9 Easiest Languages For English Speakers To Learn

So you’ve determined to be taught a language. (Good alternative! We approve.) But there are Learn English grammar online . Should you go for a extra extensively spoken language like Spanish, a politically related one like Russian, or one you need to use in your subsequent trip? These are all valid motivations, but here’s another: You’re busy. We all are. Why not deal with a language that shall be relatively straightforward to learn? With the assistance of language guru Benjamin Davies from Babbel’s Didactics division, we’ve compiled an inventory of the 9 easiest languages for English audio system to learn. Hopefully, this will help you slim down your choices, so you can begin studying immediately!

1. Norwegian

This may come as a shock, however we have rankedas the simplest language for English audio system to pick up. Norwegian is a member of the Germanic family of languages — just like English! Best online English speaking course means the languages share quite a bit of vocabulary, such as the seasons
vinterand
sommer(we’ll let you figure out these translations). Another promoting level for Norwegian: the grammar is fairly simple, with just one type of each verb per tense. And the word order carefully mimics English. For example, “Can you assist me?” translates to
Kan du hjelpe meg?— the phrases are in the same order in each languages, so mastering sentence construction is a breeze! Finally, you’ll have much more leeway with pronunciation when studying Norwegian. That’s as a result of there are an unlimited array of different accents in Norway and, therefore, a couple of “appropriate method” to pronounce words. Sound appealing? Lace up your snow boots and give Norwegian a attempt!

2. Swedish

Our second best language additionally comes from Scandinavia and the Germanic household of languages. One reasonlanguages for English speakers to learn is the massive number of cognates the two languages share (cognates are words in several languages that stem from the same ancestral language and look and/or sound very similar to one another). For instance, “grass” is
gräsin Swedish — a transparent cognate. Like Norwegian, Swedish has relatively simple grammar rules and comparable phrase order to English. Thanks to IKEA, Swedish has something else working in its favor: exposure. English speakers all over the world have been exposed to numerous Swedish phrases whereas merely purchasing for furnishings (and chowing down on some meatballs, I presume). The in style, minimalistic Lack tables are named after the Swedish word for “varnish.” And the Stockholm rugs, in fact, get their title from Sweden’s capital. Business Insider has damaged down IKEA’s unique naming system. Furniture lovers, maybe Swedish is the language for you.

three. Spanish

This decide ought to come as no shock. Spanish has at all times been a go-to language for English speakers to be taught as a result of its. Well, it’s also one of the best languages for English audio system to be taught. Spanish is among the Romance languages, which derive from Latin — as do many English words, so the secret right here is cognates, cognates, cognates.
Correctomeans “appropriate,”
deliciosois “delicious,” and
pizzais “pizza,” to name a couple of.is fairly easy. It’s a phonetic language — for essentially the most part, its words are pronounced the way they’re spelled. But grammar-haters beware: Spanish does have a variety of completely different verb tenses and exceptions to grammar rules which can get complicated. However, the tenses largely align with ones we use in English, so they’re not as tough to study as you might assume. But maybe the most important pro to choosing tois its prevalence in our on a regular basis lives. According to, Spanish is the second most-spoken language on the planet, with over four hundred million native audio system. You’ve probably heard Spanish spoken, and even by members of your community. It’s everywhere, so you have already got a leg up on studying it!

4. Dutch

is another Germanic language on our listing. It’s spoken by nearly all of residents of the Netherlands, in addition to a big portion of Belgium’s population. It’s the third most-spoken Germanic language, after German and English, which is sensible — because of shared vocabulary, Dutch feels like a mix of German and English. A actually interesting characteristic of Dutch is that many phrases are spelled exactly the same as they're in English, extra so than in nearly some other language. However, use warning as a result of they’re usually pronounced in a different way. For occasion, the phrase “rat” has the identical spelling and which means in each languages, however in Dutch it’s pronounced just like the English word “rot.” Also, maintain an eye fixed out for false cognates, like the Dutch word
moist, which actually means “regulation.” If you stay vigilant, Dutch could still be the language for you.

Germanic languages nab three of the highest 4 spots on this list, however English’s other cousins, German and Danish, are absent — and for good cause. German didn’t make the minimize because, although it shares hundreds of cognates with English, absolutely
nobodywould describe its grammar as “simple.” And while written Danish seems lots like Norwegian and Swedish, the pronunciation may be too intimidating for informal learners. If you’re up for the challenge, examine back next week for one more record you would possibly discover more interesting.

5. Portuguese

The fifth easiest language on our list is Portuguese, a member of the Romance language family that’s spoken in. Like Spanish, this interprets to a large number of shared vocabulary phrases, which always makes selecting it up simpler. But watch out for false cognates. You could be actually enthusiastic about getting Portuguese
pasta, solely to be handed a “folder.” Portuguese () is one other language that gives learners the advantage of publicity. Brazilian food, drinks, music and movies have been making frequent appearances in international pop culture, giving students of Portuguese plenty of opportunities to reinforce their studying.

6. Indonesian

This selection may come as a surprise, but Indonesian has a number of qualities that make it. For starters, Indonesian — spoken natively by nearly 23 million people — is one of the few Asian languages that uses the Latin alphabet we all know and love. Many Asian languages are incredibly difficult for English speakers to master due to the unfamiliar characters of their writing systems, however not Indonesian. It’s additionally a phonetic language, made up of phrases which are pronounced precisely the way in which they’re spelled. Now, Indonesian grammatical structures are very different from those in English, but don’t let that deter you! Its lack of guidelines make learning grammar so much simpler. There aren't any verb conjugations (you learn that correctly!), no plurals (simply repeat the phrase twice), and no grammatical genders. If you’re not a fan of grammar guidelines, Indonesian could possibly be a match made in heaven!

7. Italian

Next up is one other. Though not as broadly spoken as Spanish or Portuguese,still has more than sixty three million native audio system. Its Latin roots enable for a sizable chunk of cognates English audio system will recognize, corresponding to
futuro(“future”) and
lotteria(“lottery”), two issues we all wish we could
controllare(“management”). Perhaps the best part of choosing Italian is the likelihood to! Italian cuisine has turn out to be a staple of many Western international locations, bringing numerous Italian phrases into our common vocabularies.
Penne all’arrabbiatatranslates to “angry pasta” (presumably as a result of it’s spicy!), and
farfalle(the pasta formed like bow ties) really means “butterflies.” Doesn’t studying Italian sound
delizioso?

eight. French

There’s yet one more main Romance language on our record, and this one is often a fan favourite. Although it’s not as straightforward to learn as some of its language cousins, French is spoken by practically 76 million folks in many alternative elements of the world (— to name only some). As with the other Romance languages, theto selecting to study French is the massive quantity of shared vocabulary. But this isn’t solely due to its linguistic roots. During the prolonged history of wars and conquests between France and England, key language components had been handed from one country to the opposite. This largely came in the form of French vocabulary added to the English language, such as avant-garde and à la carte, though the phrase-sharing went from English to French as nicely (e.g. week-end). French pronunciation is a bit tough, at first, however we frequently hear French accents in popular culture, making them simpler to copy than you might think.

9. Swahili

The last language on our list, the “least easy” of the simplest languages, is a bit less standard than the others. Swahili is extensively used throughout eastern and southeastern Africa, including in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, among other nations, however usually as a
lingua franca— a common language adopted among native audio system of various languages. Swahili phrases usually sound identical to they’re spelled, and the pronunciation is comparatively simple for English audio system to select up. It’s said to be the best African language for English natives to learn, partially due to the stunning quantity of loan phrases taken from English, like
penseli(“pencil”) and
mashine(“machine”). Finally, Learning English for kids is pretty easy when it comes to grammar. Verb conjugations utilize prefixes in a logical method, making them easier for English speakers to be taught. If you want to try something completely different, see if Swahili is the language for you. However, if you wish to decide up a new language as easily as attainable, we advocate starting with one thing from the top of the list — like Spanish, Swedish or Norwegian.