Services such as Custom Writings can also help with these learning these methods, as well as provide assistance with college or university assignments. Should you go for a more widely spoken language like Spanish or Mandarin, a politically relevant one like Russian, or one you can But if youre new to language learning and youre looking for a relatively easy language to learn, any of the languages on this list would be great to start with. Learning a language is a lifelong skill and you will be learning it forever but guess what? Nowadays, Latin script is used, which is why native English speakers find it a little easier. People may not be aware that Romanian is one of the Latin languages because its not as popular as the other more commonly learned ones like Spanish and Italian. For an immersive Farsi language experience, download StoryTime in Farsi or Farsi Speaking Kids, but be prepared for a more advanced level of language learning without direct English translations. You and your buddy will be able to help each other. In this post, we have put together a full and comprehensive list of the 28 easiest and hardest languages to learn for English speakers. Kanji is a character-based system with thousands of characters to learn. Other notable kings of Persia include Darius the Great, who presided over the Empire when it was at its peak. Georgian script is unicase, meaning there are no capital letters and it runs from left to right. English, for example, has many similarities to other Germanic languages (think German and Dutch). And others might be easier to learn because youre exposed to them in one way or another. Cognates are when a similar-sounding word has an identical meaning. For example, the word frolic meaning to play and move around cheerfully (e.g. Other features of the script include that it is an abjad alphabet, which means that only letters for vowels exist and any vowels must be indicated with diacritics or specific consonant combinations. Similar to the Rosetta Stone, the inscription features three languages for the same text, including Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite, and gives historians and linguists a great look into what the original dialect of Persia was like. What will help you to persevere even when it starts to get difficult? The multi-state system set up by Cyrus continued, including tax districts, infrastructure, communications, and transportation, all important to sustain such a massive expanse. These minuscule differences can transform the meaning entirely. Its also gaining global popularity, and more and more people are looking for online Swahili lessons. Furthermore, Norwegian has an SVO (subject-verb-object) sentence structure, the same as English. It has Dutch at its core but it is also intertwined with other dialects and indigenous languages from Africa. For all its challenges, though, it is a worthwhile language to learn with some interesting conventions. The language of ancient Persia has gone through many changes to become the modern day language were now familiar with. If the writer wants to be able to communicate with a large audience, then a widely-spoken language like English, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese is a good choice. Swedish grammar is another advantage. Regardless of what you choose, youre probably going to have a smooth learning process without too many difficulties. What is Valenciano & Where is the Language spoken? Unlike many other languages in the world, Persian does not include grammatical gender, and pronouns are not marked with natural gender, either, making them all gender-neutral. The tones and sounds of a language can have a direct impact on how difficult you find it to learn. 120 words, extremely simple grammar. Thats mostly because its a Germanic language just like English. Download our free French essentials eBook to accompany your studies. With its roots in Old Norse, it can be a fascinating language to study, and fluency in Norwegian will give you greater access to the countrys rich literary culture and mythology., Although Spanish is a Romance language rather than a Germanic language, its fairly easy for English speakers to learn because many English words stem from Latin. For example, a writer targeting the Japanese market might learn Japanese . Learning a new language takes time, regardless of its difficulty. If youre thinking of investing some time into learning a new language, why not take a look at some of the language courses offered by Berlitz?. Arabic is a Semitic language and is thus in no way similar to Persian. From Early to Classical New Persian, the language managed to become more simplified and easier to understand and spread along with new religious guidelines as people migrated between Middle Eastern countries, bringing the ever-changing language with them. No grammar is super easy, but Swedish grammar rules are logical and somewhat similar to English. So many languages are arguably easier to pick up than others for English speakers. Russian is the largest of all of the languages in the Slavic family and is spoken widely in the country and around the world. Norwegian is another Germanic language just like English and so it is relatively easy to get to grips with as a native English speaker. An example of this is musique. French speakers can master other Romance languages like Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. The pronunciation of most Swahili words is fairly easy, and many are very similar to their English equivalent. 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. To get started, subscribe to Farsi Wizard, a channel that helps people get started with the basics. 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. Especially if you have no one around you who speaks it. For instance, if youre familiar with Spanish, learning Italian will be much easier. With four distinct pitches, Persian uses the tone of your voice to denote types of speech. This toneless African language is thought to be one of the easier African languages for native English speakers to learn. Many Swedish native speakers can speak English quite fluently. Up until now, all the languages we have discussed have had estimated learning times of 600 hours or less. More than 40 percent of the world is bilingual, meaning people can speak two languages fluently. However, it's a different story in the United States. You know what Italian words like panini, latte, and gelato mean. 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. In fact, everything from the pronunciation to the vocabulary may vary, depending on which type of Portuguese you are learning. Many languages are similar to other languages. It is important to note that the Farsi and Persian languages are the same things, with Farsi simply being an endonym, or the languages name according to native speakers. But generally, Portuguese is categorized as an easy foreign language for a reason. You may even know some Spanish from high school, meaning you have some basic knowledge to build upon. 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. This is because you have less chance of being able to interact with other speakers as you go about your daily life, and also because the language may incorporate cultural concepts that you are not familiar with. This was the empire of Cyrus the Great, of Darius and Xerxes, and of the elite forces who fought the 300 Spartans within the pass of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian Wars. More job opportunities, including a higher income with being bilingual or multilingual. French is a language that has many similarities to English, and they share a large number of cognates. There are also no capital letters in Persian writing, making it difficult to decipher as an English speaker. Its also an official language of 29 countries, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, Seychelles and Rwanda.. For example, tonal languages can be difficult for someone who has no prior experience of tonal languages (for example, most of us English speakers). Korean has a reputation for being notoriously difficult for a native English speaker to learn. Italian is yet another beautiful language, much like Portuguese and the other Romance languages. But all the languages we mentioned today do have certain things in common. Members of this language family tend to have complicated grammatical rules and more than double the amount of vowels that the English language uses. This Scandinavian language is grammatically easy and has only nine verb forms, including the passive, which is familiar to English speakers.It has a lot of Germanic-based vocabulary and unique speaking patterns, which are quick and soft. Which languages are easiest and most difficult for native English speakers to learn? For this reason, they have had a lot of influence on English, particularly American English. For instance, words like plastic, water and lamp are identical in both Dutch and English. Which one you should focus on, of course, depends on where and how you intend to use it., Italian is another Romance language that English-speakers can pick up without too much difficulty. First of all, Indonesian is one of the few Asian languages that use the Latin alphabet. Passionate multilinguist. This includes literature, history, traditions, and food, as well as the language. Lastly, brush up on your Colloquial Persian with Abdi Rafiee's 3rd edition copy of this classic conversational sourcebook. Portuguese is spoken by around 234 million people around the world. As well as this, the grammar rules are different from what we may be used to, as they follow the Subject Object Verb writing and speaking order. For example, the English word ruthless has just two syllables, but the Polish word for ruthless has a whole five different syllable sounds and an astounding number of hard consonants Bezwzgldny. Verb conjugations are logical, for example. Therefore, from a linguistic perspective, Norwegian and English have quite a lot in common. The letters can be learned and memorized, as can pronunciations, but the tone can take a little while for native English speakers to get right, especially if you have no native Mandarin speakers around to hear your tone and correct you if needed. Even if it is just ten minutes a day, it is enough to keep what you have learned fresh in your mind. The grammar is fairly straightforward, without inflection, agreements between nouns and adjectives, and even no genders of words to memorize. In terms of vocabulary, youll learn new Swedish words very quickly. In this section, we are going to be exploring some of the main reasons why you may find a certain language easy to learn, or indeed very difficult. Similarly, demy has lessons from native Farsi speakers that allow you to fluently speak and understand the language. 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. However, it is a Brittonic language of Celtic origin. So you've decided to learn a language. This makes learning new vocabulary much easier because the letters are ones that you are already familiar with and you can figure out how to pronounce something with relative ease. That might seem a bit confusing, but it can actually be an advantage since there is often no single correct way to pronounce a certain word. With the languages on this list, you should be able to get started identifying your low-hanging linguistic fruits. On top of that its verbs, nouns and adjectives are in fact easier than in English. Practice little but often and you will likely find that things stick in your head much faster and more easily. These differences include word order differences, tenses, and even the inclusion of gender into language. 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. Then, of course, there is the Korean alphabet and writing system to consider. See this researched list of the best online Persian courses to start with. The Norwegian sentence can be translated word for word in the exact order as it would be said in English. As a country, Iceland is relatively cut off from other places and so they have been able to retain some of their traditional language and grammar rules. If you enjoy learning the language, it will be "easy." Originally, Persian was the language spoken by the rulers and people within the Empire of Persia, stretching back for thousands of years. Whereas Dutch demands verb conjugations like those in Englishfor instance, I am, you are, it isAfrikaans doesnt bother you with the details. Nevertheless, Georgian is a beautiful language, particularly when listening to the music of the country. For this reason, it is considered a macro language because its reach is vast and extensive. Can you guess what English word this resembles? Language types and writing systems One important concept that can affect whether a language is learned easily by a native English speaker is the grammatical framework. Table of Contents 7 Easiest Languages To Learn 1. Dont worry according to FSIs language difficulty ranking, Portuguese is also in Category 1. Another member of the Germanic family of languages that is considered easy to learn is Swedish. 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. Some writing systems require writing from right to left, as opposed to the left to right method that Germanic languages (English, German, etc.) The Finnish language often uses just one word to say a whole sentence, which can be confusing for those used to the complex sentences of the English language. Some of the many benefits of learning an easy language includes: Travel with ease. When you're differentiating between some of the easiest and hardest languages to learn, you will likely stumble upon the Danish language. This selection may also come as a surprise, but Indonesian has several qualities that make it a logical choice for English speakers. From online lessons to books, here is a full discussion of where to look for help when you want to learn this new language. So if that is not enough motivation to learn we dont know what is! Unlike most European languages, which belong to the Indo-European language family, Hungarian is a Uralic language. Whilst Turkish has used the Latin script for almost 100 years, it is still a very difficult language to grasp for English speakers because of the sheer volume of learning and memorization of grammatical rules required. This app However, if you are looking for a modest challenge then Swahili is a great language choice for you. Spellings are also relatively simple, with many words being pronounced how they are spelled. By this, we mean some may not use what is known as the Latin alphabet (A, B, C, D, etc. As you are getting to grips with the writing of the language, you will also need to familiarize yourself with the cultural aspects of the language. You will have noticed that even the easiest languages on this list can take between 575 and 600 hours. This is because of the complex writing systems in Japan. Learning Mandarin Persian language will help you in learning Traditional Persian Language in an effective way. And the same goes for Italian grammar. These letters are , , , , , , , and . But with so many different languages to choose from, how do you decide which one to spend your time mastering? And The Easiest Language To Learn Is. 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. Like the Persian language, Hindi has no capital letters, which in itself is very unfamiliar to native English speakers. Romanian 3 Moderate languages to Learn 1. FluentU brings a language to life with real-world videos. Youll also need to familiarise yourself with unfamiliar compound words like jordntter, which means peanuts, but translates to dirt nuts, or kofngare, which means bumper, but translates to cow catcher., Romanian is a language you might not have expected to see on this list. However, it could not be further from English. Although the lack of grammar rules might sound appealing, it can be a bit confusing, but its not hard to get used to. A large part of learning a language is learning how to write it. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you 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. 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! For conversation and community-based lessons, opt for Mondlys courses that help you get fluent quickly and easily! However, once you have the grammar down the rest is much simpler. Along with natives and Spanish language learners, there are more than 572 million Spanish speakers worldwide. Rosetta Stone is a well-established course but isnt suitable for everybody. 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. This is another language on the list that might surprise you. This will boost your confidence and enjoyment of the language, making you want to learn more. There are many reasons for which certain languages can be easy or hard for an individual to learn. Spanish 2. Like Norwegian, it shares many different cognates with the English language, and pronunciation can be guessed relatively easily when you look at the spelling of certain words. Spanish pronunciation is another advantage. The rhythm of Italian when you are in a conversation also makes it a little easier to grasp for beginners. Whether its their sentence structure or vocabulary, they are simply easier to master than some other languages. Indonesian is another language that is modestly easy for a willing learner who speaks English natively to pick up. Language families are languages that are grouped because they are related in some way through descent. Chinese is a very difficult language to learn (whether Mandarin or Cantonese) due to the use of tone and of course the unfamiliar script. The word order, syntax, and structure of Portuguese when writing and speaking are similar to English and other Romance languages. Also, waffle, those delicious breakfast-dessert foods, comes from the Dutch wafel. 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. Now, its time to go over some of the best resources that are available to anyone who wants to begin learning to speak Persian. That is what makes it so wonderful. On the bright side, the spellings are largely phonetic, and once you have learned the grammar rules the language becomes easier. Fill in the form below and well contact you to discuss your learning options and answer any questions you may have. Many of their words are very long with unfamiliar letters and letter sounds such as and . Afrikaans 9. However, that also depends on many other factors. Feel free to get in touch about anything. They often descend from the same common parental or ancestral language and can branch off to form many other unique languages. If you want to learn Persian online, there are many great options available to you right at your fingertips. According to the FSI, professional working proficiency in this set of languages might take 23-24 weeks. Speak aloud to yourself or record yourself doing it using your smartphone, computer, or a recording device. You just need to get used to it. There are a whole 35 different cases in this language; they also follow the unfamiliar concept of vowel harmonies. If you are learning Spanish, get some Spanish music on or tune into a Spanish soap opera. As a Romance language, Spanish derives from Latin, just like many English words. For example, FluentU helps you learn languages by adding interactive subtitles to thousands of videos, allowing you to see the language used in context and click on words and grammar structures you dont know. . Because of this, many words can change meaning entirely when a suffix is added! use. 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. Esperanto was designed with you in mind: Minimal grammar, easy rules and as a bonus, lots of things that resemble many other world languages. Spanish is considered relatively easy for English speakers: it has 1000s of similar words (fant stico!) resources out there to help you learn French. 33 Fun Things to Do in NYC: Unique & Unusual Activities, 21 Fun Things to Do in Central Park, New York City, 32 Romantic Things to Do in London for Couples, Villajoyosa: The Best Day Trip from Alicante, Spain, El Mercado de San Miguel, Madrids Famous Market: A Guide, Glossika Spanish Review: Very Repetitive, But Effective, How to Improve Your Language Teaching Methods, 18 Fun Facts about Finland (& Why I Love This Country). 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. It is known as the "daughter language" to Dutch (it shares 90 to 95% of its vocabulary with the language. However, the script involved with learning the Persian language is simpler than you might imagine, once you understand the basics. Nevertheless, it is very difficult for a native English speaker to learn Russian. 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. This is one of the reasons why Persian speakers sound so melodic when pronouncing words aloud. This may be because it is influenced in many ways by English and some of the more familiar Romance languages. Malay(bahasa melayu) and Indonesian (bahasa indonesia) are similar languages that share a root language and language group but are still different, as they have their own vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and more. You can also find some of your favorite movies and shows that you already know well and watch them in another language. So, although it might seem tricky at first, mastering French pronunciation shouldnt be a big problem. In the 11th century, the Norman invasion of England led . So if youre curious about the easiest languages to learn, Ive got 10 great suggestions to help you out.