Hello Ben, "Lengua' and 'idioma' mean almost the same while 'lenguaje' has a different meaning. 'Lenguaje': - language as a faculty, style of speech or means of expressions as in : The tone of his language was polite. (here in the sense of 'lenguaje') the language of violence > el lenguaje de la violencia in plain language > en lenguaje sencillo legal/technical language > lenguaje jurídico/técnico bad language > lenguaje grosero the language of violence > el lenguaje de la violencia 'Idioma' & 'lengua': - national tongue means 'idioma' or 'lengua': la lengua española, el idioma español / both have the same meaning he studies languages estudia idiomas or lenguas/ both have the same meaning language school > academia de idiomas language student > estudiante de idiomas Hope the difference is clear :)