Is it difficult to learn a foreign language? If you are willing to commit the time and find a studying solution that works for you, students can learn more than 10 languages in just 5 years. It’s important that you are practicing enough and have enough endurance to get to the level of high proficiency. But the truth is, nobody can learn 5 tongues until they won’t gain a high level in at least one of them. If you are only a beginner and you still don’t know which language to start from, specialists recommend choosing the easiest ones. There are 5 ones which linguists consider as the simplest ones for native English speakers.
How to Choose the Right Language to Start?
Most people willing to study foreign languages have the following motivations:
- They learn foreign tongues for general self-development: These people never choose difficult ones because they need these skills to appear smarter, read their favorite books in an original writing or to make their life tougher. They don’t study Chinese or Korean as they cannot get enough proficiency without lessons of a native Korean teacher, so they study languages which they can master without additional help or where native speakers are more readily available.
- They need to have a high proficiency for a job placement or entering University in other countries: for those who are planning to enter foreign University, it is much better to start learning the language 3 years or more before so as to have a considerable level at the start of an application process;
- They study foreign tongues for traveling or fun: If you are that kind of learner, you are not restricted to choosing the one you like. I’ve been studying Spanish myself as a continuation of my high school studies and because we love cruising to Spanish speaking countries. It’s also helpful in everyday life. If you are studying a language for fun, but don’t know which to choose, grab a map and lay it out in front of you. Then think of all the places you want to visit and what language they speak. For motivation, watch some travel videos from those countries!
5 Languages You Can Learn in 24 Weeks
- Spanish. If you come to linguists and ask from which tongue to start, they will recommend Spanish. It is not only the third most popular language in the world, but it is one of the main requirements for a lot of vacancies in the US. Although Spanish pronunciation, word structures, and vocabulary are different from English, you will learn it very fast if you often visit Spanish-speaking communities and try to understand their talk or even join a discussion.
- Portuguese. This language also remains very popular being a national one of Brazil and 9 other countries. Although its nasal sounds can be strange and quite difficult for the first time, you will easily adjust and start speaking like a real Portuguese. The Portuguese speech has a nice rhythm, so you will not feel sleepy or distracted while hearing what they say to each other. Also, don’t forget about intonation because the same group of words can be used as a question or as an affirmative sentence.
- French. You may not consider the real value of French language until you find yourself not able to get around in Quebec or other Canadian French-speaking cities. Although the languages seems a little rude for the first time to some, it brings a lot of charm to those hearing it. It is easy for English people not because you are familiar with most of its alphabet but because a lot of English words have a French historical background, so you will not spend much time on vocabulary.
- Norwegian. Yes, despite it being a bit tough regarding writing, Norwegian is actually much easier to learn than most of the European tongues. Norwegian has the same grammatical structure and syntax as English so the most difficult part will be studying new vocabulary. Vocabulary should also not be that difficult because a lot of words have a similar background with those used in English.
- Dutch. Most people confuse it with German but Dutch is quite different and much easier to learn. The Dutch language uses the same pronunciation as English so there is no way you can get confused about pronouncing some words. Dutch is very straightforward, but like Norwegian, it is not very popular. It can be a nice choice as a starting language for those who like something more challenging.
You can have another motive for learning foreign languages but if you want to succeed, remember one rule: work regularly and never stop. Mastering these languages takes time and it may be a lot of hard work to speak like a native, but all the hard work will certainly pay off as your abilities will increase dramatically.
