What’s The Easiest Language To Learn In The world?
I speak three languages and if I ever have the opportunity, I wish to learn a new language. And who can blame me?
It has become expedient in this global village to communicate with people on the opposite sides of the world.
About 5 years ago, I made a friend on Facebook (That was before fake Facebook accounts outgrew the real ones).
His name is Abdul. And the only reason why I even accepted his friend request was that I could write and speak Hindi.
That friendship has opened one or two doors of opportunities that far exceed the time and money it took to learn Hindi.
I have visited India 12 times in the space of 3 years. And guess where I stayed during my last visit? With Abdul.
It took me a year to kick off my Hindi campaign {am a pretty slow learner} and another 2 years to perfect it.
I can only imagine how long I will take to learn Mandarin. Some have argued that it is the most difficult language to learn in the world.
Like me, you might seek Job opportunities on foreign soil and you’re on the lookout for the easiest language to learn.
It has become public knowledge that the need to learn a second language now is important than any other time.
This is simply because the world has become a cross-cultural village, thus raising the need to learn a second language so as to enhance your chance of securing business deals, building relationships and securing employment opportunities among other possibilities.
I get a lot of questions like:
1) What is the easiest language to learn?
2) What is the best language to learn?
3) Is it necessary to learn a second language?
4) How can I learn a new language fast?
You are in luck. We will cover all the questions in this post.
What is the best language to learn?
This is a wrong question to ask because there is nothing like the best language to learn.
The worth of any language depends on its importance to you at any point in time.
You can’t choose to learn Thai when you are traveling to Poland simply because you believe that the Thai language is more important.
Some languages are more influential than the rest because of their importance in global commerce and trade, and the number of people that are willing to learn these languages as a second language.
Nonetheless, no language is superior to another. The best foreign language to learn is the one you’ll be most successful with depending on your need.
If you think you’ll have Spanish-speaking clients or co-workers, then take the time to learn Spanish. But if you’re in an industry where you need to work with people from the Middle East, then really it’s Arabic. In Asia, it’s Mandarin.
What is the easiest language to learn?
Now, there’s no such thing as one language that’s just plain easier than all the others, but there are a lot of languages that are way easier for you personally to learn.
There are several language surveys that have been conducted in different regions of the world over the years including the European Commission Survey of 2012 in regard to learning and speaking a second language.
A common finding of all these surveys shows that only a few people can speak a second language with the majority only comfortable with their native language.
Despite the obvious, there are some languages that have been proven easy to learn, speak and write regardless of your native language.
Generally, there are four major things that make a language easy or hard for any given learner:
- How closely it’s related to the languages you already know.
- How complex its system of sounds is.
- How complicated its grammar is.
- The types and number of numbering system they use.
By considering these four variables (especially the last three), we have put together a list of some of the easiest languages to learn in the world.
Sit back and enjoy:
12 Easiest Language To Learn In The World
1) Spanish
The Spanish language is one of the languages that you can learn and master within a very short time. It is the official language spoken in three continents and is probably the easiest language to learn in the world. The Spanish language has just ten vowels and words are written in the same way that they are pronounced.
2) Italian
Italian is one of the most beautiful and romantic languages round.
Indeed, it is often referred to as a “romantic” language because of the rhythmic nature of words and sentences. Like Spanish, Italian words are also written in the same way that they are pronounced.
3) Portuguese
Portuguese is another easy language to learn considering its interrogative nature, which only involves the use of intonations without the need to re-arrange phrases.
The only challenge you may encounter in the course of learning is how to pronounce its nasal vowels, a challenge you are most likely to overcome as soon as you consistently practice speaking the language.
4) German
German is not only a fun and descriptive language; it is also one of the easiest languages to learn.
Except for its long words with most ending in four-noun endings and rough pronunciation, you should find learning German and speak it easy and fun.
5) Afrikaans
The Afrikaans language borrows heavily from both the Dutch and German languages, making it a language that you can learn, speak and write in a short time. The language is not only logical in terms of grammar but is also non-inflective in terms of structure.
6) Dutch
The Dutch language has a close relationship with the German, English and French languages.
Except for pronunciation, it is a simple language with a simple grammar. Indeed, linguistic experts consider Dutch as the easiest language to learn particularly for English speakers.
7) Swedish
Often referred to as a singsong language, Swedish is similar to both German and English languages in many respects including pronunciation, grammar, and sentence structure.
You would find it easy to learn the language because of its simple conjugation and constant verbs.
8) Esperanto
Esperanto is a man-made language created at the end of 19th century. Indeed, it is not an official language anywhere and is, therefore, considered as a neutral language spoken by about 2 million people across the world. The ease of learning this language lies in its simple spelling, simple grammar, and logical words.
9) Hindi
Hindi is one of the simple languages to learn considering that its words are very similar to English words. Unbelievable. Right?
Indeed, Hindi words are read and pronounced just in the same way they are in the English language.
The only challenge you are most likely to encounter is in writing the language in Hindi. However, you can easily overcome the challenge with regular writing exercises.
10) French
Often referred to as the language of love, French has a big influence on other languages including the English language, making it one of the easiest languages you can learn.
The only area you are most likely to find some difficulty is in pronunciation, particularly with silent words. But don’t worry, love is a universal language.
11) Swahili
This language is spoken by 15 million native speakers in East Africa and around 5 million people around the world as a second language.
Swahili has its roots in Arabic from which it borrows heavily.
However, it only has five vowels and words are read in the same way that they are written. Thus making it one of the easiest languages to learn.
12) Danish
The Danish language has some level of resemblance to both Swedish and Norwegian languages.
Although Danish has neutral and common noun classes that require the use of “et” and “en” articles respectively and nine verb forms, you should be able to find learning the language easy because of the language’s simple grammar.
Truth be told, learning a second language is no doubt a challenge to many like myself.
However, you should find the above languages easy to learn as soon as you learn their rules and structure.
Is it necessary to learn a second language?
In my case, learning a second language was essential to advancing my reach in a foreign country.
The need to learn a second language might arise due to several other reasons.
Let’s consider 10 reasons why you should learn a second language:
10 Reasons Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
1) To Challenge Yourself
Once in a while, it doesn’t hurt to step out of your comfort zone and do something different.
Learning a second language is a form of self-development that will help you to break barriers and see yourself in a new light.
2) Survive in a Strange Land
If you have to travel abroad for an extended period of time, it pays to learn the language of your new country. Without a certain level of understanding, routine daily activities like boarding a bus, eating in a restaurant and asking for directions will become very difficult.
You can save yourself some money, time and pain by learning the dialect of your new environment.
3) Find a new job
Cross-border jobs are on the rise and it isn’t a bad idea to take advantage of this global opportunity.
One of the many benefits of technology is its ability to help us connect with people, companies and organizations that are outside our countries.
By learning to speak the language of the country you hope to land your dream job, it becomes much easier for headhunters to seek you out and offer you job opportunities.
4) New Friends
Enlarge your circle of influence by learning to speak a new language.
Speaking a new language opens up a door of potential friends from different parts of the world.
I am a living witness to how much it pays to learn a new language. My knowledge of Hindi is why I became friends with ….. The rest is history.
5) Gain Admission
A lot of foreign colleges and graduate schools require you to take a test to affirm your ability to speak and write in their language.
For those planning to continue on to graduate study abroad, knowledge of a second and sometimes even a third language is often a prerequisite for admission.
In some programs, graduate students are required to gain a reading knowledge of other languages as a degree requirement, especially in doctoral programs.
6) Brain Booster
If I ever write a book on 101 ways to boost your memory, learning a new language will be on my list.
Studying a new language helps to boost your reading and learning skills.
It helps in cognitive development as a child and prevents early complications in Alzheimer (according to some studies).
Every time you learn a new language, you will find it easier than the one before. The reasoning is simple: with every new language that you study, your brain has learned to figure out ways to learn more efficiently.
7) Appreciate international art & culture
Music, movies, food, literature, poetry, theater, and fine arts: the list of fabulous things that learning a new language will expose you to.
You might have heard that language and culture are two sides of the same coin.
That’s true and the way to fully appreciate a man’s ways is by first understanding what he says and writes. His language.
8) To help people in need (from Nuntawun Yuntadilok)
Learning other languages increases our chances of providing help to people who seriously need it, such as those in hit by the tsunami of 2004, many of whom can not communicate in English, especially children.
9) Communicate secretly
Isn’t it cool to learn a new language alongside your spouse and then communicate openly without fear of people no what you are talking about?
A new language can be your new lover’s code.
10) You love learning new languages
Learn a new language because it will make you feel good.
Learn a foreign language just because you love to do it.
If learning a new language is what makes you tickle, then you should go all the way to learn as many as possible.
How can I learn a new language fast?
We are down to the last question that I get to answer in relation to the easiest language to learn.
Back in 2012, Gabriel Wyner wrote an article for Lifehacker detailing how he learned French in 5 months and Russian in 10, using mostly spare time on the subway. That article went viral.
So, it is possible to learn a new language fast without breaking along the way.
5 tips to help you learn a language fast
1) Commit a fixed amount of time every day, no matter how little.
It is better to spend 20 minutes a day learning your new language than to spend nothing at all. Consistency is the way to go.
2) Create a favorable learning environment. Spend more time among the native speakers of the language. Label items in your home in your target language. Listen to music and watch movies in your target language. Continuous exposure will go a long way in helping you to learn that language fast.
3) Speak the language from the beginning. Use every new word or phrase that you pick up each day.
Don’t wait until you think you are perfect, you never will be. Instead, get better day after day. Grow from words to numbers to sentences till you speak better than the natives.
4) Use technology to your advantage. Install language-learning apps on your smartphone. Have a digital dictionary at all times. You need to be able to consult it quickly whenever you need a word.
Speak to your phone in your target language and see if it understands what you are saying (some devices support this feature).
Some popular language learning software includes Anki, Duolingo, Memrise, Babbel, and Livemocha.
5) Have fun. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There is probably no marking scheme. And if there is one, pretend it doesn’t exist.
Joke about your mistakes with friends. Try to impress the ladies. N all that you do, never stop having fun.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to share.
Have fun.