Which foreign language is easiest to learn? Language comparison: which language is easiest to learn?

When you are faced with the task of learning a language, you often wonder which language is the easiest? TravelAsk decided to make a small selection.

How the easiest languages were determined

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs classifies simple languages as those that require approximately 600 hours of study. Of course, we are talking about quality ownership.

First of all, they classify the languages of the Germanic and Latin language groups as light. However, German itself will be more difficult: on average, to master it sufficiently, you need to spend about 750 hours studying. The grammar here is quite complex.

But do not forget that the degree of difficulty is still individual for everyone and in most cases depends on personal motivation and interest.

English language

English is considered one of the simplest languages. Judge for yourself: its grammar is not so complicated, it has no cases or gender, and words do not need to be coordinated. And the words themselves are quite short and concise. Add to all this its widespread use: it is spoken almost everywhere. Well, native English speakers who live in different parts of the world are completely calm about the mistakes of foreigners.

French

The French speak as if they sing, don't they? But from the outside it seems that one cannot approach him, such a pronunciation... But, according to experts, it only seems so. After all, many words in French are similar to English. In addition, the language is very popular and is used in many places.

Spanish

Spanish is perhaps one of the easiest languages to learn. It is very similar to English, and its spelling is much simpler: I write as I hear. Many native Russian speakers who memorize vocabulary spellings from the first grade will only envy this rule)

Well, Spanish is quite popular, and its pronunciation is simple. So does grammar.

Italian language

Another language included in our rating is Italian. There are no cases, the pronunciation is quite simple, the emphasis is fixed. Well, the language itself has Latin roots, so it will be familiar to many people. It is also related to Spanish, so if you want to become a polyglot, then choosing similar languages will help you achieve your goal in a shorter time)

Esperanto

Well, Esperanto is considered the easiest language to learn. Some may even be surprised by the existence of this language, but yes, it exists. And do you know why it is the simplest? Because it was developed specifically as a second language for every person, it was even called that way initially - international or language for humanity. According to various estimates, from one hundred thousand to ten million people speak it.

Esperanto grammar is very simple, there are no exceptions at all. And, of course, its undoubted advantage is that it is neutral, since it is not tied to any state. Perhaps its only drawback is that it is not as widespread as English).

The first thing you should do is learn English. The second is German. Knowing English and German, you can learn French without any problems, since the lexical base will already be laid. But they will be of practically no use to you when living, say, in the UAE. And you won't be able to use them if you go to work in China or Uganda.

In China, only a few people can communicate in English, and in Uganda, knowledge of Swahili is especially urgently needed - less than 1% of the population speaks English here. We recommend assessing not the global prospects of the language, but its prospects for you, for your future life and work. How to do this, what languages you need to learn and how to compare them with your own priorities? More on this later.

Which language to learn first

English. With rare exceptions, which only confirm the rule. It is the official language in more than 60 countries around the world. English is spoken by more than 1.5 billion people around the world. It is native to more than 700 million people. Look around - the best songs, scripts of TOP films, documents, instructions - all this is written in English. Knowledge of it significantly increases your chances of employment and your value as a qualified employee, no matter what industry you work in or what your responsibilities include.

5 reasons to learn English first:

Opportunity to clarify in most countries of the world.
Best for travel and business trips abroad.
The opportunity to watch the best Hollywood films in the original.
An advantage when getting an education and building a career.
The opportunity not to encounter language barriers in everyday life.

It is the most popular language in the world. Moreover, it is universal and applicable in most situations.

Example: you want to go to study abroad, say, in Italy, but you don’t know Italian. Knowledge of English will allow you to choose a program in which you can use a known foreign language for learning as a base one. But if you only know German or French, then the chance of getting an education in Italy tends to zero.

But there are exceptions. They lie in the individual characteristics of each person. If English is not good for you, if you feel sincere hatred for learning it, if you don’t understand logic, there is no point in torturing yourself. Of course, if these are just your feelings, and not the mediocrity of the teacher and incorrectly structured preparation.

Example: singer Shakira knows many languages, but English was the hardest for her. Despite an IQ close to genius and phenomenal learning abilities, the Colombian native still does not speak English perfectly and prefers to sing and speak it only as a last resort.

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What language should you learn as your second, third, or fourth language?

There is no need to guess here - it is important to be guided by desires, needs and the tasks facing you. Motivation is the basis for fast and successful learning. You must clearly understand why you need it and at what level you need to master it. It is recommended to formulate goals and only then begin to consider options.

Let's assume that after graduating from college you want to enroll in one of the Czech universities for a master's program. Then it’s worth learning Czech. Or in your city there is a factory owned by the Japanese - to make a successful career as a manager here, knowledge of Japanese is desirable. We know nothing about the tasks facing you. Therefore, we can offer only the TOP 7 languages (besides English), which are most often chosen for study:

German.
French.
Spanish.
Chinese.
Italian.
Arab.
Norwegian.

Let's make a reservation that Scandinavian languages are among the most complex in the world. If you are planning to move to Norway or Sweden but are having trouble learning Norwegian and Swedish, consider your options. It is no secret that Sweden is quite friendly towards emigrants who do not know the language. Moreover, children have the right to be taught in their native language: if there is at least one Russian-speaking child in the school, then they will definitely find a Russian-speaking teacher for him. Therefore, be sure to clarify the need for training.

TOP 5 most promising languages

If you do not set yourself the goal of moving or frequently traveling to a certain country, working in multinational enterprises and being in demand as a translator, then we recommend paying attention to the most promising languages in the world. They may not be the most in demand and not the most popular at a given time. But if you don’t know which foreign language is better to learn in terms of its prospects in the future, this rating is especially for you.

Chinese

The most common in the world. No one doubts the prospects of the Celestial Empire in terms of economic and industrial development. Strong contacts with Russia, the USA and other leading economies of the world lead to the emergence of a mass of multinational enterprises where knowledge of Chinese is highly welcome. Chinese is made up of at least 10 radically different dialects. It makes sense to learn literary (it is also called Mandarin or Northern Chinese) - you can communicate in it with a speaker of any dialect.

Spanish

It ranks third in terms of prevalence among all languages of the world. It is also one of the easiest to learn. It is used not only in Spain, but also in many countries that were once colonies. Not all of them are alike - for example, in Mexico they speak a special dialect of Spanish called Español mexicano. There are significant differences, but if necessary, you can speak classic Spanish with any Mexican and they will understand you.

German

Germany is one of the strongest economies in the world, one of the most developed and comfortable countries for living. Therefore, the language has not lost its promise for more than a century. German is spoken not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, and a number of other European countries. It is especially promising for employment and emigration to Europe.

Arab

It ranks 4th in terms of prevalence in the world. More than 240 million people speak it in different parts of the world. The difficulty is that the language has a lot of local dialects, and studying classical Arabic does not guarantee that you will understand them. However, you will be understood - you will be able to express yourself not only as a tourist, but also as a specialist.

Japanese

The official Japanese language is only in Japan, but it is in demand to varying degrees in at least 25 Asian countries. By the way, it has a minimum of similarities with Chinese; you should not combine the study of these two languages, mistakenly assuming their identity. From the point of view of prospects, it is worth noting the development of the state’s economy and the scientific industry. Japan is one of the world leaders in terms of GDP.

What foreign language should I learn to emigrate?

Naturally, this depends on the country to which you plan to emigrate. Our advice will only be relevant if you have not yet decided on your future place of residence.

We are guided by information about the most popular countries for emigration among Russians. What languages should you learn according to this data:

English – most often Russians prefer to emigrate to the USA. It is also in demand for admission to universities in the USA, Great Britain, Canada and a number of other countries under special programs and grants that cover tuition costs.
German and French are ideal if you want to emigrate to these countries and stay there after completing your studies. Education in these countries is practically free (except for mandatory fees of 300-500 euros per semester).
Italian is required for immigration to Italy. Interestingly, the level of English proficiency in this country is almost at the same level as in Russia. In general, Italians, unlike many Europeans, do not speak English well.

Also popular destinations for emigration are the Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Russian citizens also willingly emigrate to European countries - to Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and the Baltic countries. But according to surveys, less than 10% of Russians ready to emigrate plan to go to Asia.

What foreign language should a child learn?

Here again, it is important to be guided by the child’s living conditions. You shouldn’t choose the simplest language – choose the most promising one. At the same time, observe the child’s enthusiasm and desire to learn. If you see that he is absolutely indifferent to learning, change the tutor or place of study. If the result remains the same, it makes sense to choose another language to study. The most popular are English, French, German and Spanish. The native languages of the parents (or one of the parents) should not be taken into account.

Which language is better to study as an additional language? It makes sense to pay attention to options with the simplest grammar - Italian, French.

Teachers disagree on whether a child should even learn two languages at the same time. It is important to monitor the condition of children - they should not be overloaded. You shouldn’t take away their childhood, guided only by your own ambitions and the desire to get a well-rounded child prodigy. Observe the child’s attitude towards the educational process - his desire is extremely important.

The easiest and most difficult languages to learn

The starting position is important here: for example, knowledge of English will significantly simplify the study of languages of the Latin and Germanic groups. Your native language is also important. It's no secret that the easiest languages for Russians to learn are Ukrainian and Belarusian, Bulgarian and Serbian. However, they cannot yet be called promising in a global sense. Therefore, we note the easiest European ones to study:

English.
Italian.
Spanish.
French.

Spanish is considered to be the simplest language - it is characterized by simplicity of spelling, grammar and pronunciation. As it is heard, so it is written, there is no need to be afraid of making mistakes. Ideally, if you know English - Spanish has a very similar vocabulary, and learning will proceed as quickly as possible. The second and third places are Italian and French, respectively. English is more difficult, but also quite accessible.

It is from him that all dialects were formed, so even if you move to a country where pure language variations are not practiced, you can quickly adapt. In the classic version it is also easiest to trace the logic of word formation and sentence construction. It is often clearer and more pleasing to the ear. Almost always it is literary and official for the preparation of documents.

Conclusion

Learn the languages that you need and are interested in. Without necessity there is no motivation, and without sincere interest there is no desire. Both of these components form the basis for successful learning. There is no point in studying when the process only causes you tension and irritation. You must genuinely enjoy learning. You must understand why you are studying this particular language, what prospects it opens up for you, and what it allows you to do in the future.

If you don’t know which languages are worth learning right now, try to look into the future. Figure out where you want to live and what you want to do. Choose English as a base and master it at a decent level. If you already speak English, move on to others. But be careful - only some people are able to study French and, say, German at the same time. In other cases, separate training is required.

Which foreign language to study: TOP-5 most promising

4.5 (90%) 18 votes

There are some indicators that determine the degree of difficulty of learning a foreign language. The priority in this matter is personal motivation; it is very important to understand why you need to learn a particular language and how much you like speaking it. This determines which language is the easiest to learn for you. If you master a language that is not very interesting to you, then learning will be very difficult. Even if everyone around you says the opposite.

official rating

There is also an official list of the easiest languages in the world on the Internet, published by the US Department of Foreign Affairs; it looks like this:

. English is probably included in the ranking because it is spoken by an extremely large number of people. One of its advantages is its brevity, the words are mostly short, the absence of cases and genders, that is, it is easy to operate with nouns, and verbs are inflected only for the third person.
. There are many reviews about this language, which give a general idea that it is quite simple. His grammar is not too pretentious, his pronunciation is adequate to his writing, and exceptions are rare. That is, reading Spanish is quite easy.
. This language is a little more complicated than the above, but the pronunciation here is not difficult. Experts say that Italian is slightly similar to Spanish. Therefore, if your goal is to become a polyglot, it makes sense to start by studying “relative” languages.
. At first glance, this language seems difficult, because pronunciation is really difficult. Problem solving is a common practice.
Esperanto. It’s no wonder that this language is one of the easiest languages to learn. It is believed to be as simple as possible. The only disadvantage of Esperanto is that this language was created artificially, so there are not many experts on it.

Additional factors that can make the language easier for you

- Is the language similar to your native one? If the language is similar to yours, has similar vocabulary and grammar, then it will be easier for you. For example, a person who speaks Farsi will learn Arabic more easily than Spanish, even though Arabic is considered difficult.

- do you like studying? If so, then any language may seem simple - or at least interesting. And this, in turn, will allow you to learn the language faster.

- additional resources. With their help you can achieve quick results. Additional resources include audio, grammar and vocabulary books, opportunities to communicate with native speakers, etc.

summarize

The easiest languages in the world are a subjective concept. If you follow book grammar, it is possible to learn any language, but with some effort. Those who have studied several languages agree on one thing: you need to devote more time to practice and then any language, even a complex one, will succumb to your efforts!

What is the easiest language to learn? This question is asked by many people, both those planning to study a language and professional linguists. Below we will discuss characteristics that can help determine how easy a language is to learn. It is worth noting that the most important thing when learning a language is your motivation and whether you enjoy speaking the language. It depends on which language is the easiest for you. Spanish, Esperanto or... Chinese. If you learn a language that you are not interested in, then learning will seem difficult, even if in theory it is not. Learning a language, like everything else, should involve fun and interest, otherwise there will be no point. You can find other factors that will make learning a language easy FOR YOU. Read the article and then decide which language is easiest for you. Below we present the TOP5 " the easiest languages in the world».

The World's Easiest Languages to Learn

According to the US Department of Foreign Affairs, the easiest languages for English-speaking citizens are those that require about 600 hours of classroom instruction - we're talking more or less proficiency in the language. That is, these are languages of the Latin and Germanic language groups. However, German itself requires more time, about 750 hours: the grammar is too complex. English is also considered simple: it has no genders, cases, word agreement, its grammar is quite simple. The language is widespread and spoken everywhere. The words in it are short, the verbs change only for the third person. Native speakers are calm about the mistakes of foreigners, because many people learn English as a second language. Thus, English is one of the easiest languages to learn. Italian it is also simple, it has no cases, it has a simple pronunciation, the vocabulary has Latin roots, that is, it will be familiar to those who speak languages of the Indo-European group. Spanish is the easiest language to learn. Its vocabulary is similar to English, its spelling is simple (it is both written and heard). It is similar to Italian, widely used, and has very simple pronunciation and grammar. French It’s also not complicated, many of its words are similar to English. It is also widely used and it is very easy to find opportunities to learn and speak it. Thus, French is also one of those languages that is easy to learn. Esperanto very simple. In it, as in Spanish, “as it is heard, so it is written.” It's an artificial language, so it's really simple. But the bad thing about it is that relatively few people speak it - compared to languages such as English, French or Spanish. But if you speak Esperanto, then other Esperantists will be very, very friendly to you.

Additional factors that can make the language easier for you:

- is the language similar to your native language? If the language is similar to you, has similar vocabulary and grammar, then it will be easier for you. For example, a person who speaks Farsi will learn Arabic more easily than Spanish, even though Arabic is considered difficult. - do you like studying? If so, then any language may seem simple - or at least interesting. And this, in turn, will allow you to learn the language faster. - additional resources. With their help you can achieve quick results. Additional resources include audio, grammar and vocabulary books, opportunities to communicate with native speakers, etc. From the site mylanguages.org Translation by Natalia Gavrilyastaya.

M Many people who decide how to learn a language and are faced with a choice - a foreign language school or independent studies are wondering what the top easiest languages in the world to learn look like? Similar questions are asked by many ordinary people and specialists, both those who are planning to take up learning a language and professional linguists.
In this article we will discuss a number of characteristics that usually determine how easy a language is to learn. It is worth noting right away that the most important thing in the process of learning a foreign language is the motivation of the learner and the fact whether you like speaking this new language. These factors determine which languages are the easiest for you. Spanish, French, Esperanto or... Chinese. If you take up learning a language that is deeply uninteresting to you, then learning it may seem difficult and tedious to you, even if in fact it is not. Learning a foreign language, like everything else in learning, should include interest and pleasure, otherwise there will be little use. Of course, you can find additional factors that will make learning a non-native language easier for you. Read the material below, and then decide for yourself which languages are the easiest for you.According to the State Department, the easiest languages for residents of English-speaking countries are those that require approximately six hundred hours of classroom instruction (we mean more or less proficiency in the language). Specifically, these are the languages of the Germanic and Latin language groups. However, the German language itself requires more time, about seven hundred and fifty hours: the grammar of the German language is very complex.

English
The English language is considered quite simple: it has no cases, word agreement, or genders. English grammar is also quite simple. English is also widely spoken and spoken almost everywhere. Words in English are short, verbs are inflected exclusively for the third person. Native speakers of this language are quite calm about the language mistakes of foreigners, since the number of people learning English as a second language is very large. Thanks to all this, English is one of the easiest languages in the world to learn.

It is estimated that there are about 60 English-speaking countries in the world, i.e. Without knowledge of English today it is difficult to get a job, so it is gaining enormous popularity in preschool institutions. The main English-speaking countries today are the UK, the USA, Canada (without Quebec), Australia and New Zealand. English is also one of the two official languages of India, and in addition it is spoken in most southern island states and African countries.

French
French is not difficult either. Many French words are similar to English words. French is widely spoken throughout the world. It is not difficult to find opportunities to learn and speak French. Considering these factors, it can be argued that French is also one of the languages that are easy to learn.
People who learn French are called francophones. There are 18 countries in the world where French is spoken. The main French-speaking countries are France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada (Quebec). In 14 African countries this language is the only one or one of two official languages.

Italian
The Italian language is also simple, it has no cases, its pronunciation is quite simple, the vocabulary has roots in the Latin language, in other words, it will be familiar and close to those people who speak one of the languages of the Indo-European group.
Learning Italian will be useful for those who at least know or have studied Latin, one of the two official languages in the Vatican City State. Italian is the language of music. True, the Italophone world is not very large in its area: the language is widespread only in Europe and only in four countries: Italy, Vatican City, San Marino and Switzerland. Small Italian-speaking minorities outside Europe live in Argentina (Oriundi).

Spanish
The easiest language for a foreigner to learn is Spanish. Its vocabulary is similar to English, the spelling is very simple (the way it is written is the same way it is heard). Spanish is similar to Italian and is quite widely used. It has very simple grammar and pronunciation. Spanish ranks 3-4th in terms of prevalence, number of speakers and its use in speech after English, Chinese and Hindi; It is spoken by about 0.5 billion people, most of whom live overseas. The record holder for the number of Spanish speakers is not Spain, but Mexico! In Mexico, the number of Spanish speakers is 130 million. The largest Spanish-speaking countries are Spain (in Europe), and overseas Mexico (in North America) and Argentina (in South America).

Portuguese
Portuguese can also be considered an easy language. At least there is no one who would not watch Brazilian soap operas, which were once popular among our grandmothers. Pronunciation is almost the same as Spanish, except that Portuguese is a bit sibilant, unlike its East Pyrenean cousin; This is if we talk about the classic (European) version, which is widely used not only in Portugal itself, but also in African countries: Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome, Goa, Angola and Mozambique. Portuguese is the sixth most popular language in the world, despite the fact that the population of this country is only about 10 million, which is even less than the population of Moscow. The Brazilian version differs significantly from the standard (for example, there is no sound"sh"). Although these languages are similar to each other, the Spaniards do not always understand their neighbors, so the Portuguese sometimes have to write what they say.
Those who learn Portuguese are called Lusophones (from Lusitania; the ancient name of Portugal). There are about 1/4 billion native speakers of Portuguese (250 million native speakers)

Esperanto
You will probably be very surprised, but Esperanto holds the palm in terms of ease. In it, as in the Spanish language, “how it is heard is how it is written.” This language is artificial, which is why it is so simple. But the bad thing about it is that it is still spoken by relatively few people (about 2-3 million worldwide) - compared to languages such as Spanish, French or English. However, if you speak Esperanto, other Esperantists will be very friendly towards you.
Esperanto is NOT the official language of ANY STATE IN THE WORLD! That is why, knowing and studying it, you can find friends absolutely anywhere. Linguists have conducted studies that only a month is enough to master spoken language, and to know it perfectly - from 3 months to six months, while the basics of English will have to spend at least a semester or a year. I will add that next year, at the end of July, this language will celebrate its anniversary - 130 years since its birth! Recently, a petition appeared on one of the websites to make Esperanto the official language of the European Union! Absolutely anyone can sign it, including you!

Summary
An additional set of conditions that can make the language easier for you personally:

1) Is the new language similar to your native one? If the chosen language is similar to yours, has a similar vocabulary (vocabulary of words) and grammar, then this language will be easier for you personally. For example, a person who speaks Arabic will learn Farsi more easily than Spanish, even though Farsi is considered a very difficult language.

2) Do you personally like to study? If the answer is yes, any language may turn out to be simple - or at least interesting. And this circumstance will help you learn the language faster.

3) Availability of additional resources. With their help, you can achieve more effective and faster results. Additional resources include books on vocabulary and grammar, audio, the possibility of conversations with native speakers of a given language, and so on.

The material is based on an article by Frantisek Langer.