If you want to learn a language but are not sure which to choose, a good place to start is one that is easy for you. As an English speaker you already have a head start with several languages, either because they are close relatives of English or because they share a great deal of vocabulary with it.
This guide explains what makes a language easier to learn and picks the ones that come most naturally to English speakers.
Several things affect how hard a language is, and the biggest is your own native language. A few factors matter most:
A useful reference is the ranking by the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which groups languages by how long they take English speakers to learn. The languages below are all in its easiest category.
Dutch is the closest major relative of English, and the two share a great deal of vocabulary and word order. Much of written Dutch is guessable for an English speaker even before formal study, and the grammar is straightforward, which makes it one of the gentlest starts of all.
The Scandinavian languages are a favourite with English speakers because their grammar is remarkably simple: verbs barely change, and the word order is close to English. Norwegian is often singled out as the easiest, with clear pronunciation and plenty of shared vocabulary. Swedish is very similar, while Danish is just as close on paper but trickier to pronounce.
Spanish is not related to English, but it is one of the most approachable languages to learn. Its pronunciation is regular and phonetic, so once you know the rules you can say almost any word, and its spelling is consistent. It is also spoken by hundreds of millions of people, so practice partners, films and music are everywhere, and much of its vocabulary echoes English words of Latin origin.
Italian is another Romance language that rewards English speakers. Like Spanish it is largely phonetic, so it is easy to read aloud, and a great deal of its vocabulary is shared with English through Latin. Its clear vowel sounds make pronunciation more forgiving than French.
French shares more vocabulary with English than any other language, a legacy of the Norman conquest, so that a large share of English words have French roots (think of table, nation, forest or accessory). That makes reading and building vocabulary quick. The catch is pronunciation and spelling, which are less predictable, so French takes a little more work to speak well, but it is well within reach.
| Language | Family | Why it is easier for English speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch | West Germanic | Closest relative of English; shared vocabulary and word order |
| Norwegian | North Germanic | Very simple grammar; English-like word order; clear pronunciation |
| Swedish | North Germanic | Simple grammar; much shared vocabulary |
| Danish | North Germanic | Close to English on paper; pronunciation is the challenge |
| Spanish | Romance | Regular, phonetic pronunciation; huge learner support |
| Italian | Romance | Largely phonetic; Latin-based vocabulary shared with English |
| French | Romance | The most shared vocabulary with English; harder pronunciation |
For an English speaker, the easiest languages to learn are the close Germanic relatives, Dutch and the Scandinavian languages (Norwegian, Swedish and Danish), and the Romance languages that share so much vocabulary with English, Spanish, Italian and French. What makes a language easy is a mix of family, shared words, a familiar alphabet, simple grammar and regular pronunciation.
Pick the one that appeals to you and lean on what you already know, and it will go faster than you expect, all the more so on an immersion course with SPRACHCAFFE, which teaches Spanish, French and Italian in the countries where they are spoken.
Languages closely related to English or sharing much of its vocabulary are easiest, such as Dutch, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian and French, several of which the FSI rates in its quickest group.
Mainly its closeness to your own: shared vocabulary, a familiar alphabet, similar grammar and sounds you already use all reduce the hours needed to reach proficiency.
Spanish shares a great deal of Latin-based vocabulary with English, uses the same alphabet, and has largely phonetic spelling, so words are read much as they are written.
Often, yes. English is a Germanic language, so Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish share structure and vocabulary that make them approachable, though each has its own quirks.
A course abroad in a nearby-language country builds momentum fast.
