English speakers have a lot of resources at their disposal when it comes to language learning, but some languages are harder to learn than others. If you study full-time, Mandarin could take you 3 to 4x longer than Spanish and French, and you’ll face similar issues with Japanese and Arabic.
So, which languages are the easiest to learn?
In the following guide, we’ll showcase a list of the easiest and hardest languages.
Make sure you read to the end for our bonus list, which includes a few “easy” languages you may not have considered.
What Are The Easiest Languages For English Speakers To Learn?
According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), an organization that has taught countless diplomats and learners, the below languages require between 24 and 30 weeks of full-time study, equating to between 600 and 750 classroom hours.
1. Afrikaans
Afrikaans is spoken in southern Africa. It is a native language in South Africa and there are also large communities of speakers in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia.
Afrikaans has a lot in common with Dutch. Many words also sound like English and this can make it a very simple language for English speakers.
2. Dutch
The Dutch language is often overlooked by new language learners. It sounds very guttural and seems difficult, and this puts inexperienced learners off.
But it’s actually quite easy to learn. This Germanic language has a lot in common with English. The grammar rules and word order are relatively easy to grasp and you’ll be surprised at how many words you recognize.
Dutch is also a phonetic language, which means you can learn how to pronounce a word just by looking at it and know how to spell a word after hearing it.
3. Norwegian
Norwegian is a Germanic language with many similar words to English. The word order is also very similar and you may recognize a few phrases without even knowing the language.
Be careful, though, as there are a few Norwegian phrases that sound like English phrases but mean something else entirely.
For instance, if you hear the phrase, jeg kommer fra england, hvor kommer du fra? you might recognize it as “I come from England, where do you come from?” That’s what it sounds like and that’s what it means.
But while the phrase kaffen er til deg (pronounced like “coffin are til die”) sounds like a blunt commentary on death, it actually means “the coffee is for you”.
4. Spanish
Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It’s a romance language that uses the Latin alphabet and borrows many words from its ancestral language.
You don’t need to learn a new alphabet. Many of the words are similar to English words, and there are probably more language resources for Spanish than any other language.
You also have plenty of options when it comes to music, film, TV, podcasts, and books. That might not seem like a big deal to begin with, but once you get the basics out of the way, you’ll be hungry for content.
5. Romanian
Romania is surrounded by Slavic-speaking countries, but it has stuck to its romance roots for the most part, with only minor Slavic influences.
Romanian is the official language of Romania and Moldova and is spoken by over 20 million people.
6. Italian
There are over 60 million Italian speakers around the world, most of which are in Italy. It’s a romance language and it’s one that English speakers have been exposed to via foods, drinks, and opera.
Lava, volcano, influenza, solo, finale, and even quarantine are all Italian words, and there are many more.
Often said to be the language of love, Italian is arguably harder to learn than Dutch, Norwegian, and Afrikaans, but it’ll seem much easier if you have a passion for Italian culture and history.
7. Danish
Danish is very similar to Norwegian. In fact, the two are basically mutually intelligible. This means that if you learn Norwegian, you should be able to read and converse in Danish, and vice versa.
They are different languages, but they have so much in common that they can seem more like two different dialects.
8. Portuguese
Portuguese is the official language of Portugal and Brazil. It’s one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers and it’s even easier if you have some experience with Spanish.
9. French
As with Spanish and Romanian, French is in the romance language family. It’s arguably harder to learn than the other languages on this list, but only just.
French is widely spoken as a first and second language, so there is no shortage of content out there and people to speak with.
What Is The Number 1 Easiest Language To Learn?
Which foreign language offers the fastest route to fluency? Well, it’s debatable, but Afrikaans is arguably easier than some of the other languages listed above.
Your existing knowledge will also play a role, though. If you speak Spanish, Portuguese will be the easiest language to learn. If you know Italian or French, you’ll likely have an easier time with Romanian than Dutch.
Bonus Easy Languages for Native English Speakers
If learning an easy language is your only goal and you don’t really care how many native speakers there are or how useful it is, consider one of the following.
Middle English
There are several dialects of Middle English and this can confuse matters, but if you pick one and start learning, you could be fluent in a few months.
Unlike Old English, Middle English looks a lot like its modern counterpart and an English speaker should be able to adapt fairly quickly.
Middle English was the language spoken between the middle of the 12th century and the end of the 15th. It’s the language of Geoffrey Chaucer, as well as the language spoken in England during the time of the Peasant’s Revolt, Black Death, Crusades, Great Fire, War of the Roses, and Battle of Agincourt.
Esperanto
Esperanto was created toward the end of the 19th century. It was intended to be an international language and while it never really took off, it is still spoken widely by language enthusiasts.
Esperanto has very simple grammar rules and adopts words from other romance languages, including Spanish and English. Not only is it fairly straightforward to learn, but it could also prepare you for other European languages.
Toki Pona
Toki Pona is a constructed language that was created in 2001. It’s spoken in small online communities and has just a handful of sounds and fewer than 150 words.
It’s as basic as a language can be, and if you want to learn something fun and quick, it’s perfect.
What Are The Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers?
All of the languages on the above list fall under “category 1” on the FSI’s list.
There are 5 categories in total and the difficulty increases with each one:
- Category 2: German
- Category 3: Swahili, Malaysian, Indonesian
- Category 4: Albanian, Greek, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, and more
Category 5 is where things really get interesting, and difficult. These are the toughest languages to learn for English speakers and include:
- Arabic
- Japanese
- Korean
- Mandarin
- Cantonese
According to the FSI, it takes approximately 88 weeks of full-time study to reach fluency in these languages.
That’s where the name of this site comes from, as 88 weeks (and a lot of dedication) is all you need to learn any living language.
To put that into perspective, you can learn Norwegian, Portuguese, and Spanish in the same time it takes you to learn Korean/Mandarin.
Of course, these are just the averages. Some learners have an easier time with these languages than others. If you’re passionate about Japanese culture, are married to a Japanese man/woman, and have a really good visual memory, you’ll likely have an easier time remembering Japanese words and symbols.
On the flip side, if you have no interest in Japanese culture, don’t know any Japanese people, have never learned another language, and just want to learn Japanese because it’s “cool”, there’s a good chance you’ll fail miserably.