Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to the question of which language is easiest to learn. Firstly, it depends on what your native language is. Secondly, it depends on whether you already speak any foreign languages. Thirdly, on your motivation: are you enthusiastic enough to start regular exercise?

But suppose we are talking about a Russian-speaking person who is determined to learn foreign language.

The easiest way for a Russian speaker to learn one of the languages ​​of the Slavic language group: Eastern (Ukrainian, Belarusian), Southern (Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian) or Western Slavic (Czech, Polish, Slovak).

Next come the Romance languages: French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and others. To simplify the learning process, many experts even recommend studying English after French. Dutch, for example, is best studied after English, and Yiddish after German.

Thanks to the complexity of Russian grammar, it is quite easy for Russian speakers to master other languages, however, there are stumbling blocks for us too. Thus, Turkic (Turkish, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Uzbek and others) or Finno-Ugric (Hungarian, Finnish, etc.) languages ​​are not easy for Russian speakers. It’s not easy for foreigners (not just Russian speakers) to speak Chinese. At the same time, apparently, the most difficult thing is not to memorize hieroglyphs or cram grammar - all this is quite understandable - the most difficult thing for foreigners is to cope with spoken language. The tone system of pronunciation and the huge number of dialects make it difficult to interact with native Chinese speakers. It takes students several years to simply learn to understand Chinese speech. Many never reach the level of fluency in the language.

However, in some ways, dividing languages ​​into simple and complex is nothing more than a convention. Polyglots say that after mastering three foreign languages, you can say that you will receive all the rest as a gift. At the very least, learning them will be very easy for you. In addition, it makes sense to focus primarily on the demand for languages ​​in general and the need for these languages ​​specifically for you. Any language will be easy to learn when you are motivated, but not easy if you don’t fully understand why you are learning it.

There is also an opinion among scientists that the main thing in learning foreign languages ​​is to acquire basic knowledge: the most popular grammatical structures and a minimum lexical set. Everything else, as they say, is a matter of technique, or rather, your perseverance and perseverance.

Teacher's advice:

Learning a foreign language becomes easier when you practice it a little every day. Each language has its own special sound. The more you listen to the language, the easier it becomes. Reading helps strengthen your grammar and your lexicon, so read every day. It doesn't matter if you listen to the news or music, or read a book, magazine or website, the most important thing is a little bit every day.

Learning a language becomes easier when you practice a little every day. Every language has a different sound and the more you listen the easier it gets. Reading improves your grammar and vocabulary so read a little every day too. It doesn't matter if you listen to the news or music, or read a book, magazine or website, the important thing is to a little every day.

How many people, so many opinions

Not everyone agrees with such a breakdown of the groups of foreign languages ​​that are easiest and most difficult for a Russian person. Thus, Anna Kravchenko, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Translation at Moscow State Linguistic University, is sure that there is no such thing as consistency and ease in learning foreign languages. According to her, each of us has our own abilities and mentality. However, she believes that after mastering three foreign languages, the fourth and subsequent ones are easier to master, since a person has his own system for studying them.
Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian State University for the Humanities Sergei Gindin also notes that general rules in the sequence of mastering foreign languages, they are not accessible to a Russian-speaking person. Only relative ease is possible between two similar languages. For example, someone who has studied French It will be easier to learn Spanish, which also belongs to the Romance group.

Another specialist in foreign languages, simultaneous translator Dmitry Petrov, who has been hosting the popular “Polyglot” program on the Kultura TV channel for several years, believes that a certain complexity of the Russian language gives us, its native speakers, a big advantage when learning foreign languages. Whereas an Englishman has a much more difficult time in this regard.

However, for Russians there are languages ​​with categories that are not found in Russian. For this reason, it is not so easy for Russian-speaking students to master Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages with a different logic. But Dmitry Petrov emphasizes that the difficulty of any foreign language is mainly a myth and, if desired, you can master any. Moreover, it is quite acceptable to study two languages ​​at once. He also calls not to be afraid of an accent, since every person in the world, even native language speaks with some kind of accent. For example, in the same Great Britain there is classic version, the so-called Royal English, in which work time the announcers, some politicians and the queen say. Otherwise, there are dozens of absolutely incredible dialects and accents, including London.

However, many believe that when learning a foreign language you should be guided not by ease, but by its relevance. As you know, currently English is such a language, and a significant part of Russians study it. But the future is not his at all. Thus, Gennady Gladkov, who heads the department of language training and the Bologna process at MGIMO, is confident that in 50 years the most relevant language in the world will be Chinese, which will overtake English due to the growth of the population and economy of the PRC.
It is generally accepted that Chinese is one of the most difficult foreign languages ​​for Russian speakers. However, those who dared to master it claim that this is not so. In particular, it is not at all necessary to know more than 80 thousand characters; most Chinese do not know them. For example, to read, it will be enough to master only one thousand of them.

Learning languages ​​has long ceased to be fashion trend and has turned into a necessity - today a highly paid job will be given to the applicant who can speak two, three or even four foreign languages. Therefore one of current issues among students and ordinary people - which ones to study.

What is the difference between an easy language and a difficult one?

It is almost impossible to say which languages ​​are the easiest to learn, because speakers of languages ​​of the same group can easily learn each other's language, since they have similar vocabulary and grammar. And, conversely, it will be more difficult for them to learn the language of another group, since it will have many differences. But there are a number of characteristics that make it possible to distinguish easy language from complex:

in complex languages ​​and in easy ones - short;

the more rules a language has, the easier it is to learn and, conversely, the fewer, the more difficult it is;

the more homonyms a language has, the more difficult it is;

languages ​​with Latin or Cyrillic alphabet are easier to learn than those that have their own alphabet;

it is easier to learn the spelling of a language in which all words are written as they are heard;

The fewer dialects a language has, the easier it is to learn.

Thus, the easiest languages ​​to learn are those based on the Cyrillic or Latin alphabet with the largest number rules and the smallest number of homonyms.

Language difficulty levels

How ordinary people, and professional linguists wonder what is the easiest language to learn. Research has led to the fact that all the languages ​​of the world were divided into three groups based on complexity parameters.

Most easy foreign the language to be studied is any language from the Latin and Germanic groups; training will require from 600 to 750 hours.

Languages ​​of average complexity are Indo-European, Turkic and the study of which will take from 900 to 1100 hours.

The most complex foreign language is any language that has its own alphabet and vocabulary - Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, Georgian and other languages. The training will require at least 2200 hours.

Top 6 easy to learn languages

What is the easiest language to learn? As the US State Department notes, this is a language that will require no more than 600 hours to learn. This is exactly how long it will take to speak an unknown language tolerably. Thus, the easiest languages ​​to learn in are the following Indo-European languages:

English - due to the lack of gender, cases, and word agreement. In addition, his grammar is simple, verbs change only in the third person, and the words are short. A nice bonus is that native speakers easily perceive the speech of those learning their language and are tolerant of language errors, since today many people are learning English. In the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and some African countries it is official.

French - Some words of this language are similar to English and it is easy to learn as it is one of the most popular languages ​​in the world. In France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and some African countries it is the official language.

Italian has simple pronunciation, no cases, and its vocabulary is rooted in Latin. The area of ​​Italian-speaking countries is small - Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Switzerland and Argentina.

Spanish has simple grammar and spelling, and vocabulary is similar to Italian and English. In terms of the number of speakers, it is not far behind the most popular languages ​​- only 4th place after English, Chinese and Hindi. Distribution area: Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

Portuguese is similar to Spanish, but it is not easy for their speakers to understand each other due to the fact that the first language is a sibilant. The distribution area is African countries, Brazil and Portugal itself.

Esperanto is the easiest language, as you can master it in a month. In terms of similarity, it is close to Spanish. Esperanto is not official in any country, but it may be recognized as official in the European Union.

Which language is suitable for Russian speakers to learn?

It is suitable for a person to study a language that is in the same language group as his native one. For example, it is easy for an Italian to learn Spanish or Portuguese. What is the easiest language to learn for Russians? Since Russian is one of them, it will be easiest to learn Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Czech or any other Slavic language. Of the European ones, the easiest to learn are those whose culture and sound are closest to the student - for example, expressive Italian or Spanish is suitable for temperamental people, and French for romantics. The same applies to languages ​​of the 3rd complexity group. This is explained by the lack of similarity with the native language, so learning them will require the same amount of time and effort.

You may need a foreign language for admission. Or maybe you just want to know him, but you just can’t decide.

We want to tell you that there is no answer to this question, and here's why.

Motivation for learning a foreign language

The best foreign language to learn is the one with which you will be most successful. Motivation is one of the most important factors influencing success in language learning.

If you are learning a language because you want to get ahead in life, say to go to university or future work abroad, you are motivated by your goal.

But if you need a spoken language to travel around the world, you are unlikely to stop at just one specific language a certain country.

Language for school

Many students are required to take the world's most popular language as part of their curriculum. What is the best language in this case?

While some may choose languages ​​that are considered easy to learn, the best foreign language is really the one that has the most overlap with other subjects where you study.

French, German and Greek are good languages for science and philosophy. if you love modern Art you may need Spanish. Italian maybe best choice for students interested in music. An engineer may need Japanese.

Language for business

I understand why job seekers would want to know which foreign language is best for successful career. Language can do a lot for your resume and open up international business opportunities you never knew were possible.

After in English followed by French, Spanish or even Chinese, which are suitable for career advancement? Research says any of the above languages ​​can stand alongside Arabic. But it also depends on the chosen career.

In the US, Spanish is the second most spoken language after English. If you think you will have Spanish-speaking clients or colleagues, then this is the language for you. But if you work, for example, with Brazil, then you need Portuguese. If you want to sell your product in the Middle East, this is Arabic. In Asia, it's Chinese.

And although it is useful to know all these foreign languages, there is one universal language - English. So why do you need to choose which language to learn?

Because if you speak Spanish, French or Chinese to your future business partners, managers or clients, you can gain much more experience. Understanding culture is key to business success, and culture comes with language.

So what is the best foreign language to learn for your career? It all depends on how and where you see your career!

Languages ​​that are difficult to learn

When people decide to learn a foreign language for their work or study, they are often less interested in learning the language than in how they can use it.

Russian, Arabic and Chinese languages are often seen as difficult languages ​​to learn for native English speakers. If you choose this language, then only because it is necessary.

But the difficulty of a language is relative, because a person still knows how to speak it.

Languages ​​that are easy to learn

Simple language means you spend less effort learning the mechanics, which frees you up to focus on communication, which helps you reach a more advanced level.

In easy language can become a Romance language, Spanish or French, so you don't have to learn a new alphabet. But when choosing a language that's considered easy for English speakers, it's important to consider that if you don't love its dynamics, you're still doomed to fail. Dutch is similar to English and is therefore considered one of the simplest languages. That doesn't make it the best foreign language for everyone.

Foreign language for your life

The best foreign language is the one that makes the most sense to you in your life. What are your interests and your career? Do you like challenges, or would you prefer a language that is easier to learn?

When thinking about why you want to learn a language in the first place, determine which foreign language fits best into your lifestyle. We are all unique and each has its own conditions.

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What is good for a Russian is death for a German. However, in linguistics everything is not so simple, and this law also applies in the opposite direction. In almost any language, Russians have sounds that cannot be reproduced on the fly. Some of them take months to master.

Traditionally it is believed that the most Difficult language- Chinese. In practice, mastering pronunciation is not particularly difficult for people with good hearing. Of the sounds that our speech apparatus is not used to making, the most difficult in this language is the sound “r” - something between “zh” and “r”. Chinese is composed, first of all, of its tones, of which there are from 4 to 9 (in the Cantonese dialect). The Vietnamese language has even more tones - about 18. If we talk about European languages, in particular about German, then the most difficult ones for a Russian person are ä, ö, ü. But learning to pronounce them is not difficult, since in our speech there are words, when pronounced, we involuntarily make similar sounds, for example, in the words “muesli” or “honey”.

The beavers wandered along the log

French, with its nasal consonants and the “r” sound, is a little harder to master. What is the norm for France (elegant grazing), Russian speech therapists are trying to correct. In our country, people who were unable to pronounce a hard “r” were called burrs, and the tongue twister about the Greek who stuck his hand in the river, and about beavers on a log, is one of the exercises designed to help in producing this sound. In some dialects of German, this grazing also sounds, but more booming - such as the famous “French little sparrow” by Edith Piaf. Among the English, the letter “r” is not pronounced at all, but is only indicated by a sound more similar, as in Chinese, to “w”.

East is a delicate matter

Eastern culture is very different from Slavic, and Semitic culture is just as sharply different language family. For example, it contains sounds that have no exact analogues in Russian. These include, in particular, guttural ones, pronounced not with the mouth, but with the throat. Hebrew has four, as does Arabic. In the territory of modern Israel, they were practically reduced, but among those Jews who were born in Arab countries, they are found. The same can be said about some Caucasian languages ​​with their guttural sounds, for example, Adyghe, Chechen, etc. You can imagine these sounds if you remember a trip to the ENT. The very “a” that he forces us to say by pressing the root of the tongue with a spatula is precisely the laryngeal one. The harshness of the sound of Arabic speech, which seems not very melodic to many Slavs, is due to the presence of such throat sounds. Interdental sounds, in which the tip of the tongue is located between the upper and lower teeth, are also a novelty for Russian people, but in some European languages ​​they exist, for example, in English. Arabic back-language words, also found in the languages ​​of the northern peoples, are also very difficult to pronounce. The famous Baikal is the Yakut Baigal, modified by the Russians for ease of pronunciation, where the “g” is just the back lingual.

From the clatter of hooves, dust flies across the field

Onomatopoeia with the clatter of horse hooves and clicking of the tongue is just entertainment for Russian people. But there are peoples for whom such sounds are the norm of speech. Those who watched the film “The Gods Must Be Crazy” will remember how one of the main characters and all his Aboriginal fellow tribesmen spoke in a language that sounds very strange to us. Khoisan languages. They are spoken by only about 370,000 people in southern Africa and Tanzania. They are common mainly among the inhabitants of the area surrounding the Kalahari Desert. These languages ​​are gradually dying out. The clicking consonants are called “kliks”, and their number sometimes reaches 83. In addition to the Khoisan languages, kliks are also found as the main components of speech in Bantu and Dahalo. With desire and patience, a Russian can master any language, including Khoisan. It's just a matter of time.