Learning a new language is never easy. However, some languages may be easier than others for English speakers to learn. The easiest language to learn depends on various factors, such as language similarities, pronunciation, grammar, and your interest. In this blog post, we will explore some languages that are considered easy to learn for English speakers.
What Is the Easiest Language to Learn for English Speakers?
1. Spanish
Spanish is one of the most popular second languages to learn among English speakers. It makes sense, since Spanish is one of the most spoken languages globally with over 400 million speakers.
It is relatively easy to learn as English shares many cognates with Spanish. Cognates are words that are similar in two languages and share the same root. For example, ‘hotel’ in Spanish is ‘hotel’ in English. Moreover, Spanish shares a lot of vocabulary and grammar rules with English, which makes the learning curve smoother, especially when it comes to tenses and basic sentence structures. Additionally, Spanish pronunciation is relatively straightforward, and the language is phonetic, which means you can read and pronounce any word once you learn the alphabet. Give it a try and take Spanish classes!
2. Italian
Similar to Spanish, Italian is another Romance language that shares significant similarities with English. For instance, both languages have similar sentence structures and verb tenses. Moreover, Italian pronunciation is easy compared to many other languages, and Italians tend to enunciate their words slowly and emphatically. Therefore, you can quickly master Italian words and expressions, even when you are a beginner. If you’re passionate about Italian culture and want to learn the language, you can find many online courses, apps, and language exchange platforms to help you learn the language.
3. Portuguese
Portuguese is spoken widely across the world, from Brazil to Portugal and Angola. It shares some common vocabulary and grammatical structures with Spanish and Italian, such as verb tenses and word stress. Moreover, Portuguese pronunciation is relatively easy, and once you know how to say each letter, you can quickly read and spell words.
4. French
Despite what some people may think, French is also considered an easy language to learn for English speakers. Like Spanish, French shares many cognates with English and you will soon realize some vocabulary words are the same, like “information” or “restaurant”. French grammar can be a bit more complex than Spanish, but it still follows consistent rules. Just don’t be discouraged when you learn about all the exceptions!
5. Dutch
Dutch is a lesser-known, yet easy language for English speakers. The grammar is simpler and its pronunciation is more predictable than other Germanic languages. Dutch vocabulary is also relatively straightforward, and it shares many similarities with English.
6. Norwegian
Norwegian is a Scandinavian language and one of the easiest to learn for English speakers. Norwegian shares a considerable amount of vocabulary with English and has a relatively simple grammar structure compared to other Germanic languages. For example, Scandinavian verbs have some of the easiest conjugation you can find: present tense is made by adding an -r to the verb.
In conclusion, while there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to what the easiest language to learn is when you’re English, learning a language that shares similarities with your mother tongue can make the process smoother and more enjoyable. The easiest language to learn for English people might be Spanish, but don’t be afraid to explore French or Norwegian! Whether you choose to learn Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese or Norwegian, you can adopt a Growth Mindset and enjoy the ride, learn from your mistakes, and practice frequently to achieve your language learning goals.
