10 easiest languages for English speakers to learn and master

Learning a new language can lead to a variety of new and exciting experiences and opportunities, ranging from connecting with people and cultures to advancing your career to studying and working abroad. Exploring some easy languages for English speakers to learn can be great to explore these amazing opportunities.

Although each foreign language presents its own set of challenges, the reality is that some languages are simply easier for fluent English speakers to learn. Languages that are more closely related to English share certain characteristics and qualities that make them easier to learn for English speakers. This includes sentence structure, vocabulary, tones, and sounds, as well as the writing system.

In this guide, we will explore 10 of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. You can look up to these languages and come up with your desired direction. But before that, if you are looking for a platform to learn a new language, try italki. The italki tutors are highly experienced and professional instructors who make learning full of fun. Book your lessons and get started!

Frisian

Frisian is thought to be one of the most closely related languages to English, and thus one of the easiest for English speakers to learn. Frisian was once the primary language of what was known as Frisia during the Middle Ages. Although Frisia is no longer in use, Frisian, which is actually made up of three dialects, is still spoken in parts of the Netherlands and Germany.

In terms of sentence structure and vocabulary, English and Frisian are very similar. “Good morning,” for example, translates to “Goeie moarn” in West Frisian. Because Frisian is only spoken and understood by about 500,000 people, there’s little reason to learn it unless you plan to relocate to the Dutch province of Friesland or the German regions of Saterland or North Frisia.

Dutch

Dutch, like Frisian, has a close relationship with English. It is very similar to English, especially in terms of vocabulary. For example, the words “plastic,” “water,” and “lamp” are the same in both Dutch and English. The pronunciation will most likely be the most difficult aspect of this language for English speakers.

Flemish, the dialect spoken in the Flanders region of Belgium, is actually identical to Dutch. Although there are differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and idioms, Dutch speakers can understand Flemish and vice versa.

Dutch is spoken by approximately 24 million people worldwide, and it is worthwhile to learn if you intend to live and work in the Netherlands or one of the other countries where it is an official language, such as Suriname, Aruba, or the Dutch Antilles.

Norwegian

Norwegian, or “Norsk,” like English, is a Germanic language, making it easier to learn for English speakers. It has a large vocabulary in common with English, and unlike some Germanic languages, most Norwegian words are easy to pronounce.

The sentence structure is also, for the most part, comparable to English, if not identical. “He comes from Norway,” for example, is translated as “Han kommer fra Norge.” Norwegian is spoken by approximately 5 million people, the majority of whom live in Norway. It can be a fascinating language to study, with roots in Old Norse, and fluency in Norwegian will give you greater access to the country’s rich literary culture and mythology.

Spanish

Despite the fact that Spanish is a Romance language rather than a Germanic language, it is relatively simple for English speakers to learn because many English words are derived from Latin. Spanish uses the same alphabet as English, and many words are pronounced exactly as they are written.

Another advantage of Spanish for English speakers is that the sentence structure is not only similar to English, but it is also less strict, which means there are often multiple ways to put a sentence together.

If you want to improve your travel experiences and increase your employability, learning Spanish online is a great option. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with approximately 534 million speakers spread across the globe.

Italian

Italian is another Romance language that English speakers can learn quickly. Indeed, Italian vocabulary is widely used in English, and you are probably already familiar with more Italian words than you realize, ranging from food-related terms like “gelato” and “panini” to others like “diva,” “solo,” “finale,” or “fiasco.”

In most cases, Italian and English use a similar sentence structure, and thankfully, the pronunciation is quite logical. This means that once you have learned a few ground rules, you will be able to read and pronounce most words correctly.

Italian is the primary language of approximately 64 million people, and while it is not as widely spoken as Spanish or Portuguese, it is still spoken in many countries other than Italy, including Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, and even Argentina.

French

With approximately 77 million first-language speakers and 203 million second-language speakers, French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is also recognized as an official language in 29 countries, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, Seychelles, and Rwanda.

French, due to its somewhat difficult pronunciation, can be slightly more difficult to learn than other Romance languages such as Spanish and Italian. But still, French and English have many similarities, especially when it comes to vocabulary. This means that once English speakers have had the opportunity to learn some basic rules, they can usually pick it up quickly.

Romanian

You might not have expected to see Romanian on this list. Despite its proximity to Slavic-speaking countries, Romanian is a Romance language that shares much of its vocabulary with Italian, Spanish, and French.

“La revedere,” for example, is similar to the Italian “Arrividerci,” and the apology “Scuză-mă” is similar to the French “Excusez-moi.” It is also a phonetic language, which means that most words are spelled exactly as they are pronounced.

This language has a few more difficult aspects, such as grammatical differences and letters with “diacritics.” However, Romanian, which is spoken by approximately 30 million people, mostly in Romania and Moldova, is a surprisingly simple language to learn.

German

German is a Germanic language, as the name implies. It has many similarities with English, including a similar alphabet, sentence structure, and vocabulary. Everyday German words such as “Wasser,” (water), “Apfel,” (apple), and “Fisch” (fish) are very similar to their English equivalents.

One aspect of German that English speakers struggle with is pronunciation, particularly with longer compound words like “Fremdschämen” (cringe) or “Verschlimmbessern” (to worsen or exacerbate).

While German may not be as easy for English speakers to learn as Dutch or Norwegian, it is a very useful language to learn because it is spoken by over 100 million people in Central Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.

Malay

Malay is spoken by over 200 million people in Southeast Asia. It is an Austronesian language, like Indonesian. Indeed, it has many similarities with Indonesian because a similar variety of languages is spoken in Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore.

Although Malay and Indonesian speakers can generally understand each other, there are some differences in spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary, with Malay relying more on English loanwords and Indonesian relying more on Dutch loanwords.

Malay is widely regarded as one of the easiest Asian languages to learn, owing to its simple grammatical rules and easy pronunciation. Of course, there will be new vocabulary to learn, as with any language, but if you need to spend any amount of time in Southeast Asia, it’s an excellent second language to have under your belt.

Swahili

Swahili is a Bantu language and an excellent second language to have because it is widely spoken in East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. According to various estimates, Swahili is spoken as a native language by approximately 16 million people and as a second language by up to 80 million people.

Indeed, if you have seen the Disney classic “The Lion King,” you will be familiar with several Swahili words, including “rafiki” (friend) and “simba” (lion). “Most Swahili words are easy to pronounce, and many are very similar to their English equivalents. For example, “polisi” means “police” and “baiskeli” means “bicycle.”

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is the easiest and most useful language to learn?

A. German, Arabic, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and French.

Q. What language can no one understand?

A. Latin language. Latin is by far the most well-known dead language. Though it has been considered a dead language for centuries, it is still taught in school as an important way to understand many languages.

Q. What is the hardest language to learn if you only know English?

A. Mandarin Chinese.

Conclusion

Exploring some easiest languages to learn for English speakers can help you make the right learning choices. To track your progress, you can undertake italki quizzes to analyze your weak points. For example, if you are an English learner, you can analyze your skill in English sentence structure formation.

We recommend you take up the italki review and enroll yourself with this learning platform. You can also have a free trial to avail the opportunity of one-on-one lessons. Visit the website to get yourself enrolled.