Bilingual means able to speak two languages fluently. A bilingual person can switch between languages as easily as you might switch between playing soccer and basketball. Someone who grows up speaking Spanish at home and English at school often becomes bilingual, comfortable expressing thoughts and feelings in both languages.

Being bilingual opens doors. It lets you talk with more people, understand more books and movies, and see how different cultures think about the world. Many countries have large bilingual populations: Canadians often speak English and French, Indians might speak Hindi and English, and people in border regions frequently speak the languages of neighboring countries.

You might also hear trilingual for someone who speaks three languages, or multilingual for someone who speaks several languages.

Scientists have discovered that bilingual people's brains work differently. Switching between languages exercises the brain like a mental workout, which can improve problem-solving skills and help people focus on tasks while ignoring distractions. Being bilingual involves words, connections with people, and access to ideas across different worlds.