The Top 11 Easiest Languages To Learn (Even For English Speakers)
The Top 11 Easiest Languages To Learn (Even For English Speakers)
Photo Credit: koya979/Shutterstock
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn an affiliate commission if you click and/or make a purchase through the link (at no extra cost to you). And of course, I only recommend products I’ve used from companies I completely trust and love. For more information please see my disclosure.
Which Language Will You Find Easiest To Learn?
Looking to learn a new language? Many of us have considered broadening our horizons. Learning a foreign language is a no-brainer.
Then you're probably wondering: what are the easiest languages for English speakers to learn? This is a question I get a lot, especially from those who are just starting out as language learners. It's one of the most commonly asked questions by newcomers.
If you're up for it, your next task is to choose from a variety of options. Who says language learning has to be difficult? What is the easiest language to learn in the least period of time?
What's the answer, then? Let's look at why there isn't a single, clear answer to this question first. According to a survey conducted by the European Commission, 60% of those polled could not communicate in a second language.
In an increasingly diversified and international world, relying just on English is no longer sufficient. Should you choose a language that is more commonly spoken, such as Spanish or Italian, or one that you can use on your next trip?
All of these reasons are valid, but there's one more: you're too busy. Every one of us is. Why not try learning a language that is reasonably easy to pick up?
For English speakers, I've identified the easiest languages to learn. Let's just say I've narrowed the list down to 11 options. Hopefully, this will assist you in narrowing down your choices so that you may begin learning right away.
Have you always wanted to learn a second language but put it off due to the difficulties you'd have to overcome? Have you started learning a language but don't seem to be making any progress?
Let's face it: learning a new language can be difficult! Language learning may be frustrating in many ways, from vocabulary to pronunciation. Not only that, but we all have things to do.
Perhaps your stumbling block is a lack of free time, energy, or even money to achieve it. Maybe you've been convinced that learning a new language is too hard for you to succeed.
But far too many people never experience the delights of learning a second language because they believe they don't have enough time, that learning is too difficult, or that they just can't do it.
I understand your concerns, so don't worry. Learning a language, in reality, requires a significant amount of time and effort. When certain criteria are taken into account, however, various languages have varying degrees of difficulty to master.
Have you ever considered which language would take up the least amount of time and effort in your situation?
To put it another way, which language is the easiest to pick up? There's no shame in pressing the "easy" button now and again. I understand - you have a life. Make no apologies about wishing to make your life easier. We are all extremely busy with our careers, families, friends, personal projects, interests, and life in general.
As a result, there's no shame in seeking for the quickest way to learn a new language. On the contrary, I applaud you for wanting to learn a new language despite your busy schedule! I’ve already written extensively about the best languages to learn, but what are the easiest languages to learn?
RELATED: The 13 Best Languages To Learn (Number 9 May Surprise You).
Now, if you're a native speaker of a European language who wants to spend your time learning the nuances of a language, I completely encourage you.
But if you're searching for a language that won't require 3-hour evening classes Monday through Friday for the next ten years, I'm a little more enthusiastic about it. And that's why I'm here to assist you!
Before you get into the nitty gritty of vocabulary, verb conjugations, and all the other things that will take up a lot of your time, consider this: which language will be the easiest for you to learn? There are a lot of strange rules and linguistic details that our English-reading eyes aren't used to.
Gender nouns, reflexive verbs, and a plethora of verb tense conjugations can all be intimidating to a language learner who has only ever spoken English. But don't let it hold you back. These are minor obstacles, no matter how difficult they may appear at first, and they are not reasons to abandon learning a second language entirely.
Because, while mastering certain languages might seem like a personal challenge, you'll discover that learning other languages is much easier (and by much easier, I also mean much faster!)
Language learning success is dependent on a number of factors. There's no disputing that certain languages are easier to learn than others, but a lot of it comes down to personal preference. It's all about where you're from, what you're good at, and even who you choose to surround yourself with when learning a new language.
That might make all the difference when it comes to learning a language and becoming fluent. You've come to the correct site if you're an English speaker who's wondering, "What language should I learn?"
In this post, you'll discover all the languages that are easier and more natural to learn if you already know English. Oh, and stay with me until the end to learn how to make learning any language, even the most difficult, “easy.”
RELATED: The Top 25 Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers.
Because of globalization, most people nowadays, particularly the younger generations, desire to acquire a second or even a third language. The impact of your favorite movie or series, as well as your favorite musician or band, may affect your desire to learn a language. People wish to learn for a variety of reasons, including business, travel, and academic pursuits.
Whatever the case may be, learning new languages will benefit you in the long run. If that isn't enough to pique your interest, studying a foreign language has been proven to help you earn more money by increasing your pay by 5-15% and expanding your job options. With the vast amount of online resources available, it has become easier than ever before.
Multilingualism is a wonderful, and possibly free method to boost your employability and give you a leg up on the competition while looking for work overseas. Many businesses are trying to migrate abroad in order to develop into new markets as the world becomes increasingly globalized every day. To interact successfully with clients, it is critical that they hire native speakers.
So, if you're wondering, "What language should I learn?" An easy language could be the best option. If you already know English, there are a number of proven easy languages to learn that will save you time, energy, and effort.
I'm going to show you 11 of them. You already possess the necessary background knowledge, contacts, and skills to improve your speed and chances of success.
If you're an English speaker, we may approach learning easy languages in the same way. While languages with foreign components may appear difficult, there are many languages that are easier to learn since you already know English.
They frequently have a linguistic origin, close geographical borders (in their respective native lands), and language patterns that are similar to English.
If you're looking for a clear answer that applies to individuals all across the world, let me pause right now. It is hard to say whether one language is easier than another without considering a few criteria. What are they, exactly?
Your native language and
Your strengths when learning a new language
There is no such thing as an "easy" or "hard" language; everything is relative.
In just moments you’ll discover:
Why learn a second language?
What makes a language easy to learn?
How to learn a new language
How easy are the easiest languages?
11 Of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers
According to the FSI, professional working proficiency in this set of languages might take 23-24 weeks.
Some of the many benefits of learning an easy language includes:
Travel with ease.
More job opportunities, including a higher income with being bilingual or multilingual.
Being able to communicate with loved ones (family, romantic relationships, make new friends).
Not as many people may be up for the challenge, regardless if it’s an easy language, or haven’t learned a language, whereas you could fit into a small population of people being able to speak a language that could lead to more opportunities.
When individuals speak at a normal speed, you can practically understand almost everything they say.
In most instances, you'll be able to communicate without difficulty.
Use a large vocabulary and only look up terms when necessary.
To put it another way, you can operate quite well in the majority of scenarios. That's what I will call fluent.
Learning a language is never easy; it requires patience, persistence, and a great deal of practice. However, you may rest easy knowing that certain languages are considerably easier to learn than others, particularly for English speakers.
There's a reason you hear so many stories of new language learners who achieved proficiency in a couple of months. They went with one of the easier languages to learn.
Don't be concerned if you want to go to a new country or just understand the people around you. My recommendation is that you learn a language because you're interested in the culture and country as well.
Learn Russian if you enjoy Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. If you plan to reside in Bangkok, you should learn Thai. Learn Spanish if your spouse is Mexican.
And keep in mind that, while you may get by as a tourist in a matter of weeks, mastering a language takes years, not months. Some of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers are listed here!
Why Learn A Second Language?
Learning a second language has several advantages. To begin with, it has been repeatedly said that learning a second language makes you smarter. We all want our minds to stay young and sharp, and this is a fantastic way to give your brain a boost.
Employers are interested. Bilingual or multilingual personnel are highly sought after by corporations, international organizations, and government agencies. Learning a new language may open up a whole new world of possibilities for you.
Still not convinced that learning a second language is worthwhile? So, here's the deal. You'll find it much easier to learn a third, fourth, and fifth language once you've mastered the first. You'll also discover that once you've learned more than one language, you'll want to travel more, meet new people, and learn about other cultures. You have the ability to alter your outlook on life and the world.
It's time to let go of those ridiculous excuses like "I'm too old," “I'm sorry, but I don't have the time,” “Language is not my strong suit” or “It’s expensive.” All of this points to one conclusion: I'm scared. Don't be too sure! Learning a second language is significantly less difficult than you would imagine.
Although if you’re using the Pimsleur method, you can make a success of any language! The ability to learn a new language is now at your fingertips thanks to technological advancements. Pimsleur has a good selection of easy-to-learn second languages for native English speakers.
You'll love Pimsleur if you like the idea of learning on your own time from the convenience of your smart device with real-life realistic language content. With Pimsleur, you'll learn languages - as they're spoken by native speakers.
Let me help you achieve the ideal pronunciation and enhance your listening skills, regardless of the language you choose to learn! Get your 7-day free trial of Pimsleur. You can even download the app from the iTunes or Google play store.
Of course, you may always pick up a dictionary or a teaching book in your chosen language and carry it everywhere with you. The options are truly limitless. All you have to do now is desire it and make it a reality!
What Makes A Language Easy To Learn?
Before we go into the easiest languages to learn, let's discuss what factors influence the ease and difficulty of learning a new language.
First and foremost, everyone is unique. A number of variables might affect which language is the easiest for you to learn. There is no such thing as one language that is just easier to learn than all the others, but there are several languages that are far easier for you to learn.
People happen to have strong feelings towards our native languages. Two people in the same country (or even the same city) will tell you that their language is incredibly hard and super easy, that you'll never learn it or that it's a piece of cake, with equal certainty.
They'll claim that learning English was easy or that it was the most difficult thing they've ever attempted.
What accounts for such a wide range of viewpoints? There are two points to consider:
There is no such thing as a language that is universally easy.
The learner determines how easy a language is to learn.
There are three primary factors that determine whether a language is easy or difficult for any individual learner:
How closely it resembles the languages you are already familiar with.
What a complicated sound system it has.
How complicated its grammar is.
Some people find it more difficult to comprehend the odd sounds coming from their nostrils, throats, and rounded lips, while others prefer a nice French nasal vowel to German noun declensions any day of the week.
The 3 Major Factors To Determine How Easy A Language Is To Learn
I'll talk about three key elements that affect how easy a language is to learn nowadays.
1. Structure Resembles That Of English
Every language we use now, including English, has a unique history. When it comes to the origins of the English language, it may be traced back to the Indo-European language family. For example, English is quite similar to German, Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Spanish, and other languages.
As an English speaker, this indicates that these languages are easier to learn than Mandarin or Korean (which come from a different language origin).
2. Opportunities To Practice
Now, just because you choose to learn a language that is close to English does not imply it will be easy. Many of us undoubtedly have a friend or family member who was born with a lot of natural skills. However, they did not invest the time, effort, or energy necessary to take their abilities to the next level.
Work ethic will always win out over skill. When it comes to language learning, you must put your abilities to the test in order to improve.
If you live in the United States, it will be easier to practice your Spanish abilities than it will be to practice your Norwegian ones. Unless you want to study a language over the internet.
3. How Useful Is The Language?
Another important aspect is motivation. It's what drives us to put up the effort in the first place. You'll be more driven to study a language if you're learning it to apply for an exciting job overseas than if you're learning it for no reason.
The goal is to choose an easy language to learn that will pay off in the long run. Will you gain greater confidence, land a better career, explore the world, or reconnect with a family member? Pick your poison.
What Other Factors Make A Language Easy To Learn?
Nothing compares to the comfort of speaking your native language, yet many people nowadays are attempting to learn at least one more language.
Of course, if you're one of them, you'll want to study the top languages that the majority of people desire to learn. Because the majority of the information is in English, it’s easy for native English speakers to access various online language learning tools.
Learning a language might be hard, but with the necessary tools and drive, nothing is impossible. If learning a language makes you nervous, start with the easiest languages, which even non-native English speakers will find easy.
There are additional factors that will make learning a new language easier for you. The following are a few variables to consider:
Native language
Exposure to foreign languages
Grasp of grammatical structures
Pronunciation
Strength as learner
Motivation
1. Your Native Language
When learning a new language, it's natural to use your mother tongue as a reference point. The complexity of foreign languages is partially determined by your native language. The more cognates you can rely on and the easier it will be to take up grammatical rules that match your own, the closer your target language is to your mother tongue.
When your target language has grammar, syntax, or vocabulary in common with your native language, you'll have a massive head start when learning it. If you speak a Romance language like Spanish, for example, learning Portuguese or Italian will be very easy because they have the same Latin roots.
If you are a native Norwegian speaker, Swedish will be easier for you than it would be for a native Polish speaker. If you speak English, though, you may find it easier to learn Dutch, German, or Afrikaans, given these are all West Germanic languages. Have you ever noticed how several languages with the same root share a lot of similarities?
They even have a lot of cognates, which are words that have the same origin or are related or similar to one another. An example of that is the similarity between the English word is and the German word ist, or the Italian verb mangiare and the French verb manger. As a result, while deciding which language to study, consider your native language and its roots.
It will be easier if they are of the same origin because when you read a book in a language you do not yet understand, there will be some terms that you will recognize or at least have a rough notion of what they mean.
They'll stand out from the rest of the writing, making you feel less like an outcast. It will also give you greater confidence in your ability to broaden your vocabulary and stay on track with your academics.
2. Exposure To Other Foreign Languages
The various languages you speak or that you grew up hearing your family speak will have an impact on how easy it is for you to learn multiple languages.
Whether you speak English and your grandparents speak German, any exposure to a foreign language will almost certainly imply you've picked up bits and pieces without even realizing it.
The closer a given language resembles a language you already know, the easier it will be to learn. This is especially true if you learned a second language rather than learning your first, because you are extremely familiar with the structure of that language. Perhaps even more so than you are in your own language.
Learning a second language after infancy requires memorization of grammatical rules and vocabulary, as well as deliberate thought every time you conjugate a verb or use a subtle turn of phrase.
Because of this hyper-awareness of the language's features, you'll be ahead of the game if you try to learn another language from the same family.
So, if you had to pick between learning a foreign language from the ground up or studying one that allowed you to build on your previous knowledge, which would you choose?
3. Your Strengths As A Language Learner
While some of us excel at grammar, others like learning new vocabulary or even learning a new alphabet.
Whatever your language skills are, it's important to recognize them so you can choose a language that plays to your strengths. That way, the ‘difficult' portions of learning a language will be the most enjoyable!
4. Your Understanding Of Grammatical Structures
The patterns and structures you're used to seeing in your native language will easily relate back to the way you comprehend grammar. As a result, foreign languages with comparable sentence patterns and word ordering to your mother tongue are often easier to learn.
5. Your Pronunciation
It's been said that knowing where you're from may help you pick where you're going, and the same can be said for determining which foreign language will be the easiest for you to learn.
Speaking is a huge component of acquiring any language, so if you select a language that has sounds that are similar to the ones you already know, you've already won a big portion of the learning process.
6. Your Motivation
When it comes to learning a foreign language, motivation is the most crucial factor. You won't make progress no matter how "easy" the language is if you aren't driven. Even if you're learning something new in your native language (including legal or medical terminology), if you're not motivated, you won't learn it.
This is something I'd want to make clear. While analyzing and comparing languages to determine which is the easiest, the results only apply in a hypothetical "perfect" world. The “all things being equal” situation is what I call it. Time spent learning, resources available, and most importantly, motivation for any language are all equal.
However, in the real world, not everything is equal. People study languages for a variety of reasons. The motivation of people varies from day to day. They might be studying inefficiently. Because, as I previously stated, everyone is different, a supposedly "easy" language may be considerably more difficult for you than for someone else.
This is one of the reasons why I believe that any language can be learned quickly. When it comes to determining the complexity of a language, it's essentially a level playing field. You can find a way past the "difficult" aspects of any language if you have the will.
Having said that, keep in mind that you must truly desire to learn a language in order to find the learning process to be simple. Because, no matter how much we'd like to believe it, learning a new language does not happen overnight.
Learning and perfecting a language takes time and work, therefore your easiest language to learn could be the one you're most motivated to study.
Personal Motivation: How Much Do You Want It?
This is the most crucial aspect. Simply said, if you really desire something, nothing will be able to stop you. Otherwise, you're destined to fail.
If you're really, passionately driven to study, you'll be so enthralled by the language that you'll spend time and effort comprehending its smallest details. If you love learning new things about the language, learning vocabulary won't feel like a chore.
You'll start listening to music and podcasts in your target language merely for enjoyment, looking for speakers to practice with, and attempting to get as far ahead as possible.
If you don't genuinely desire to learn a language, though, even the easiest language on the FSI scale will be a struggle. Even the tiniest bit of studying will feel like torment, and you may find yourself dreading it so much that you don't make any progress.
What motivates you the most? It makes no difference why you want to learn a language - you may need to acquire further education in a certain country or just want to woo someone in a different language - what counts is that you are really driven.
What if you're compelled to learn a language you don't want to learn? Find anything that excites you about it, and you'll be able to develop far more rapidly.
Experience: How Many Languages Do You Already Know?
The number of languages you've already learned is the last determinant of "difficulty." It isn't dependent on which you've learnt, though, as we've discussed, it does play a part. However, we're interested in how familiar you are with the process.
It's normal to feel a little lost the first time you set your mind to learning a new language. You can experiment with a number of resources before settling on the ones that best suit your learning style. Then there's the issue of grammar. It's easy to become overwhelmed the first time you come across an absurd rule.
You will, however, be a professional by the time you have learned your second foreign language (or third! or fourth!). You'll know your learning style, what works for you, and you'll have likely seen and overcome the grammatical rules that will appear in future languages.
To put it another way, learning a language is similar to learning any other skill: the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
Playing To Your Strengths
One approach to get around this is to recognize that as English speakers, we have one of the most connected languages on the planet. By descent or influence, it is related to several European Germanic languages, and over half of English words are derived from Latin or French.
Most people aren't surprised by this because the language's structure, alphabet, and makeup are extremely similar to Spanish, Italian, French, and other languages with a latin root.
We must first analyze our strengths as well as our knowledge of existing rules and structures. If you already know English, languages with comparable sounds and word structures will be the easiest to learn. Learning to speak Spanish, which has similar latin roots, rather than Mandarin, is an example.
When It Comes To Learning A New Language, What Are Your Strengths?
You may be wondering what your strengths have to do with the ease with which you can learn a language, but let me explain. The grammar and sounds of a language are fundamentally different. Some languages have basic grammar, while others have a simple sound system.
Of course, there are languages that are easy or difficult in both respects, but the issue is: what do you find more difficult? Learning a set of rules that make up language grammar or being able to pronounce uncommon sounds that don't exist in your own tongue, which may have to come out of your nose or throat at times or even require strange lip and mouth expressions?
It will become apparent to you which language will be the easiest to learn once you have determined which is your strength and which is your weakness, that is, what will be easy and difficult for you while learning a new language.
Let's look at some practical examples of this second factor now that we've established that there are no definite answers on what is the ideal language to learn for beginners because it depends on the learner's mother tongue and skills and limitations.
The Amount Of Exposure
Another key consideration is how much language exposure you will be able to obtain. It's doubtful that you'll come into contact with many people who speak Japanese if you live in a small rural town. However, there's a good possibility you'll hear Spanish.
How To Learn A New Language
So, you may have an idea as to which easy language you want to learn, but where do you go from here? To get started, all you need to do is develop a strategy and utilize all of the available resources and tools.
Apart from traditional textbooks and in-person lectures, we now have access to apps in our modern world. Make a list of the resources you want to use and develop a strategy for achieving your objectives. The rest is simple once you've done that.
It may seem difficult to add a new language to your repertoire, yet it is totally possible. People have various goals, and the time it takes to really learn a new language varies. As a result, don't compare yourself to other people. Instead, invest as much time as possible studying this new language, and you will see a significant improvement!
How To Make Any Language Easy To Learn
I'm studying Russian, and it's going well.
I don't mean fast when I say easy. I don't even mean that I'm proficient at it. Thousands of hours are required to attain an advanced level in Russian, and I still have a long way to go.
But it's not difficult because I'm learning at my own speed. I'm pushing myself, but not to the point of exhaustion. I'm also driven by the fact that I spend my study time doing activities I enjoy.
It doesn't matter how long it takes or how hard the grammar is to make it easy or challenging. It makes no difference how good or awful you are at it. It all depends on how you're feeling at the time.
If your notion of learning a language is to grind for hundreds of hours, you're going to be miserable (if you don't quit first). From Spanish to Arabic and everything in between, every language will feel difficult.
However, if you can find your learning sweet spot, where you are challenged but not discouraged or overwhelmed, any language will feel easy, whether it is Cantonese, Korean, Arabic, or Japanese. They'll take a long time, but they won't feel hard.
Instead of asking, "Which language is the easiest to learn?" a better question to ask is: “How can I approach the language I wish to learn in a way that makes it feel easier?”
5 Ways To Make Any Language Easy To Learn
1. Just Focus On One Thing At A Time
Learning a language like Japanese or Arabic is likely to be challenging. But don't get carried away with the broader picture. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Build on what you already know in each study session by learning one more thing, then another. If you keep it up long enough, you'll find that you've become fluent in the language (your chosen language).
2. Setting Goals Which Are Just Right
Setting goals that are just right: attainable enough to keep you motivated, yet hard enough to keep you interested.
Imagine trying to discuss politics or read a newspaper in a language you've only recently begun to learn. You'd most likely become frustrated and give up fast. Imagine learning to count from one to ten over the course of numerous classes. You'd probably grow bored and quit after a short time. Staying motivated requires finding the right amount of difficulty, where you're working hard but not too hard.
When using textbooks and other resources, keep this in mind. Is it possible that you've lost interest because the material is too easy or difficult? Aim for a challenge that pushes you just a little bit more than you are now, but not too much.
Breaking down hard tasks into smaller chunks is another approach to make them more suited for your level. If studying grammar for 30 minutes seems too difficult, why not try 15 minutes instead? Or even five? When you do it every day, a few minutes add up to a lot of improvement.
3. Make A Choice That You Enjoy
The first step in quitting is boredom. The more enjoyable your study sessions are, the easier the language will appear. Find something that works for you if your current study materials don't.
4. Stay On Track
You'll undoubtedly have a few low points in motivation over the hundreds (or thousands) of hours it takes to learn a language. When this happens, it's a good idea to have some tactics in place to help you stick it out. Two of my personal favorites are:
Don't fall off track: Mark each day you study with a cross on the calendar. You'll feel satisfied as you start to progress in your language learning; once you've established a routine, you won't want to break it by missing a day.
Keep track of your progress: Learning a language takes time, and progress might be unnoticeable in the near term. This is discouraging since it appears like your hard effort is going unnoticed. However, if you could go back a few months, you'd see a difference and be more optimistic about your development. Consider recording yourself speaking so you can see how far you've progressed.
5. Is It Challenging Or Just New?
When people complain about something being difficult, I always ask them this question. Because they generally pause for a second before responding, "Oh, it's just new."
Think about learning how to ride a bicycle. It's easy today, but you probably struggled at first. Learning a new skill takes time. That isn't to say it's impossible; it simply requires experience. However, if you expect it to be difficult, it most likely will be. According to research, people are more prone to lose motivation when we perceive activities to be difficult.
It's important to have a positive attitude about learning. You may benefit from the growth mindset by adopting the phrase "it's not tough, it's just new": instead of thinking "this is too hard," you can focus on a small but powerful word: "yet" - "I don't know how to accomplish this, yet." You will succeed, though, if you persevere.
Language Learning: An Important Note
You've probably wondered, "How is one language easier than the other?" Every individual is different. What is easy for one person may be quite challenging for another. This is true regardless of how closely the language resembles or differs from English. Any language is within your grasp if you have the time, resources, and most importantly, desire, determination and motivation. Pimsleur is an excellent place to start if you want to see how possible language learning is for you.
Language Learning Materials: How Are You Learning?
What learning resources do you have access to? This is the most essential component after motivation. If you're utilizing language books, you could find the writing tedious and the dry explanations of even the most basic grammatical principles confusing.
On the other hand, if you use a variety of techniques to study in a flexible way, you'll not only have a longer attention span, but you'll also have a better overall understanding of the language.
Your knowledge of conversation and colloquial phrases will accelerate if you talk with native teachers on iTalki, for example. Your pronunciation will improve dramatically if you use Pimsleur's auditory and spoken features.
Examine your learning style to see what could work best for you, and diversify your materials to build a curriculum that is both efficient and entertaining.
Resources Available
We must consider the available tools for learning a language. There are various resources accessible for some languages. Others, though, are not so lucky. So, when deciding which language to study, be sure you'll have lots of resources at your disposal. The language will be easier to learn if there are more resources available.
Ability To Practice
The next stage is to practice after you've learned the fundamentals of the language. More than learning vocabulary terms from a dictionary, being able to utilize the language in real-life situations can help you enhance your fluency.
As a result, practical usability is another key aspect in determining how easy a language is to learn. It will be considerably more difficult to learn a new language if you do not practice with another individual.
How Easy Are The Easiest Languages?
If learning a language in six months is conceivable, how do you explain all those individuals who studied for years and just acquired enough to get by? The whole 6-month deal comes with a catch. People who learn a language faster than you spend 2 hours a day in class and 3-4 hours a day on homework.
That's equivalent to a full-time job: 8 - 9 hours each day, 5 days per week, for a total of 24 weeks. It takes them about 1000 hours to become fluent in the language they choose. Because most people don't have 8 hours to study every day, you'll need to spread those hours out. It might take 3 years to master a language at such a high level if you study for an hour a day.
This easy language is beginning to seem like a lot of effort.
Of course, these statistics will differ from person to person. It all relies on your motivation, your level of expertise, and the tactics you employ. With the correct method, you may learn more quickly. However, it is possible that it will take between 400 and 600 hours.
How Similar The Language Is To English
To start, think about how similar it is to the English language. It might be difficult to learn a language that needs you to grasp a new alphabet that does not look like the letters you are familiar with. As a result, languages with comparable, if not identical, letter systems are naturally thought to be the easiest to learn.
What’s Easy To Learn?
If you're an English speaker, the Foreign Service Institute has put up a handy chart of how long it takes to learn other languages on average. Languages related to English, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, and Norwegian, the popular Latin languages - French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish will require around 600 hours of classroom study (24 weeks) to achieve “general professional proficiency in speaking and reading,” according to Category 1.
At 30 weeks, German is the only language in Category 2.
For native English speakers, the easiest languages to learn are Spanish and Italian, followed by Portuguese and lastly French. They share many words with English, but it is this shared vocabulary that leads to "false friends" - words in different languages that seem or sound similar but differ considerably because meanings have shifted through time.
While French and Italian are fairly standard, you must pick between learning Latin American Spanish and “Castellano,” which is spoken in Spain; the two are as different as American and British English. With Portuguese, the choice is even more striking; some individuals who speak Brazilian Portuguese can't seem to comprehend Portuguese speakers from Portugal.
Easiest Languages To Learn For English Speakers
The following 11 languages are the most closely related to English and the easiest to learn for a native English speaker - and, because they're the easiest to learn, the ease or difficulty of learning another language is determined by the language's family. The origins, usages, and pronunciations of languages that belong to the same family are similar.
It is easier to learn a target language that is related to a speaker's first language, while the opposite is true for languages from other families. As a result, many of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers are from other families, but the easiest languages are all within the Indo-European family, which includes English. Everyone has their own opinion of which languages are the easiest.
In the end, the decision is yours to make. Whatever language you choose to learn, don't let the ease of learning the language be your only reason. We've established that the question "What is the easiest language to learn?" is subjective. It is determined by your native language, other languages spoken, and, most importantly, your desire and enthusiasm.
However, if you are fluent in English, we can be more specific about which languages are easier. The language you are most truly interested in is always the easiest to learn. It makes no difference if a language is generally thought to be difficult or impossible to learn; if you are passionate about it, you will undoubtedly find it easier to learn.
According to the FSI, the first group of "easiest" languages includes ten languages. In this area, we'll focus on the most widely spoken languages. After all, learning a language isn't enough; you want to be able to use it as often as possible!
The Germanic Languages:
What makes them so straightforward? These languages share a lot of vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation traits with English since they are from the same language family.
The ones on this list do not have the same intricate case systems as German, which makes them a bit easier to learn. Because native speakers of these languages are known for their excellent command of the English language, finding opportunities to practice can be challenging (though not impossible).
1. Afrikaans
For native English speakers, Afrikaans has been rated the easiest language to learn. You may have heard that Afrikaans and Dutch are connected. They are, but they aren't identical twins! Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that originated as a dialect of Dutch and evolved into its own language. It is most frequently spoken in South Africa and shares the same origins as English.
As I previously stated, Afrikaans is its own language, and it is far easier to learn than Dutch, making it easier to pronounce. Afrikaans borrows from Malay, Portuguese, and Bantu languages, which may surprise you. Nearly 9 million people speak it across the world, with the highest concentration in South Africa and Namibia.
It has also spread to other areas of the globe, where it is spoken in tiny pockets in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Belgium, and Kuwait. While the syntax and word pronunciations may be familiar, the sounds and intonations will require some adjustment. The speech pattern differs slightly from that of the English language.
In Afrikaans, double negatives are very prevalent, which makes a native English speaker cringe - but because you won't be speaking English, it shouldn't be too harsh on your ears. Furthermore, there is no verb conjugation or word gender in Afrikaans, so there is less to worry about for a beginner. For individuals who despise studying grammar, this is good news!
To begin with, its grammatical structure is way easier to learn than other languages. Some of the intricacies of Dutch have been removed. There is no grammatical gender, for starters.
So, just as we use “the” in English to refer to both singular and plural objects, Afrikaans has only one word for both singular and plural things: “die” (far easier than other Germanic languages, such as German, where you have to pick between two or three forms of “the”). Then there's the lack of verb conjugation. Past, present, and future are the only three tenses.
So there's no need to be concerned about imperfect, pluperfect, or subjunctive tenses - areas where native English speakers typically avoid. Afrikaans is widely used in media and entertainment in South Africa.
So, if you want to work in South African cinema and media, learning Afrikaans will put you ahead of the game. Even if you don't want to work in South Africa, it's a fantastic tourist destination where you'll be able to fit in with the locals.
2. Danish
There are around 6 million native Danish speakers. The majority of them can be found in Denmark. The vocabulary and syntax of Danish and Swedish are extremely similar. It's also a simple language for English speakers. The major challenge is linking the written and spoken words, which appear to have little in common at first.
And after you've mastered the way it's written, there shouldn't be many more significant roadblocks in your way. This language was chosen because it has just nine verb forms, which is uncommon in other Scandinavian languages. It is, nonetheless, the most difficult language we have (based on the easiest languages) since there are limited opportunities to learn it.
You'll rarely hear this language spoken throughout the world unless you reside near other Scandinavian countries. It's absolutely not difficult, especially with the resources accessible on the internet! However, with practice, this problem fades away. So, if you're searching for a moderate challenge that isn't too hard, Danish could be a good option.
3. Dutch
Dutch is another Germanic language that is spoken by even more people than Norwegian and Swedish. All of this implies that, contrary to popular belief, Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. It's the third most spoken Germanic language, after German and English, which makes sense because Dutch sounds like a mix of German and English due to shared vocabulary.
Both structurally and syntactically, Dutch is similar to English. The language is spoken by 23 million people in the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, and even the Caribbean. The Dutch also left an indelible mark on the United States, with the majority of their impact concentrated in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Midwest.
The most difficult aspect of learning Dutch is that the majority of Dutch people speak English. They also appreciate it when you speak Dutch because it is not a widely studied language by foreigners. So there's even more of an incentive to give it a shot. Another feature of Dutch that should appeal to native English speakers is that it has many words that have been borrowed from the English language.
The fact that many words in Dutch are spelt precisely the same way they are in English, more than in almost any other language, is an interesting characteristic. Dutch, more than any other language, has had a significant impact on how the English language is now, with a significant quantity of vocabulary derived from it.
Even if you don't know a single word of Dutch, you can probably figure out what the following statement means. The Dutch have a reputation for being open about their language learning. This is partly due to the parallels between Dutch and other languages, as well as the fact that the English language is always present in their life, particularly through cinema and music.
As a result, they are not opposed to incorporating English words into their native tongue. For English speakers, this can be useful at times because if a word is absent from a sentence, most people will understand if you provide the English equivalent. However, even though they appear to be the same, many of them are pronounced differently.
Dutch may still be the right language for you if you stay vigilant. On a frequent basis, Dutch people will use English in their conversations. It's become so widespread that they've coined the term "Dunglish" to describe it. Gender nouns are used in Dutch, which might be confusing for English speakers, although it takes some time to get used to.
If you've dealt with romance languages before, you're probably already familiar with this. There are many complex vowel sounds that may feel strange at first, but English itself likes vowel combinations, so this should not be a difficult concept to understand. The Dutch alphabet is the same as the English alphabet, however the pronunciation of the letters and words might change.
As a result, while Dutch and English have many cognates, the pronunciation and meaning are unlikely to be the same. They have a lot of vocabulary in common. Because they have such old roots, the common words are also some of the most fundamental. Gender exists in Dutch grammar, however it does not impact sentences as much as it does in French.
However, unlike German, it lacks cases, making it a less difficult prospect. There are a couple of noises that might use some improvement. However, word emphasis is comparable to that of English. Overall, English speakers will find pronunciation to be very intuitive. Finally, if you want to work in business or if you enjoy art, Dutch is a fantastic language to learn.
Because there are many employment opportunities for Dutch speakers, studying the language will improve your employability. The port of Rotterdam is Europe's biggest, making the Netherlands ideal for trade and business.
Because the Netherlands and Belgium are major commercial partners with the United States and the United Kingdom, there are numerous career possibilities for Dutch speakers. The Netherlands has a long and illustrious artistic heritage. Do you remember Van Gogh? Understanding the Dutch language can help you appreciate the wonderful work created by Dutch artists in the past and today.
4. German
German is another widely spoken language on our list. If you want to get away from Romance languages, German is a good place to start. German is closely linked to English as another West Germanic language, albeit not as closely as Dutch. For many English speakers, German can be a difficult language to pick up because of the difficulty in grammar.
Not to mention the fact that many Germans speak excellent English, and persuading them to let you practice might be difficult! Dutch and Afrikaans are two languages that are similar. However, the advantages of learning German outweigh the challenges, particularly if you reside in Europe.
German, being the economic powerhouse of Western Europe, has proven to be the most financially rewarding. German has its own set of difficulties; like Latin, it has a plethora of grammatical cases as well as three genders to master. Long words, four noun case endings, and a harsh accent push your tongue hard every time you speak.
German is known for being a very descriptive language. German, on the other hand, may be a fun language to study, and its syntax is seen to be quite logical, with many overlapping words in English. Just keep an eye out for the exceptions to the rules! However, there are several aspects of German that make it easy for English speakers.
As a result, the vocabulary is fairly similar, and there are a lot of cognates. Many cognates exist between German and English (for example, Mann and man). Verb forms aren't as difficult as they appear. The pronunciation is easy as well. English speakers will find German pronunciation to be fairly easy. It is well worth the effort of learning because it is one of Europe's most significant languages.
German may look insurmountable at first, with masculine, feminine, and neutral nouns, heavily conjugated verbs, and a strict syntax. Pronunciation and spelling, on the other hand, are simple to master after you've learned the numerous rules.
You'll also understand why Germans never interrupt you in the middle of a conversation: they're waiting for the verb at the end to figure out what you're talking about. As the language's relevance grows, more resources for learning German are becoming available online. Even if it takes a little longer to learn, you'll have lots of alternatives to pick from.
5. Norwegian
Norwegian is a Scandinavian language that is related to Swedish and Danish and is one of the easiest to learn for English speakers. Norwegian, like English, is a part of the Germanic language family. This implies that the languages have a lot of vocabulary in common and utilize an alphabet that is quite similar to the English alphabet.
Because of these shared qualities, vocabulary is easy to master, and grammar follows a similar pattern. The main disadvantage is that Norwegian is not as widely spoken as Spanish, so finding people to practice with may be tough depending on where you reside. The challenges are not insurmountable, as they are with the other Scandinavian languages.
And, after you've become used to Norwegian's idiosyncrasies, you'll find it to be a really easy language to learn. And the Norwegians will gladly assist you with that. There are language cafés in almost every town and city in Norway. If you're a traveler, you may visit a language café to improve your Norwegian speaking and listening skills.
Norwegian has 5.2 million native speakers (a fraction of the 360 million native English speakers), yet as a Germanic language, it shares many cognates with English, so the basics will not be difficult to learn. Another advantage of Norwegian is that the syntax is simple, with only one form of each verb per tense. Furthermore, its word order is identical to that of English.
Fortunately, Norwegian does not need conjugation of verbs according to a person or number, making the various tenses relatively simple to master. Finally, while learning Norwegian, you'll have a lot more flexibility with pronunciation. That's because Norway has such a diverse range of dialects that there's more than one "proper" way to pronounce words.
Does this seem intriguing to you? It, too, is a pitch-accent language, albeit not to the same extent as Swedish. Furthermore, for beginners, the pronunciation may not always be clear from the spelling. However, one of the best reasons to learn Norwegian is that it has so many dialects and accents that you can get away with your own unique one!
6. Swedish
Swedish, like Norwegian, is a Germanic language with a similar alphabet. As a result, it is more distant from English than it is from Dutch or German. But it's still quite close. It is spoken by more people than Norwegian, therefore it provides a higher opportunity for exposure. Because Swedish is similar to Norwegian, English speakers will find the vocabulary and syntax easy to grasp.
Swedish is a Germanic language, just like English. Both languages share a large amount of vocabulary. The huge number of cognates (words in different languages that derive from the same ancestral language and look and/or sound extremely similar to one another) that the two languages share is one of the reasons Swedish is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn.
Because Swedish is a pitch-accent language, pronunciation is particularly difficult. Swedish is the closest European language to a tonal language, with words having multiple meanings based on intonation. Swedish, like Norwegian, has basic grammatical rules and a similar word order to English.
Both languages have the same subject-verb-object word order, which should be very helpful to English speakers. And the verbs don't change much, making it easier to learn than Romance languages. Swedish also benefits from exposure, due to IKEA.
While merely shopping for furniture, English people all around the world have come across a lot of Swedish terms. Aside from that, there are few major stumbling blocks, making it one of the easiest Scandinavian languages to pick up.
The Romance Languages:
Why are they so easy? Latin is the source of Romance languages. Because the bulk of English vocabulary (60 percent) originates from French or Latin, you'll find that once you start studying a Romance language, you can already express a lot of things by just changing your accent.
RELATED: What Is The Most Beautiful Language In The World? The Top 5 Romance Languages.
Because Spanish, Italian, and Romanian have simpler writing systems and fewer vowel sounds than English, they are easier to pronounce.
While the grammar is easier than German or Russian, you'll still need to learn about verb conjugations, which are when verbs take on multiple forms depending on who is doing them. Gender is assigned to nouns in Romance languages, which might be confusing at first.
7. French
There's one major Romance language on our list, and it's a popular choice among fans. The language of love, oh, the language of love. French is a Romance language, but it is not as simple to learn as Spanish or Italian. French is a very popular language, ranking as the third most spoken language in Europe and being spoken in five other continents.
Despite how dissimilar French appears at first glance, linguists believe that French has impacted up to a third of current English.
What are the benefits of learning French? Despite the fact that it is more difficult to learn than some of its linguistic siblings, French (and/or its numerous dialects and creoles) is spoken by approximately 300 million people in a variety of countries (France, Canada, Belgium, and Madagascar, to name a few).
In today's world, there are approximately 75 million native French speakers. From Paris to Africa, another 190 million people use it as a second or third language. French is spoken in 54 countries and is the official language of 40 of them. Because of its popularity, finding a good resource or practice partner should be easy, which is why it is in the top eleven easiest languages to learn for an English speaker.
For a native English learner, French has affected around a third of the contemporary English language, making it familiar ground. What makes French easier to learn? While anyone who has battled with masculine and feminine pronouns or verb conjugations in French may disagree, this is a relatively simple language to learn for English speakers. And for one crucial reason: vocabulary.
The most significant advantage of learning French, like with other Romance languages, is the enormous amount of common vocabulary. The French alphabet is close to the English alphabet, with some phonetic variations, and there is a lot of shared terminology. English shares more lexical similarities with French than any other romance language, implying that learning French vocabulary will be easy.
For almost 1,000 years, French has had a significant impact on the English language. And it's believed that over a third of English vocabulary is derived from French, giving you a significant head start when you start studying it. English and French share more words and vocabulary than any other Latin-based language.
Key linguistic elements were transmitted from one country to the other over the long history of battles and conquests between France and England. The majority of this came in the form of French vocabulary added to English, such as avant-garde and à la carte, however word-sharing also occurred from English to French.
For native English speakers, there are a few challenging components in French, such as gendered nouns, inconsistently pronounced letters, and a large number of tricky silent letters. Despite this, English speakers will find French to be one of the easiest languages to learn. French pronunciation is particularly challenging, as it includes vowel sounds and silent letters that you may not be familiar with in English.
When silent pronunciation and accents are added to the mix, it becomes much more difficult. At first, French pronunciation can be challenging, yet we frequently hear French accents in popular culture, making them easier to imitate than you might imagine. This might also explain why much of the vocabulary in French is recognizable to English speakers due to its Latin origins.
There are 17 verb forms and gendered nouns, compared to the 12 in English. But it isn't all smooth sailing. Having said that, French culture can be found all over the world. You may view popular French films and television shows online, as well as find fluent French speakers and career possibilities in France.
8. Italian
Next up is another Romance language. Italian is the most common Romance language having Latin roots, as we all know. Why not learn? It's such a lovely language. The most "romantic" of the romance languages is Italian. Italian is part of the Romance language family, which includes French, Portuguese and Spanish. For many of the same reasons, it's also one of the easiest languages to pick up.
Because Italian shares its Latin roots with the English language, it has a large number of cognates that English speakers will recognize. This makes learning vocabulary words a breeze, especially because it's the same concept that makes learning Spanish or Portuguese so easy. All of this adds up to Italian being one of the most straightforward languages to learn for English speakers.
Italian has more than 63 million native speakers, although not as widely spoken as Spanish or Portuguese. Many English-Italian cognates result from Italian's Latin-based vocabulary. Many words in Italian are written as they are spoken, similar to Spanish. Furthermore, the sentence structure in Italian is very rhythmic, with the majority of words ending in vowels.
This gives the spoken language a melodic quality that makes it both easy to comprehend and fun to use. Italian has a basic alphabet with only 21 letters, making it very legible (English has 26). There are only a few unique sounds, and it's written phonetically. As a result, once you understand the rules, there are a few traps. The tenses in Italian are, if anything, easier than those in Spanish.
There's not much else to worry about in terms of grammar. It's also a fairly popular language, therefore there are many resources available to assist you in learning it. Another Latin language that comes into the same category as Spanish is Italian. However, because there are fewer native speakers accessible, there are fewer possibilities for practice.
But don't worry, you can still talk to over 65 million people from all around the world. Learning Italian through food is a fun and gratifying way to do it. Because Italian cuisine has become a mainstay in our cultures, you may discover new ways to utilize the language almost every day! Perhaps the most appealing aspect of learning Italian is the opportunity to learn with food!
Many Western countries, like the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, and others, have adopted Italian cuisine, resulting in the incorporation of a number of Italian words into our everyday language. If you're a foodie, this is the language for you.
9. Portuguese
Portuguese, like Spanish, is a romantic language with a lot of vocabulary in common with Spanish and English due to its Latin roots. Because they are both Romance languages, Portuguese and Spanish have a lot in common. They're so close that native Portuguese speakers can understand Spanish speakers even if they haven't learned the language.
Even yet, there are many direct parallels between Portuguese and English. If you already know Spanish, learning Portuguese should be a breeze. With 176 million native speakers globally, Portuguese is a widely spoken language. Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor are among the ten countries that speak Portuguese as their official language.
Brazil's economy is also currently rated 6th in the world. As a result, studying Portuguese is extremely beneficial for professionals. Because the two languages have diverged significantly, the distinction between Brazilian and European Portuguese might be a stumbling block. However, because it is such a widely spoken language, there is a wealth of learning materials available.
And finding native speakers with whom to practice should be easy. What makes Portuguese easier to learn? Portuguese, like Spanish, only varies from English in morphology and phonology. The word order is pretty much the same. The nasal vowel sounds are the most difficult to pronounce and require considerable effort.
As a result, many vocabulary terms are easy to acquire since they have the same meaning as their English counterparts. Although the nasal sounds and pronunciation of Portuguese might be challenging for an English speaker at first, the language's rhythm should be simple to follow.
One of the most appealing aspects of Portuguese is how quickly a statement can be transformed into a question just by changing your intonation. This, like Spanish, translates to a huge number of common vocabulary terms, making it easy to learn. However, keep an eye out for false cognates. Written Portuguese resembles Spanish in appearance.
However, others claim that European Portuguese sounds more like Russian when spoken. The noises, on the other hand, aren't especially difficult to learn. And the grammar is comparable to that of Spanish or Italian. Another language that provides learners the advantage of exposure is Brazilian Portuguese.
Brazilian food, beverages, music, and films have all made frequent appearances in worldwide pop culture, providing Portuguese students with several possibilities to improve their language skills. With the growth of Brazil's economy, Portuguese has become a more vital language to learn. Jobs and new opportunities, as well as Portuguese learners, are coming to this South American country.
10. Romanian
Romanian seems like an unlikely choice. Romanian is a Romance language, believe it or not. However, because it is a Romance language, it contains many of the same characteristics as Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, making it a very easy language to learn for English speakers.
It is the only romance language formed in Eastern Latin Europe; yet, it retains Latin origins, making it comparable to English. Because Romanian is not as well-known as the other Latin languages, many people are unaware that it is a Latin language. Fewer people are aware of this since Romania is not as well-known as Spain, Brazil, or France.
As a result, if you are familiar with the more popular romance languages, learning Romanian will be a breeze. Even if you only know a little about one of the others, you will quickly notice the similarities. And, like its sibling languages, it’s not difficult to learn. It may appear strange on the surface. However, once you begin studying it, you will quickly see how similar it is to the others.
Nonetheless, there are around 26 million native Romanian speakers worldwide. The great majority of them live in Romania or Moldova. However, the language has expanded far and can now be heard in many parts of Europe and even beyond.
Romania is a lovely country with enough to see. It has a diverse range of attractions, including stunning architectural castles, as well as the popular city of Transylvania and natural wonders like caverns and mountains. Why not learn to speak Romanian and totally immerse yourself in the wonderful Romanian culture?
When it comes to pronouncing words, once you've mastered how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet, you're pretty well set. Unlike English, single letters and letter combinations do not have many pronunciations. What you see is what you say. As an English speaker, you will benefit from similar grammar structures and rules.
However, unless you study with a private tutor, you may find that you don't have enough opportunities to practice in your daily life. Although Romanian grammar is similar to English, you should be aware that there will be less opportunities to practice than with the other languages on our list.
11. Spanish
This pick should come as no surprise. What are the advantages of learning Spanish? Because of its practicality and vast reach, Spanish has long been a popular Romance language to study for English speakers. For English speakers, it's also one of the easiest languages to learn. Both Spanish and English are worldwide languages, and one of the official languages of the United Nations.
They belong to the same language family and are the two most widely spoken languages in America. Though it is not in the same immediate family as English, Spanish shares the same language origin as English. Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world, with an estimated 422 million native speakers worldwide (behind Chinese, Hindi, and English).
According to current data, Spanish is the world's second most spoken language, with over 450 million native speakers, and it is the official language of 20 countries. The United States, believe it or not, is the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking country. You've probably heard Spanish spoken in a variety of songs, movies, and television shows, as well as by people in your own community.
It's all around you, so you've already gotten a head start on studying it! Hispanic communities are seeing enormous economic and population growth today, and this language is sweeping the globe. Learning Spanish online is the most convenient method to practice. Try Italian, Portuguese, or French if you want to learn a language related to Spanish.
All are linguistically extremely similar and have a large number of speakers worldwide. Aside from having access to a large pool of Spanish speakers, the language itself is easy to pick up. Because it is so popular, there are several resources available to assist you in learning it. You should have no problem finding native speakers to practice with because English is one of the world's most frequently spoken languages.
This makes learning Spanish the easiest of the group, and it may also provide the highest return on your time and money, since 37% of companies consider Spanish to be a vital language to know for employment. What makes it easier to learn Spanish? Because both languages are descended from Latin, and hence share a large vocabulary, Spanish should be relatively straightforward to learn for English speakers.
Meanwhile, thanks to Spanish's Latin roots, you already have a plethora of vocabulary at your disposal. Not to mention the Spanish equivalents of several English borrowed words. The pronunciation of Spanish is also very easy. But don't let the similarities between English and Spanish mislead you. There are many different Spanish dialects, each with its own pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
English contains between 14 and 21 vowel sounds, depending on your accent, but Spanish only has five. Despite the fact that it has fewer cognates (a fancy way of saying "words that are similar") than English, it has several additional advantages. In most words, consonants are pronounced the same way. Only morphology (word construction) and phonology distinguish Spanish from English (pronunciation).
We may be grateful as English speakers because Spanish pronunciations are among the easiest to learn. The Spanish alphabet is nearly identical to the English alphabet, and the pronunciation method is simple: words are pronounced precisely as they are written. As a result, reading and writing in Spanish is a simple process.
However, grammar haters beware: Spanish has a number of verb tenses and exceptions to grammar rules that might be confusing. However, because the tenses are similar to those used in English, they aren't as hard to learn as you would imagine. In terms of grammatical irregularities, Spanish is less irregular than other Latin-based languages.
That isn't to say that learning Spanish isn't difficult. A lot of the grammar is different from English - it takes a while to get used to putting object pronouns before the verb - and Spanish students must deal with the dreaded subjunctive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Easiest Language To Learn For Native English Speakers?
Spanish and Italian are the most straightforward to learn for native English speakers, followed by Portuguese and finally French.
Spanish, on the other hand, would come out on top. It's a no-brainer when you consider the possibilities to practice the language, how beneficial it is to learn, and how similar it is to English.
However, this does not necessarily imply that you should take the easiest path. Take your pick from the other eleven languages I've shared with you; they're all quite easy to master if you speak English.
Which Language Is Most Similar To English?
The only language more closely related to any of them is Frisian, which is English's first cousin. There are hundreds of English cognates in Dutch, like drinken (to drink), kat (cat), licht (light), and many others. You should be more than ready for basic conversations once you've mastered the fundamentals.
Dutch
Dutch, on the other hand, is the language that is most closely related to English. Dutch is the world's third most frequently spoken Germanic language, after English and German, with 23 million native speakers and an additional 5 million who speak it as a second language.
Languages Without Difficult Pronunciation
What if you have no trouble learning more advanced grammar but struggle with a complex sound system? Have you ever overheard a foreign language, such as Arabic or Chinese, and wondered how all those sounds could possibly make up a language?
To some extent, this is due to the fact that speech sounds in unfamiliar languages are typically distorted and incomprehensible. Pronouncing sounds that do not exist in your native tongue might be difficult. However, not all languages have the same phonology (the system of spoken sounds in a language).
Some have dozens of consonants and vowels, while others have just a handful. If learning all of the new sounds of a foreign language is your biggest problem and if you want to learn a language with easy pronunciation, these may be good choices for you:
Italian
Italian has a few more vowels than its Spanish relative, yet the majority of its consonants and vowels are among the most frequent sounds found in world languages. That means most people won't encounter many words they can't pronounce!
Spanish
Didn't you see this one coming? Because of its limited inventory of speech sounds and user-friendly phonetic spelling system, Spanish is frequently chosen by Western learners. In Spanish, a always sounds more or less like a (even with an accent mark), which we enjoy as learners.
Languages With Simple Structures
Other languages seem to have an everlasting love affair with rules and syntax, just as some languages love to experiment with different and complicated sounds.
For this reason, I've always avoided German. Its four noun cases, endless number of adjective declensions, and word order rules are enough to make me want to pull my hair out at times.
Thankfully, other languages aren't as strict and demanding. You only need to learn some vocabulary and a few basic language rules to get started.
Afrikaans
Although I mentioned Dutch earlier, Afrikaans is a grammatically simplified version of its parent language. Unlike Dutch, which requires verb conjugations similar to those found in English (for example, I am, you are, it is), Afrikaans does not. In South Africa, ek is (I am), jy is (you are), and sy is (she is). What could be more straightforward?
What Romance Languages Has The Easiest Grammar?
1. Spanish (easy grammar and easy speaking)
2. French (easy grammar but moderate speaking)
3. Italian (moderate grammar but easy speaking)
4. Portuguese (moderate speaking and hard grammar)
5. Romanian (difficult speaking and hard grammar)
Conclusion
What are the easiest languages to learn, in your opinion? Is there a language I've forgotten about? Hopefully my list of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers demonstrates that language learning isn't limited to those from other cultures.
Language learning has tremendous benefits on the brain and helps to prevent Alzheimer's disease in people of all ages.
The English language has a lot in common with many other languages. In summary, I have shown in this post that learning a language will be easy for you depending on your mother tongue and your strengths and limitations when it comes to learning grammatical rules and the language's sound system.
But keep in mind that while these are widely regarded as the easiest languages to learn, they may not be the easiest for you. There you have it - you just learned the top 11 easiest languages to learn for English speakers. And that means you can now choose an easy language and get started learning right away.
As you may know, there are a lot of language learning programs out there to choose from, where do you even start? Not all courses and apps are the same, and how do you know if any of these programs can teach you to become fluent?
That’s why I’m going to give you a tool to make it easier than ever to learn how to understand & speak right away to achieve fluency. So, go ahead and get started with a 7-day free trial of Pimsleur today - you’ll be glad you did!
Let’s quickly recap the highlights and tips:
You learned the three major factors to determine how easy a language is to learn, including the opportunities to practice, how useful the language is, and how the structure of the language resembles that of English.
You found out how to make any language easy to learn using five ways by just focusing on one thing at a time, setting goals which are just right for you, making a choice that you enjoy, staying on track, and is the language challenging or just new for you.
You learned that Spanish and Italian are two languages without difficult pronunciation and that Dutch is most similar to the English language.
You discovered how Pimsleur makes it easier than ever to get started learning how to speak a foreign language.
You learned that native English speakers take between 23 and 30 weeks to become proficient in a language, according to the FSI study.
If you're still undecided as to which language to choose from on this list, take my free quiz to narrow your options. Your results may surprise you!
So, your next step is easy - take action on what you just learned. Because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll start reaching fluency while enjoying learning a new language!
A TINY REQUEST: IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, PLEASE SHARE THIS?
Ready to have some fun learning a new language? Then take action on what you just learned - you’ll be glad you did! Be a good friend and share this post on social media.
Also, share this post with anyone you know who’s looking to learn a foreign language! Just think how good you’ll feel when your friends thank you for bringing them insight and some surprising discoveries about language learning!
I know most people don’t share because they feel that us bloggers don’t need their “tiny” social share. But here’s the truth…
I built this blog piece by piece, one small share at a time, and will continue to do so. So thank you so much for your support, my reader.
A share from you would seriously help a lot with the growth of this blog.
Some great suggestions:
Pin it! (I even made a pretty pin for ya!)
Share it to Facebook
Tweet it!
Flip it on Flipboard
It won’t take more than 10 seconds of your time. The share buttons are right here.:)
Thank you so much!
Question:
So, here’s the question: Now it’s your turn. What are the easiest languages to learn in your mind? Are you currently learning an easy language? And if so, what language are you learning and what challenges have you come across? Let us know in the comments section down below!
P.S. I want to hear from you today. No for real, get out from behind that keyboard and tell us more about yourself! Use the comment section down below and introduce yourself.
Hey, I’m Mara.
I am the founder and blogger of Sololingual helping anyone at any age, from any place, who wants to learn a new language. You can learn how to reach fluency in your chosen language fast, fun and easily studying a short amount each day and spending very little money using different language learning techniques, programs and resources at your disposal. Fluency isn't difficult to achieve. In fact, it’s easy when you find a solid method that walks you through every step of the way, and believing in yourself so that you can achieve your goal at becoming fluent in any language.
