A modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead classical languages such as Latin, Attic Greek, Sanskrit, and Classical Chinese, which are studied for their cultural or linguistic value.

Modern languages are taught extensively around the world; see second language acquisition. English is taught as a second or foreign language in a many countries; see English language learning and teaching.

Most children learn an official version of their native language or learn a local major lingua franca (for example Mandarin) in Asia-Pacific countries, and all subjects are taught in that lingua franca language except for foreign language lessons. Singapore, in which English is taught as a first language, is an exception. In India, where English is used for official communication and it is a compulsory language to learn/study since reception. The students however also study Hindi(main language of India).English is usually taught as a first language in school and the subjects are taught in English in all public and private schools in India.English is the most-studied foreign language in the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In China, English is a required language starting in third grade, although the quality of instruction varies greatly and most Chinese citizens do not speak it well. In Nepal, almost all subjects are taught in English, except for Nepali literature.