do. The data of the language habits research of the Greeks indicated that 50% of the population speaks at least one foreign language. Although this figure does not place Greece in the top of the list, where The Netherlands and Luxembourg ruthlessly reign with their 90%, however, positions Greece better than other European countries. The most popular is the English language as can be expected. Almost half of the residents of the country speak English language. The French and German languages take the second position and small proportion of Greeks speak Italian.

More than 1 million children study at least one foreign language each year. Students and parents of students rely very much on the private language schools in addition to the school and university classes. The data of the Ministry of Education shows that the Greeks spend more than 440 million euros to study foreign languages every year. And there are more than 7350 language schools in the country. The figures, if nothing else, represent how important are foreign languages to the Greeks.

We visited one of the language schools – Babaliki O'Halloran – located in the student city of Athens in the first school day. The school offers courses in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish languages. Courses are for both children and adults. We talked with Roi Plastira, a teacher of English, about the trend in Greek society in recent years. “The Greeks rely much on foreign languages. The trend is growing. The reasons are many. Some people need to communicate with foreigners daily, others want to study abroad or to find a better job here. Many people are interested in working abroad today too. The foreign language is mandatory,” explains Roi. She clearly stated that the English language is a part of the main pilot program for children education: "The state primary schools teach English in the third grade, while the private schools teach it in the first grade no matter whether the school is in the capital or in the country. There is no Greek family today the children of which do not study English. It is not an option, it is a compulsory language .... Many of the parents hurry to hire teachers for their children still in preschool. Children enter the world of language through simple conversations and singing songs at home. The second language is optional.” The second most popular language in our school is the German language. The next are Spanish and French,” explained the teacher.

The Eurobarometer data are true for certain. The Spaniards, Italians and British speak the less foreign languages. Only 35% of the people can boast of speaking at least one foreign language. Greece has really done well based on this data. "The Greeks study languages," agreed Roi. "But not so much for education as ever. The aim is completely practical... Besides, many tourists visit our country. That is why the residents are required to speak foreign languages no matter whether they live in the capital or in the country. This is not the case with foreigners. For example, the English do not speak foreign languages for the simple reason that their language is spoken everywhere."

Turkish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese languages enjoy particular interest lately. Many young people consider them a specific type of investment that will one day be their "reward".