The Norwegian sentence can be translated word for word in the exact order as it would be said in English. The most important thing that we want you to take away from this article is that even though some languages may be easier for a native English speaker to learn than others, it does not mean the harder languages are out of your reach. And although it shares fewer cognates with English (a fancy way of saying 'words that are the same'), there are some other features that make it super-easy.. Spanish is simple to pronounce for English speakers. We mentioned Dutch above, but Afrikaans is like a grammatically boiled-down version of its parent language. Word order is flexible. They use nasal sounds which can be a little bit more tricky to master, but given the wide variety of resources out there, it is a modestly easy language to learn. However, that also depends on many other factors. Also, waffle, those delicious breakfast-dessert foods, comes from the Dutch wafel. 1 Language and diplomacy 2 Easiest (about 600 hours of study) 3 German (750 hours) 4 Malay and Swahili (900 hours) 5 Hungarian (1,100 hours) 6 Greek (1,100 hours) However, it's a different story in the United States. Esperanto is a relatively modern language, as far as languages go. Indonesian grammar has no concept of plurals or tenses and no grammatical genders. You can also find some of your favorite movies and shows that you already know well and watch them in another language. The 5 Hardest Languages to Learn For Spanish Speakers (or Not?) Table of Contents 7 Easiest Languages To Learn 1. Want to know which languages you have the best chance of mastering quickly?, Here are 15 of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. It has 47 different characters that must all be learned before you can fully get to grips with the language. Recommended: 7 Easiest Language To Learn For Spanish Speakers Advertisements #1. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Dutch is another language that is generally considered easy to learn for English native speakers. Ahead of getting into the details of the language, including the Persian alphabet, syntax, and sound system, we should first create a firm understanding of where the entire language came from, and the country that spawned such a dynamic vernacular. Due to its somewhat tricky pronunciation, French can be slightly more challenging to learn than other Romance languages like Spanish and Italian. . For example, a writer targeting the Japanese market might learn Japanese . We hope our list of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers inspired you to start with your language lessons. Over 2000 of them are commonly used, so you need to know at least all of those. Here, the native name of the language is known as Farsi. 13 Easiest Languages To Learn - StoryLearning For instance, words like plastic, water and lamp are identical in both Dutch and English. However, for someone who has a tonal native language such as Thai, they may find it easier to learn other tonal languages an example of this is Vietnamese. For this reason, many native English speakers may find that these languages are a little easier to learn than a language such as Chinese Mandarin or Arabic. This is because the Dutch were some of the first colonizers of the States. Which language is easier to learn for a Persian speaker: Arabic or Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French. However, if the writing style is very different from what you are used to then you may well struggle to get to grips with this at first. You could even try changing the language on your cell phone! They do use Latin script, but there are many grammatical cases that can make it much more complex to get to grips with than English. This makes it easier to get to grips with if you already have prior knowledge of any of them. In Thai, you can find many languages that come from Chinese. Many of their words are very long with unfamiliar letters and letter sounds such as and . In comparison, a language that is not in your language family may be more difficult to get to grips with. And whether you find a certain language easy or not depends on many factors. Although every foreign language comes with its own unique set of challenges, the reality is that some languages will simply be easier for fluent English speakers to become proficient in. The Spanish language is phonetic (meaning the spelling tells you the pronunciation of the word). Founder of Linguatics. Just like Spanish, Portuguese has an advantage of exposure. Spanish also uses the same alphabet as English, and many of the words are pronounced just as they are spelled., Another benefit of Spanish for English speakers is that the sentence structure is not only similar to English, but its also not as strict as it is in English, which means there are often multiple ways a sentence can be put together.. Speak aloud to yourself or record yourself doing it using your smartphone, computer, or a recording device. German 2. And with the right resources, you can learn these easy languages even faster. Norwegian is another Germanic language just like English and so it is relatively easy to get to grips with as a native English speaker. However, not only is it rewarding to form a friendship in this way, but it can also be beneficial to your learning journey. For example, a high pitch means new information, a low pitch provides old information, low to high is used for contrast, and varying low and high tones brings doubt. When you are learning a language alone, it can be difficult to find the time to practice speaking it. That's because it's the closest language to English today, both in words and structure. However, theyre both relatively easy to learn for English speakers. Therefore, from a linguistic perspective, Norwegian and English have quite a lot in common. When you're differentiating between some of the easiest and hardest languages to learn, you will likely stumble upon the Danish language. This includes things like sentence structure, vocabulary, tones and sounds, and writing system. The Greek victory inspired various revolts staged by Greek cities under Persian control, and while the Persian army was still recovering, the Empire lost much of its Baltic holdings, including Macedonia as a whole. Weve used data from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) to rank them from the easier to the somewhat more challenging., Frisian is thought to be one of the languages most closely related to English, and therefore also the easiest for English-speakers to pick up. Italian Demonstrative Pronouns And Adjectives (With Examples), French Vocabulary And Phrases For Military Personnel, 9 Best Sites To Find (And Schedule) Spanish Tutors, Chinese Isn't That Hard To Learn (Here's How Long It Takes), How To Ask For Help In Mandarin Chinese [Essential Phrases], How To Ask 'How Are You' (And Respond) In Greek. However, the language family it belongs to is the relatively small Kartvelian. Learn Persian Language on the App Store The sounds created in the language are challenging for beginners as it is so culturally distanced from what you may be used to. Although it can be a bit daunting, Swahili grammar is actually very straightforward. And unlike most African languages, Swahili is not a tonal language, so you dont have to pay attention to the pitch of a word. Along the same line, LingQ is another great option, as well as Luvlingua for Farsi lessons. Since French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, youve probably come in contact with it one way or another. This means that once English speakers have had a chance to learn some basic rules, theyre usually able to pick it up quite quickly. And while the idiomatic complexity comes with spoken Persian, its melodic tones can be picked up and understood quicker than some other Middle Eastern languages. See this researched list of the best online Persian courses to start with. And with the Sasanians, a new Persian dynasty emerging after 200 AD, Modern Persian was able to form. However, whilst it is very close to England, that does not mean the languages are similar. Although estimates vary greatly, Swahili is thought to be spoken as a native language by around 16 million people, and as a second language by up to 80 million people., In fact, if youve watched the Disney classic The Lion King youll already be familiar with a number of Swahili words such as rafiki (friend) and simba (lion). Compared to Korean and Japanese, grammar is much easier to learn, mostly because their writing systems make learning challenging. (Good choice! The natural rhythm of Persian spoken aloud is just as important, as it is a syllable-timed language that requires the right pronunciation to get your meaning across. "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.". Since they share roots, theyre mutually intelligible to some extentsome sources say 60-70% in daily conversations. Persian is most likely known to you under one of the names of its dialects. First and foremost, it is a Romance language, but you cannot deny its Slavic influences, especially when you consider that Romanian once used the Cyrillic script. The German language is thought to take slightly longer to learn than this. However, this pattern repeats itself in all writing and speaking, so once you get used to it, it becomes fairly simple! Download our free German essentials eBook to see the similarities. You would not be alone in assuming that it would be a Slavic language given its proximity to Russia and other Slavic countries. Though Persian expansion arrived at a standstill after a failed attempt to colonize Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars following the Ionian Revolt of 499 BC, the Persian defeat at Marathon, and Dariuss death, his successor was still determined to continue the legacy of previous kings. Verb conjugations are logical, for example. They also write right to left, which is very different from English writing. The last language on our list is Japanese. For instance, Good morning, translates to Goeie moarn in the West Frisian dialect., Unfortunately, since Frisian is only spoken and understood by about 500,000 people, theres little reason to learn it, unless you intend to relocate to the Dutch province of Friesland or Germanys Saterland or North Frisia regions., Dutch, like Frisian, is closely related to English. This will help you to work out whether a particular language is right for you or whether you may want to start with the one that is more similar to your native language. Spellings are also relatively simple, with many words being pronounced how they are spelled. There are a number of different dialects of Georgian, depending on where you are speaking it, but the most common is the one spoken in Georgia itself. One aspect of German that English-speakers do tend to struggle with is the pronunciation, especially when it comes to longer compound words like Fremdschmen (cringe) or Verschlimmbessern (to worsen or exacerbate)., But while German might not be quite as easy for English-speakers to grasp as Dutch or Norwegian, it is an extremely useful language to learn, as its spoken by more than 100 million people throughout Central Europe, including in Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg.. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Since its a phonetic language, most words are pronounced as they are spelled, so you should have any problems with it. Physical and cultural differences, Youll find all of this straight after the list! If youre looking to learn a language that will enhance your travel experiences and boost your employability, learning Spanish online is a great choice. Then, of course, there is the Korean alphabet and writing system to consider. As a Romance language, Spanish derives from Latin, just like many English words. This means that in order to learn Arabic you have to learn a whole new bunch of letters and characters. Its also gaining global popularity, and more and more people are looking for online Swahili lessons. Easiest Languages for English Speakers - Rocket Languages As if that wasnt hard enough, they also use 6 noun cases and make use of vowel harmony, which is where vowels can sometimes shift in order to sound harmonious. Indeed, the Empire of the Persians was one of the most expansive ones in the ancient world, spanning from the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley in India at the height of its influence. Even so, French is still one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. The EasyPersian site offers lessons based on the alphabet and script. It shares quite a bit of vocabulary with English, and unlike some Germanic languages, the pronunciation of most Norwegian words is fairly straightforward., For the most part, the sentence structure is also quite comparable to English, although not identical. And that will make your learning process a whole lot easier. The List: Easiest Languages To Learn For English Speakers, According To Pros 1. That is a huge amount of time, and even then you will only be at intermediate, conversational level. But, as with many foreign languages, its often simply a matter of getting some practice in. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Easiest Languages To Learn For Spanish Speakers - Top 9 Similar in many ways to Norwegian, Swedish is yet another Germanic language that is a little simpler for native English speakers to learn. If you are learning Spanish, get some Spanish music on or tune into a Spanish soap opera. Nevertheless, learning a new language takes time. These languages share many similarities with English, both in terms of grammar and vocabulary. There are dialects of French even here in the States and of course, in Canada. Although Frisia no longer exists, Frisian, which actually consists of three main dialects, is still in use in parts of the Netherlands and Germany., English and Frisian share many similarities in terms of sentence structure and vocabulary. was designed with you in mind: Minimal grammar, easy rules and as a bonus, lots of things that resemble many other world languages. The 28 Easiest and Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers However, this doesnt mean learning one language will make you able to speak the other. But there are also many cognates that are not food-related futuro (future), controllare (control), concerto (concert), and so on. It is known as Farsi in Iran, Dari in Afghanistan, and Tajik in Tajikistan. Romanian 3 Moderate languages to Learn 1. In fact, it shares many similarities with Indonesian due to the fact that a similar variety of the language is used in Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore., But, although Malay and Indonesian speakers can generally understand each other, there are some differences in terms of spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary, with Malay based more on loanwords from English, and Indonesian having more loanwords from Dutch., Malay is widely considered to be one of the easiest Asian languages to learn, because its grammatical rules are simple and its easy to pronounce. Afrikaans - the easiest language to learn for both English and Dutch speakers Afrikaans, the same as English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, is a Germanic language. Thats mostly because its a Germanic language just like English. In fact, you probably already know how to order so much more. Advertisements. The main reason why English speakers find it quite easy to learn is the large number of cognates. Esperanto An example is the large group of languages called the Indo-European language family. Swedish grammar is another advantage. It is similar in many ways to other languages that native English speakers find easier to learn, such as Spanish and French.