Ask anyone what they think of the Russian language, and you’ll likely hear the same answer: Difficult! And if you believe the negative stereotypes about Russia, the lack of interest in its language seems understandable — it’s a cold, distant, unforgiving place. Why learn Russian when you can go the less arduous route of learning a Romance language, or even learning German, which belongs to the same language family as English?

Let’s put it this way: are you the kind of person who’s going to be that easily intimidated by a bunch of funky-looking letters? What if we told you you can learn the Cyrillic alphabet in just two days? What’s really standing between you and being able to read Tolstoy in his native tongue?

Anyway, if you need more convincing, here are 10 of our best reasons to learn Russian.

Why Learn Russian?

1. Russian Is One Of The World’s Most Spoken Languages

On the list of the most widely spoken languages globally, Russian comes eighth. Believe it or not, it’s the most spoken language in Europe. In terms of sheer geographic access, learning Russian will open doors for you — not just in Russia, but also in Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Israel. It’s also a popular second language for much of Eastern Europe because of Russia’s lasting political influence.

2. Russia Is The Largest Country In The World

Russia is a mind-bogglingly large country. Fun fact: It’s actually the biggest country in the world by area, and is significantly larger than the runner-up country, Canada (Russia has 6.6 million square miles, compared to Canada’s 3.8 million). In fact, it crosses 11 whole time zones. Imagine just how much there is to discover in this endless country! A few examples: Russia has a full 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. From the Kremlin and Lake Baikal to the Golden Mountains of Altai — there is immense cultural and ecological wealth to be found in Russia.

3. Russians Don’t Speak A Lot Of English

If you’re going to heed the call to adventure, you probably shouldn’t count too much on your English. Russia has some of the lowest rates of English proficiency around. Only about 5 percent of Russians have a command of English, and in the majority of Russian cities, you’ll find almost no signs written in the Latin alphabet. Not exactly a tourist’s dream. So if you want to conquer the lands of the old Russian Empire, you can’t get around without at least a basic knowledge of Russian. It’s definitely worth tackling the Cyrillic alphabet and learning some phrases in order to connect with the locals on your trip!

4. Russia Isn’t A World Away

No question about it — the land of the Tsars has a quality of remoteness, straddling many of the cultural traditions between Europe and Asia. Maybe that’s why so many people think that Russia is somewhere way off in the distance and has nothing in common with the English-speaking world. But actually, you can fly to St. Petersburg from London in just a little over three hours, which is shorter than the time it takes to get to Athens. Even for individuals based in the U.S., Canada and Australia, most of Russia’s top travel destinations are in continental Europe, so it’s not out of the way if you’re planning a grand tour of Europe!

5. Learning Russian Is A Challenge

And that’s a good thing! In this way, Russian lives up to its hype. It’s one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn, owing in part to its complex grammatical structure. And the Cyrillic alphabet seems so foreign that it’s enough to put some people off of learning the language. It’s actually not nearly as scary as it looks. Remember — you can tackle it in two days. And when you do learn it, you’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment! Getting to grips with its idiosyncrasies means leaving what is familiar behind and throwing yourself into the unknown. Yes, it’s scary at first, but you’ll feel amazing once you start forming sentences.

6. And Also, Learning Russian Is Easier Than You Think

When I say “you,” I mean anyone who’s never attempted to learn Russian. There are two main challenges when it comes to learning Russian, and the Cyrillic alphabet isn’t one of them — with a little dedication, learning those 33 letters is a breeze. Most of the shapes of letters are the same or similar to Latin ones, so you’ll just need to readjust how your brain associates letters with certain sounds. The difficulties lie instead with a couple of grammatical rules, namely the declensions and the perfective and imperfective forms of the verbs. Sounds like nonsense now, but it’ll make sense later. Even so, these barriers are still easier to overcome than drinking the Aral Sea dry!