ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Romance languages

Well kiddo, there are some languages in Europe that are a lot like each other. They're called "romance" languages and they include things like Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian.

They're called "romance" languages because they all grew from Latin, which was the language of the ancient Romans. But just like how kids grow up and change a little bit, these languages changed over time and became their own unique things.

For example, Spanish is spoken in Spain and a bunch of countries in Central and South America. Portuguese is spoken in Portugal and Brazil. French is spoken in France, Canada, and lots of other places too.

Even though they sound different and use different words, they are still really similar in a lot of ways. For example, if you know Spanish, it might be easier to learn Italian because they share a lot of the same grammar rules and vocabulary.

So even though they're not exactly the same, these languages are like cousins that come from the same family. Pretty cool, right?