I’ve done most of my reading in English. I find English a far finer language than Spanish. For many reasons. Firstly, English is both a Germanic and a Latin language. Those two registers. For example, any idea you take, you have two words. Those words won’t mean exactly the same. For example, if I say ‘regal’, it’s not the exactly the same thing as saying ‘kingly. And if I say ‘fraternal’ it’s not the same thing as saying ‘brotherly’. Or ‘dark’ and ‘obscure’. You’ll recall the difference between the ‘Holy Spirit’ and the ‘Holy Ghost’, since ‘ghost’ is a fine, dark Saxon word, whereas ‘spirit’ is a light, Latin word. And there’s another reason, which is that of all languages, English is the most physical of all languages. You can do almost anything with prepositions.

— Borges, interview