The Most Difficult and Easiest Languages to Learn

If you like to travel, chances are you’ve come into contact with a lot of different languages. It’s considered polite to learn a few courtesy words like “Hello” or “Thank you” in the local language, but unfortunately, just a few words won’t make you a polyglot. Depending on your own native language, some languages will be a lot easier to learn than others. Here is an overview of the top 3 easiest and most difficult languages to learn as an English speaker to get you inspired. 

Top 3 easiest languages to learn

1. Norwegian

Norway, the land of fjords, Vikings and Northern Lights. When you hear Norwegian for the first time, you might not consider this an easy language to learn. However, Norwegian is a Germanic language, just like English. As you dive into the language, you’ll notice you already know quite a few words. Another important reason why Norwegian is pretty easy to learn is because of its grammar. There is only one form for each verb per tense, which is basically heaven for anybody who has trouble with conjugating verbs. The thing that scares most people about Norwegian is the pronunciation, because it does sound a bit alien when you listen to it, but there is actually a lot of leeway when it comes to pronunciation in Norwegian. This is because there are a lot of different dialects and accents in Norway, so not many people know the “correct way” to pronounce many words.

The most difficult part of learning Norwegian is finding someone to practice with. Because Norwegian is a Germanic language just like English, many Norwegians also speak fluent English and will most often switch to English if they notice you are not a native Norwegian. You can use this to your advantage too, if you’d like to teach English as a foreign language in Norway. Before you can start teaching English abroad, you’ll have to get TEFL-certified, though. Here you can find information on the #1 Best Online TEFL course to get you started. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just starting out, this comprehensive TEFL course offers the flexibility, affordability, and quality training you need to succeed in the field of English language teaching.

2. Spanish

Spanish, while it is not part of the Germanic language family like English, is still considered one of the easiest languages to learn in the world. Spanish is one of the Romance languages and is derived from Latin. A lot of English words are also derived from Latin, and that’s why “delicioso” and “artistico” sound so familiar. Another great thing about Spanish is that it is a phonetic language, meaning that many words are pronounced in the exact way they are spelled.

The only drawback to Spanish is grammar. There are quite a few different verb tenses and exceptions that you’ll have to memorize. This drawback doesn’t measure up to the advantages of learning Spanish, though. It’s such a well-known language that you’ll find a language-buddy to practice with in no time.

3. Italian

Italian is another Romance language. Though not as widely spoken as Spanish, Italian is still a well-known language. Italian sentence structures are similar to English sentence structures and pronunciation is pretty straight forward. There is also a certain rhythm to Italian that makes it easier, and more fun, to learn. The most fun thing about learning Italian is the food, though. Some delizioso gelato, anybody?

Top 3 most difficult languages to learn

1. Mandarin Chinese

English is the most spoken language worldwide, and Mandarin Chinese is a close second. So, when you learn Mandarin Chinese as a second language, there are quite a few people around the world you can talk to. It’s not going to be an easy journey, though.

Mandarin is a tonal language, which means the same word can mean a different thing depending on how you pronounce it. Mandarin has four different tones, and they make it very difficult to have a simple conversation. If you have the wrong tone, you’ll say an entirely different word. On top of Mandarin being a tonal language, it also uses characters for its writing system instead of letters. It’s pretty to look at, but a lot more difficult to study and memorize.

2. Arabic

There are quite a few things about Arabic that are different from the English language.

To start, Arabic doesn’t have vowels in writing. Next to that is the fact that Arabic is read from right to left, has a different alphabet and has completely different sounds than what you know in English. The sentence structure is different too, following verb, subject, object word order.

3. Finnish

Given that the first easiest language to learn is Norwegian, this one might surprise you. Finnish is just like Norwegian, a Scandinavian language, but not a Germanic language. Finnish isn’t part of the Indo-European language group, which means it doesn’t have any shared roots or cognates with other common languages in Europe. The truly difficult part about Finnish is grammar. Finnish has no less than 15 grammatical cases and each and every verb can have up to 200 (!) possible endings. And let’s not forget about the change in spelling depending on these endings. To top it all off, Finnish also has several words that can be translated to full English sentences. For example, “Kalsarikännit” means “Drinking at home in your underwear”. Given the difficulty of this language, it’s not so crazy that the Mayor of Helsinki suggested to declare Helsinki an English-language city where highly skilled international workers can rely on the English language instead of Finnish.

Fun fact to really convince you to learn Finnish: “Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas” is an actual word. It means “aeroplane jet turbine motor assistant mechanic non-commissioned officer-in-training”, so it probably won’t come up in any casual conversation.

Learning a new language is always a challenge, but there are few languages that are easier to learn than others. If you’re a native English speaker, you’ll most likely be drawn towards Germanic languages like Norwegian or Romance languages like Spanish or Italian. On the other end of the spectrum are the most difficult languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic and Finnish, which require a bit more dedication to fully master.