English originated from Germanic tribes invading Britain in the 5th century CE and bringing their Anglo-Saxon language, which was influenced later by Vikings, French following the Norman conquest, and other languages through colonization and globalization. It has evolved from Old English to Middle English to Modern English, gaining vocabulary from Latin, Greek, French, and other languages it encountered. Modern English is now spoken by over 750 million people globally and is an official language in multiple countries due to the expansion of the British Empire and influence of the United States.