What is the easiest language to learn for a fluent English speaker?

Question

I'd really like to be able to speak another language (aside from Spanish. Every Tom, Dick & Harry knows Spanish.) But I am one of those people who tends to get frusterated easily. What would be the easiest language for me to pick up? (Im thinking German because both English and German are based on constanants and come from the same base language...) Also, good reources to learn that language? Any help is appreciated.

Read please. I'd asked for languages other than spanish.

Answer 1

Whoever said GERMAN was the easiest either hasn't studied German or was a natural with it (or maybe they studied really hard). Everything is conjugated with German. EVERYTHING. Well, it's called 'declension' but let's call a spade a spade. Verbs... nouns... definite articles (the)... indefinite articles (an, a)... adjectives... adverbs... pronouns... there's a flexible word order that confuses folks (the famous) "Den Mann beißt der Hund" or even the completely 'legal' syntax of "Der, der der, der ich schon Honig gegeben hatte, Honig gab, muss mehr


I took Italian for a semester and found that it was easy, at least with pronunciation. it was the closest thing to a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg) for languages. It's grammar is fairly straight forward (typically with SVO syntax).


Japanese surprisingly has relatively easy grammar, but there'd be much more memorization and practice needed to write and read it, methinks. Same with Arabic.


So, if you're looking for an EASY language (which is subjective), i would shy away from German. For Americans, Spanish will more than likely be the easiest; followed by Italian, and then French. (in my opinion).

Answer 2

For an English speaker, the easiest languages to learn are the Romance languages (Spanish,Italian,French,Portuguese,Romanian)the Northern Germanic languages(Norwegian.Swedish Danish)and the central Germanic languages(Dutch,German)though German would take more time to learn than the others.Harder languages would be the Slavic languages(Russian.Polish.Czech,Serbian,Croatian),the Finnish-Ugric languages(Finnish,Hungarian) and Greek: and hardest of all are the languages totally removed from English with vastly different grammar and syntax rules such as Arabic,Japanese.Korean.Mandarin and Cantonese.

Answer 3

I would say Dutch since it has words similar to English and the grammar is not hard at all. I'm currently learning Dutch as a second language. I can speak Spanish a little bit as well since it was taught in high school

Answer 4

I know both spanish and french and I am currently learning italian. Any of the "love" languages are very easy to learn once you have learned one because they are all based off the same root words.. So with that being said you should go for a simple language like french or spanish then move to a more difficult language like russian or italian.

Answer 5

The scientifically proven easiest language in the world to learn is Spanish! lol, But since you don't wanna go that route, I'd suggest another romance language like French, Italian, or Portuguese.

You mentioned German, but German isn't an easy language to learn, since that's your main concern. Yes, English and German are similar in the sense that they have similar roots, but the evolution of the language structure and pronunciation over time has made them very different, and German is often regarded as a difficult language to learn.

So definitely go for a romance language, they're easiest to learn. Although I still gotta push for Spanish, even though you don't want it! lol.

And the best resource is to find a class. You can help yourself out by buying a "Learn to Speak" CD and practicing with that, bu the best best thing you can do is find a class and interact with people.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Latin languages are always a good bet (French/Italian/Spanish), but learning any language isn't going to be easy, and gets harder as you get older.

Why is the fact that many people know Spanish unfavorable? Assuming you're American, its one you are going to be able use without going to a different country.

Find a culture you love, and immerse yourself in it, regardless of how easy or hard it will be. If you value what your learning, you'll find a way.

Answer 7

There is no easy language that can be learned. They all require and element of social relativity and depending on that whether the language is easier or harder. I took Spanish in school each year from junior high to high and never got passed "hola mi nombre es Juan". I spent three years immersed in the Mexican culture and never got past the simple communicating of my in mediate needs. Later I decided to enroll in the Mexican Govts. adult education program and in one year, being totally inmersed as I was, cleared up most of my ignorance and I was able to converse with a high level of understanding, Another year and I was able to step out on my own and study whatever I wanted. Now I am able to come, go and translate or interpret just about anything from Spanish to English and vice-versus. It has pretty much opened a door for me and I enjoy a superior level of interrelation with the Latino population.
So, if your importance to learn a new language motivates you to go where the language is dominant you will have a good chance of succeeding in making something of your desire.

Answer 8

I would say French. I took both Spanish and French. French wasn't too hard.

Answer 9

I'd say Dutch... some words and phrases are similar to English, and the grammar is not too difficult

Answer 10

Designed to be learned easily, Esperanto is the gateway to many other languages and cultures. Check the site below for information on Esperantos' value in learning other languages.

I frequently make this next statement, and I live by it.

"If you can't learn Esperanto, you can't learn any language."

At the very least, if you learn Esperanto, which by the way can lead to the enjoyment of meeting new friends and travelling to new places, you'll at least have that under your belt regardless of how far you decide to take any other languages.
It's not uncommon for a student of Esperanto to become fluent inside of a month, maybe less, if you've the desire.

The most depressing aspect of dealing with Esperanto is the constant unsupported claims that it has no value. As with anything else, it's use is dependant on how you decide to use it. With over 2,000,000 speakers in the world, there aren't too many places where you won't find it, you just need to look. The Internet is the best place to start. The sites below are the best initial places to investigate the language and it's history. (Yes, it has a history (119 years) and a culture.)

Research and make your own conclusions.

Ĝis!