Esperanto On the bright side, the spellings are largely phonetic, and once you have learned the grammar rules the language becomes easier. Romanian 3 Moderate languages to Learn 1. Spanish "As a native English speaker, you will likely get on well with a language that uses the same alphabet as you. It is something you can keep on developing over time and once you have learned a second language, you will have an appetite for learning more, which will become even easier when you have more languages under your belt! Along with natives and Spanish language learners, there are more than 572 million Spanish speakers worldwide. 2023 Enux Education Limited. Some of the easiest languages for Americans to learn include Spanish, French, and Italian. There are plenty of German language resources available online. They share many words with English, but it's that common vocabulary . Up until now, all the languages we have discussed have had estimated learning times of 600 hours or less. As a native English speaker, you will likely get on well with a language that uses the same alphabet as you. It's spoken in South Africa, Namibia, and a few other countries. Spanish 2. With Farsi being such a surprisingly easy language to learn, why not start your journey into its grammar, inflections, and wider Persian culture today. It is not widely spoken and resources for it are sparse compared to other languages on this list. When it comes to the verbs, Persian uses these words to denote tenses and the grammatical aspect of how the action will continue over time, such as the continuous imperfect (I was loving) or the bounded perfective (I loved). Norwegian is another Germanic language just like English and so it is relatively easy to get to grips with as a native English speaker. After the Empire of Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great and subsequently split up, the re-emergence of the language took over 500 years to come about. Though it might seem like a complex and daunting language to delve into, particularly with the different alphabet that it uses and the right-to-left reading and writing method employed, if you take some time, it can be a rewarding and surprisingly simple process! The original Persia is most commonly associated with the area of the Middle East and Gulf countries now known as Iran, though its ancient influence did extend beyond those constraints. 120 words, extremely simple grammar. This toneless African language is thought to be one of the easier African languages for native English speakers to learn. Here are some of the best apps for learning Farsi or Persian. The Turkish language features an unfathomable 30 verb tenses compared to just 3 in English! As an Austronesian language, Indonesian does differ quite a bit from the Germanic and Romance languages on this list, but its actually surprisingly straightforward for English-speakers to learn. 10 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers. When you are learning a language alone, it can be difficult to find the time to practice speaking it. Although its considered fairly easy, mastering Norwegian takes time. Esperanto is a relatively modern language, as far as languages go. FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Spanish is considered relatively easy for English speakers: it has 1000s of similar words (fant stico!) With Swahili speakers spread over 14 countries, Swahili is the most widely spoken language in Africa. That's why the US Foreign Service Institute - the guys who train diplomats - rank Spanish as one of the fastest languages to learn for English . You know what Italian words like panini, latte, and gelato mean. Finally, its time to take a brief look at the complexities of the Persian language and what makes it work, in terms of grammar, syntax, and pronunciation. First of all, English and Norwegian share a lot of vocabulary. Founder of Linguatics. Then, of course, there is the Korean alphabet and writing system to consider. We find evidence of this languages changes in many inscriptions as it changed throughout three primary eras: Old, Middle, and New, between 525 BC and modern times. Pronunciation and spelling are, on the whole, much simpler to learn, and there are also many shared cognates such as mutter which is mother, and kaffee which is coffee. A large part of learning a language is learning how to write it. Some people even think it is one of the sexiest languages in the world. But since Norwegian and English have a lot of similarities, if you decide to take Norwegian lessons, you shouldnt come across too many obstacles. I'm an Applied Linguistics graduate, teacher and translator with a passion for language learning (especially Arabic). Its one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with around 534 million speakers scattered all around the globe. 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. Since French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, youve probably come in contact with it one way or another. Norwegian grammar is generally pretty straightforward, so it wont take you long to take a hang of it. Of course, its music. Surprisingly, another relatively easy language for native English speakers to get to grips with is that of Romanian. For average native Turkish speakers, is it less difficult to learn However, it is a Brittonic language of Celtic origin. As a result, they are often easier for English speakers to pick up than languages with different structures, such as Russian or Mandarin Chinese. After all, thanks to exposure and wide reach of Spanish, English speakers wont find it very unfamiliar. Thats mostly because its a Germanic language just like English. Swedish 5. It has Dutch at its core but it is also intertwined with other dialects and indigenous languages from Africa. Persian is the easiest, and there is little dialectal difference compared to Arabic where each type is basically its own language, though as always in language learning, personal interest trumps everything else. That is a huge amount of time, and even then you will only be at intermediate, conversational level. That being said, it is one of the widest spoken languages in the world, with over 900 million people speaking it daily. The Easiest Languages For Americans To Learn For example, the word frolic meaning to play and move around cheerfully (e.g. As one of the intonational languages of the world, Persian vocabulary changes meaning depending on the rise and fall of your voice. Rosetta Stone is a well-established course but isnt suitable for everybody. This means that in order to learn Arabic you have to learn a whole new bunch of letters and characters. Continue with Recommended Cookies. With dedication, motivation, lots of passion, and enthusiasm to learn, you will be able to master any language you want. The language sounds like musica. It is a vibrant, fluid, and ancient language, that ignites passion and intrigue in researchers, teachers, and those who want to learn how to speak it. There are some shared cognates such as ja which means yes and veld which means field. Which languages are easiest and most difficult for native English speakers to learn? For lessons based on Persian script and how to write the Perso-Arabic alphabet, Learn Persian Alphabets by Drawing is a great app for all ages, and it is free. 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) To support such a diverse and ancient culture, the Persian language was able to develop over the course of centuries, into the version we have today, and that is spoken in places like modern-day Iran. Italian 3. It shares many similarities with English, especially when it comes to vocabulary. With the wide range of smartphone applications available for every purpose under the sun, its no wonder you can find language learning there too! However, you can use this as ageneral guide. You can listen to Italian music, watch Italian movies, prepare Italian recipes There are so many ways to make your language learning a fun and engaging process, especially if youre learning a beautiful and artistic language like Italian. On the bright side, because it is so widely spoken with many different varieties there is a wealth of resources out there to help you. All Rights Reserved. However, it's a different story in the United States. Ask them honestly whether they would mind helping you as you learn their language. You and your buddy will be able to help each other. 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. There is a lot of overlap between Portuguese and English as they share many of the same cognates. While many beginner courses or introductory lessons to the language ignore Persian script, its important to supplement your learning with understanding the alphabet of your target language, to encourage reading and writing Farsi in the original written form. Apply for a place in courses that take place in Yerevan, Armenia through Aspirantums Language School, or opt for classes run by the University of Londons SOAS Language Center. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you This problem is observed among many students, so they often turn to services like Thesis Rush, which helps with all kinds of writing theses, dissertations, or papers. Lastly, brush up on your Colloquial Persian with Abdi Rafiees 3rd edition copy of this classic conversational sourcebook. You will have noticed that even the easiest languages on this list can take between 575 and 600 hours. Languages that are more closely related to English share certain qualities and characteristics that make them easier for English speakers to pick up. A solar calendar was introduced, as was Zoroastrianism as the Empires religion, and strides in metal-working and primarily gold production for coinage. You just need to get used to it. 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. Language types and writing systems This languages alphabet utilizes six different vowel sounds (, a, e, i, o, u) and two diphthongs (ey, ow), but the diacritics that denote them, such as the alef do not have a specific sound. Other Middle Eastern languages that use similar dialects are Basseri in Southern Iran, Darwazi in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Hazaragi in Pakistan, and the specific meanings that the Tehrani accent brings to the language. Don't worry, we've got you covered with our top 15 hardest languages to learn for English speakers. Here, the native name of the language is known as Farsi. So, vocabulary is the first element of learning Spanish that you wont have problems with. Although this may come as a surprise, learning Indonesian is considered relatively easy for English speakers. There are many reasons for which certain languages can be easy or hard for an individual to learn. In Thai, you can find many languages that come from Chinese. The change to New Persian was initially sparked by the rise of Islam and the Arabic nations of the area, including the adoption of Arabic script for writing, illumination for manuscripts, and a wider spread of poetry. As one of the Romance languages, Portuguese is certainly very beautiful. The first peoples of Persia under the rule of Cyrus the Great would have spoken this dialect, which we have written cuneiform evidence of, thanks to the Bistun Inscription, found on Mount Behistun near modern-day Kermanshah in Iran. Also, if youve been taking Spanish lessons, Portuguese vocabulary will be much easier to learn. This is just one of many cognates that the two languages share. It has Dutch at its core but it is also intertwined with other dialects and indigenous languages from Africa. Indonesian is another language that is modestly easy for a willing learner who speaks English natively to pick up. If the writer wants to focus on a particular market, then a language spoken in that market is a better choice. However, the Empire still maintained cultural and political significance even as its sphere of influence shrank. You could even hire a teacher or tutor for yourself, or attend language classes to help you along with your journey. Swahili is perhaps not as easy as other languages on this list, but its arguably the easiest African language to learn. Resources for learning Spanish are also very easy to come by, since it is so widely spoken all over the world. Can you guess what English word this resembles? In fact, everything from the pronunciation to the vocabulary may vary, depending on which type of Portuguese you are learning. Some writing systems require writing from right to left, as opposed to the left to right method that Germanic languages (English, German, etc.) It has no cognates or loan words, and you are highly unlikely to draw similarities between Finnish and English. You will be glad you did when you hold your first conversation in your new language with a native speaker! With a good teacher or reliable Italian online lessons, youll learn how to order pizza in Italian in no time. That being said, several different factors may affect how easy or difficult a person finds it to learn a specific language. Indonesian 7 Easiest Languages To Learn This article will expose you to some of the simplest and moderate tongues you can learn. Top 5 Easiest Languages to Learn for Chinese Speakers You may think, how will that be similar to English, its on a different continent altogether? but actually, Afrikaans is derived from none other than the Dutch language, and we all know how similar Dutch is to English. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Nevertheless, Georgian is a beautiful language, particularly when listening to the music of the country. That being said, it is more than doable and there are a wealth of resources out there if you choose to learn this beautiful, song-like language. Chinese is a very difficult language to learn (whether Mandarin or Cantonese) due to the use of tone and of course the unfamiliar script. And that will make your learning process a whole lot easier. Although it is only spoken by a maximum of 750,000 people spread between Germany and the Netherlands, if we go straight to the truth, Frisian is the easiest language for English speakers to learn. Tigrinya. Like Welsh, Gaelic is another language that comes from Britain and so is very close geographically to England. To learn Icelandic you must be prepared to study, memorize rules, and really put in the work. Read up on the cultures associated with the languages to see which sound most fun to learn about. Or, for a more step-based lesson book, try Learn Persian (Farsi) Step by Step: Level One Beginner (Steps 1 to 10) by Fruzan Seifi, available in both kindle formats and physical copies. The 10 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers. You may even find that some of the vocabulary words are easily identifiable because they are similar to words in your native language. There are three writing systems, kanji, katakana, and hiragana. Now we come to the language of Iran, and what modern native speakers use to communicate. Nevertheless, learning a new language takes time. 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.. For example, a writer targeting the Japanese market might learn Japanese . Hungarian is a language with a reputation for being notoriously difficult to learn. French features a few tricky components for native English-speaking learners, like gendered nouns, inconsistently pronounced letters, and lots of tricky silent letters. These grammatical constructs are often difficult to grasp for many languages but the simplicity of Norwegian grammar makes it a little easier. So if that is not enough motivation to learn we dont know what is! There are hundreds of French cognates in English. Like English, Norwegian or "Norsk" is a Germanic language, which makes it easier for English-speakers to learn.