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. Also, if youve been taking Spanish lessons, Portuguese vocabulary will be much easier to learn. 8 Easiest Languages to learn for English speakers | Edulyte Both Thai and Chinese are tonal languages. We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. Just like Norwegian, Swedish, and English, Dutch is a Germanic language. 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 . An example of this is musique. First of all, English and Norwegian share a lot of vocabulary. Esperanto was designed with you in mind: Minimal grammar, easy rules and as a bonus, lots of things that resemble many other world languages. . 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. So child is anak and children is anak-anak. Easy right?, Malay is spoken by more than 200 million people throughout Southeast Asia. Alternatively, Persian Language Online offers a variety of free lessons that cover everything from grammar to tenses, vowels to intonation. Swahili is perhaps not as easy as other languages on this list, but its arguably the easiest African language to learn. Amharic Amharic is the first language of Amharas, an ethnic group from the Highlands of Ethiopia. But with so many different languages to choose from, how do you decide which one to spend your time mastering? Portuguese is spoken by around 234 million people around the world. they frolicked in a field on a warm summers day) comes from the Dutch word vrolijk which means happy and cheerful. There are many Mandarin Chinese language resources available online. So if that is not enough motivation to learn we dont know what is! Welsh, the language of Wales (Englands neighbor) is a beautiful ancient language spoken by around 29% of the population in Wales. Although every foreign language comes with its own unique set of challenges, the reality is that some languages will simply be easier for fluent English speakers to become proficient in. The tones and sounds of a language can have a direct impact on how difficult you find it to learn. For instance, if youre familiar with Spanish, learning Italian will be much easier. So, although it might seem tricky at first, mastering French pronunciation shouldnt be a big problem. They use nasal sounds which can be a little bit more tricky to master, but given the wide variety of resources out there, it is a modestly easy language to learn. ), using the Cyrillic, Arabic, or Kana System (among many others) instead. Follow our tips in the section above to help you learn your chosen language a little quicker, and always keep in mind that good things take time. This app In addition to this, they also feature hard and soft sounds for each of the consonants, meaning that pronunciation can be difficult to get to grips with. Enter Spanish. With Farsi being such a surprisingly easy language to learn, why not start your journey into its grammar, inflections, and wider Persian culture today. We will cover the basics of the Persian language, its origins and cultural history, and some of the best ways to approach learning it for the first time, including great resources that are available now. Table of Contents 7 Easiest Languages To Learn 1. 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. In South Africa its ek is (I am), jy is (you are), sy is (she is). To learn Icelandic you must be prepared to study, memorize rules, and really put in the work. If you are interesting in learning Korean, it is worth looking at the Rocket Korean language course, part of the Rocket Languages series. The Hindi language is a relatively challenging one and takes hours to perfect to even an intermediate level. This will help you to work out whether a particular language is right for you or whether you may want to start with the one that is more similar to your native language. That being said, we do have the Persian language to thank for many words that we use in English such as kiosk and bazaar, so you may well find some similarities within this beautiful language! 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. Indonesian sentence structure is also similar to English and its grammatical rules are fairly simple. This is a rough estimate, whether you are learning in the classroom or learning from home. You can also find some of your favorite movies and shows that you already know well and watch them in another language. We are no longer in Scandinavia, but a little further south in the Netherlands. Read up on the cultures associated with the languages to see which sound most fun to learn about. Now, its time to go over some of the best resources that are available to anyone who wants to begin learning to speak Persian. Easiest should be Norwegian and Swedish. This makes it easier to get to grips with if you already have prior knowledge of any of them. For example, the noun system is different from most other languages you may have heard of since it has three genders and two numbers. The Turkish language features an unfathomable 30 verb tenses compared to just 3 in English! . However, this doesnt mean learning one language will make you able to speak the other. These letters are , , , , , , , and . The syntax of Persian sentences is a little different than what you might be used to in English, as well. YOU CAN NOW LEARN A LANGUAGE FAST BY WATCHING TV SHOWS AND MOVIES! Dutch is full of English cognatesdrinken (to drink), kat (cat), week (week), licht (light) and hundreds more. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The Empire stretched over areas such as Macedonia, Thrace, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, and even parts of Egypt and Libya. However, some languages are generally considered less demanding for English speakers. This beautiful language shares many similarities with English in terms of cognates and sentence structure. So if you're curious about the easiest languages to learn, I've got 10 great suggestions to help you out. But, Persian has an enormous amount of Arabic influence, which makes it easier for Iranians to speak and understand Arabic. The rhythm of Italian when you are in a conversation also makes it a little easier to grasp for beginners. How far away the country that the language belongs to (both physically and culturally) can also be an influencing factor in how easy or difficult a language can be to learn. It is not widely spoken and resources for it are sparse compared to other languages on this list. You know what Italian words like panini, latte, and gelato mean. Afrikaans is a beautiful language that is surprisingly easy to learn for native English speakers. Though Persian is spoken in several countries in the Middle East, it is primarily used in Iran and parts of Afghanistan as the Farsi language, or Iranian Persian. A solar calendar was introduced, as was Zoroastrianism as the Empires religion, and strides in metal-working and primarily gold production for coinage. Look at this Norwegian sentence: Jeg spiste egg til frokost(I ate eggs for breakfast). The only verb ending that needs to be used is -r!). It is easier to learn Kurdish and other similar languages in the Iranian language family after studying Persian (Farsi). On the bright side, it is phonetic, which means it is spelled how it is said and vice-versa. What makes them easy is the grammarthere are no grammatical categories for gender, number or tense. However, when you have that down, the rest will come relatively easily, especially since there are so few of them (No, really! Another appealing thing about learning Norwegian is that the language has different accents. Indeed, fluency doesnt happen overnight, no matter which language youre learning. 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. These two words look almost identical, but notice the very small differences of the and the . FluentU Review [2023]: Details, Features and What Real Users Have to Say, The Penny Pinchers Guide to Learning Any Language for Free, The Top 8 What Language Should I Learn Online Quizzes, The 6 Best Sources of Language Learning Videos on the Internet. In fact, you probably already know how to order so much more. The most important thing that we want you to take away from this article is that even though some languages may be easier for a native English speaker to learn than others, it does not mean the harder languages are out of your reach. In addition to Farsi speakers in the Middle East, there is evidence of linguistic transmission all the way to the Western world. This includes literature, history, traditions, and food, as well as the language. 1. And another 17 percent can speak more than two languages. For example, tonal languages can be difficult for someone who has no prior experience of tonal languages (for example, most of us English speakers). Under Xerxes, Persia took over large parts of Northern and Central Greece in the 480s BC, and the Empire was only shaken by the conquest of Alexander the Great by 330 BC. This is because the Dutch were some of the first colonizers of the States. Finnish is an interesting language to feature on this list because most people may assume that it would belong to the Indo-European family. Like the Persian language, Hindi has no capital letters, which in itself is very unfamiliar to native English speakers. Which languages are easiest for native English speakers to learn - CNN Politeness is very important in Japan and so this must be demonstrated through language in the way you address people. When you are learning a language alone, it can be difficult to find the time to practice speaking it. The word order, syntax, and structure of Portuguese when writing and speaking are similar to English and other Romance languages. Esperanto As one of the intonational languages of the world, Persian vocabulary changes meaning depending on the rise and fall of your voice. Brief history of Persia and the Persian language, University of Londons SOAS Language Center, Complete Modern Persian (Farsi) Beginner to Intermediate Course, Learn Persian (Farsi) Step by Step: Level One Beginner (Steps 1 to 10). 120 words, extremely simple grammar. However, it will take considerably less time to learn conversational Spanish. Here are nine of the easiest languages to learn for Spanish speakers: 1. 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. 28 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers Hungarian belongs to the language family known as Uralic (this also includes Finnish). Fill in the form below and well contact you to discuss your learning options and answer any questions you may have. This is because Japanese has long been thought to be one of the most difficult languages ever to learn, whether you are native English speaking or not. 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. Creole, for example, both Haitian and Louisianan are derived from the French language. Thats why Norwegian words like morgen, glass, and papir sound so familiar. To do so, its time to journey back in time to the roots of many countries in the Middle East Persia itself, and the Persian Empire. The language changed and morphed over time, leaving us with the modern language and areas of native Persian speakers, including modern-day Iran. Likewise, some words get added onto names as a term of endearment, respect, or politeness. We have mentioned Arabic many times already as the Arabic script is used in many different languages. Gaelic has two common types: Scottish and Irish. 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. In terms of learning hours, it is thought that it takes you around 575 to 600 hours to learn Spanish to an intermediate level (this is more than enough to converse fluently in the language). With Swahili speakers spread over 14 countries, Swahili is the most widely spoken language in Africa. This can help you practice more and learn it far quicker. Even though its an artificial language, its 2 million speakers, several hundred thousand Wikipedia articles and organizations worldwide would argue that it still counts. What better excuse to go to Paris and brush up on your French skills whilst you sip coffee and eat croissants? Even if it is just ten minutes a day, it is enough to keep what you have learned fresh in your mind. This selection may also come as a surprise, but Indonesian has several qualities that make it a logical choice for English speakers. Indeed, the Empire of the Persians was one of the most expansive ones in the ancient world, spanning from the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley in India at the height of its influence. Download: You may even find that some of the vocabulary words are easily identifiable because they are similar to words in your native language. Learners need to learn a whole new alphabet and character system to understand Russian. This doesnt diminish the intrigue and fascination that comes from learning Farsi. was designed with you in mind: Minimal grammar, easy rules and as a bonus, lots of things that resemble many other world languages. For this reason, they have had a lot of influence on English, particularly American English. Cudoo also offers 3 levels of Farsi (at $12.99 each) which is a helpful starting point. 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. As one of the Romance languages, Portuguese is certainly very beautiful. There are a few unique and fascinating grammar rules that the language follows, which are worth mentioning here, relating primarily to Persian morphology. It has no cognates or loan words, and you are highly unlikely to draw similarities between Finnish and English. The Complete Modern Persian (Farsi) Beginner to Intermediate Course by Narguess Farzad is a go-to resource for learning the language from a book. This is partly because Swedish and English are Germanic languages, so they have similar sentence structures and even some shared vocabulary. That being said, several different factors may affect how easy or difficult a person finds it to learn a specific language. It was only during Alexander the Greats 330 BC campaigns into Persia that the states began to fall apart, and the Empire of the Persians finally disintegrated into the control of other political and dynastic factions, like the Ptolemies. Some of them are members of the Germanic family of languages so they share quite a bit of vocab with English. SHOW ME HOW! Surprisingly, another relatively easy language for native English speakers to get to grips with is that of Romanian. As if that wasnt enough, there are also no tones used in the Indonesian language, so you will not have a difficult extra element to learn. Similar in many ways to Norwegian, Swedish is yet another Germanic language that is a little simpler for native English speakers to learn. More than 9 million people are native speakers of Tigrinya as of 2012. If youre looking to learn a language that will enhance your travel experiences and boost your employability, learning Spanish online is a great choice. Which language is easier to learn for a Persian speaker: Arabic or It is known as the "daughter language" to Dutch (it shares 90 to 95% of its vocabulary with the language. What will help you to persevere even when it starts to get difficult? More job opportunities, including a higher income with being bilingual or multilingual. 13 Easiest Languages To Learn - StoryLearning Instead, think of it more as a head start if you decide to pick up the other one. The easiest languages for English speakers to learn - Lingua.edu That's mostly because it's a Germanic language - just like English. 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. However, if you are looking for a modest challenge then Swahili is a great language choice for you. Learn more at www.rosettastone.com and start your first lesson today! Or, if you want structured lessons on all things Farsi that will help you start speaking it in 30 days, check out Reza Nazaris channel to achieve your fluency goals! If you want to expand your language vocabulary, you should definitely give it a try. If the grammar structure of the language you are learning is similar to your native language, it will undoubtedly be easier for you than if it were not. The List: Easiest Languages To Learn For English Speakers, According To Pros 1. Following Darius, Xerxes I was initially successful in his campaign against the Greeks, but after defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, the Empire took a decisive hit. YouTube is a great resource for free lessons and video clips that will help you master perfect pronunciation and retention for the Farsi vocabulary that you compile through other lessons. See this researched list of the best online Persian courses to start with. Nevertheless, it is very difficult for a native English speaker to learn Russian. Dont worry according to FSIs language difficulty ranking, Portuguese is also in Category 1. These differences include word order differences, tenses, and even the inclusion of gender into language. But although the country is surrounded by Slavic-speaking countries, Romanian is actually a Romance language and uses much of the same vocabulary as Italian, Spanish and French., For example,La revedere, which is used for saying goodbye, is similar to the Italian Arrividerci, and the apology Scuz-m is similar to the French Excusez-moi. Its also a phonetic language, which means most words are spelled the same way they are pronounced., Of course, there are a few trickier aspects to this language, including grammatical differences and letters with diacritics. But, overall, Romanian, which is spoken by around 30 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova, is a surprisingly easy language to learn., Danish is a Germanic language spoken by around 6 million people, most of whom live in Denmark. And with the Sasanians, a new Persian dynasty emerging after 200 AD, Modern Persian was able to form. The Persian language uses the Arabic script, something that native English speakers are unfamiliar with. Because of its more challenging pronunciation, however, Danish isnt the easiest Scandinavian language to learn., Even so, if you plan to stay in Denmark for a longer period of time, learning the local language is simply the best way to fully immerse yourself in the countrys unique culture and form deeper connections.. Some of them are phonetic, which means that reading and pronunciation shouldnt be a problem for you. The grammar is ridiculously simple, and there are only about 120 to 130 words. 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. It is full of mutations and consonants that are unfamiliar to an English speaker, but with some memorization and an eagerness to learn, it is certainly possible. Learning a language is a lifelong skill and you will be learning it forever but guess what? In addition, Swahili, Farsi (Persian), Pashto and Kurdish are languages that an Arabic speaker can get the hang of without much effort. You can learn Persian from basics to advance level. We have history to thank for this. Even so, French is still one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. In their Latin script, they also include an additional nine letters, which look a lot like letters you are familiar with, but still require memorization and learning in order to fully understand and use them. However, the script involved with learning the Persian language is simpler than you might imagine, once you understand the basics. 11 Of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. Many of their words are very long with unfamiliar letters and letter sounds such as and . 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. There are also fewer singular and noun genders to learn than other languages, which makes it easier to learn. There are many shared cognates between the two languages, making the words easy to recognize and pronounce, as well as having simple ways of creating tenses and possessives. This is where, to keep the sounds in harmony, suffixes are added to words. For example, improving listening skills should be. Looking for a language thats not going to require three-hour evening classes Monday through Friday for the next 10 years? This has meant that Italian culture and the language have stayed very much alive in these places. If you speak English, youll be very comfortable with the grammatical structure of Norwegian, so you can focus on learning vocabulary. 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. And unlike most African languages, Swahili is not a tonal language, so you dont have to pay attention to the pitch of a word. Afrikaans is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn because--like many of the languages on this list--it's part of the Germanic language family. Afrikaans 9. After Xerxes assassination in 465 BC, the litany of the last Achaemenid kings made strides in Persias cultural phase. 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. This truly simplifies the entire language, as every subject is referred to with the same pronoun , pronounced ou or . 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. Of course, there are some challenging things about learning Swedish. Being a native English speaker, what would be the easiest language to English, for example, has many similarities to other Germanic languages (think German and Dutch). Services such as Custom Writings can also help with these learning these methods, as well as provide assistance with college or university assignments. The last language on our list is Japanese. In fact, everything from the pronunciation to the vocabulary may vary, depending on which type of Portuguese you are learning. As you likely expected, Arabic uses Arabic script. As well as looking and sounding similar, there are masses of resources out there to help you learn French, and it is spoken widely around the world. easiest languages to learn for persian speakers 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. But there are also many cognates that are not food-related futuro (future), controllare (control), concerto (concert), and so on. How To Learn Persian (Farsi): Guide + Best Courses And Books We have another popular Romance language for you to consider of course, its French. The main reason why English speakers find it quite easy to learn is the large number of cognates. So the way it's written is the way it's said. The word order format here follows a particular pattern of subject-object-verb, with prepositional phrases nestled between the subject and object. Therefore, you should be able to master the basics and learn how to speak French in no time. In Afghanistan, it is called Dari, and in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, it is known as Tajik. Click here to get a copy. Like Indonesian, its an Austronesian language. The 10 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers This means that once English speakers have had a chance to learn some basic rules, theyre usually able to pick it up quite quickly. This family contains sub-groups of languages, namely the Germanic languages, the Romance languages (Spanish, French, and Portuguese among others), and Balto-Slavic languages (Prussian, Russian, Czech, Latvian, and more) to name but a few. Unlike English, there arent several pronunciations of a singular letter or letter combination. For this reason, it is considered a macro language because its reach is vast and extensive. On one hand, its not an overly complicated language to learn, as the pronunciation isnt difficult, and much of its vocabulary is borrowed from other languages, including English, Spanish and Malay. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Rosetta Stone is a well-established course but isnt suitable for everybody. Swedish has 10 million native speakers, mainly in Sweden but also in Finland.