One of the most complex languages is Chinese. Each word is designated in it by a separate symbol, which, once you know it, you will still have no idea how to pronounce it. Another challenge is the huge number of homophones - words that are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently and mean different concepts. The tonal system in Chinese also does not make things easier for the learner. In addition to the general intonation of the sentence, each syllable is also pronounced with a different tonality, which determines the meaning of the word.

The Japanese language is not much inferior to Chinese in its complexity. Knowing the symbols also does not give an idea of ​​their pronunciation. Japanese has three writing systems: kanji, which uses Chinese characters, hiragana, which is used to write grammatical particles and suffixes, and katakana, which represents loanwords.

It is estimated that students learning Japanese spend three times as much time studying as those learning English or French.

Arabic also poses a lot of difficulties. Vowels are not used when writing, but consonants have four spelling options depending on their position in the word. Nouns and verbs have to be studied in singular, dual and plural. The nouns themselves have three cases and two genders, and the verb in a sentence is placed before the predicate.

The dialects of Arabic are also of greater complexity, as they can vary as much as modern European languages ​​differ from each other.

The easiest languages

Despite the fact that the English language has a lot of nuances (for example, words are often read differently from how they are written, and a lot of verbs are conjugated incorrectly), it has a simple grammar. Besides, in Everyday life people often encounter English in songs, films, brands and products on supermarket shelves. Getting to know this language better will not be so difficult.

Spanish is also quite easy to learn. The pronunciation is very similar to English, however, unlike the language of the UK and the USA, in Spanish the spelling of words coincides with their pronunciation. The sentence structure in this language is also easy to learn.

For a Russian-speaking person, learning other languages ​​will not be very difficult. Slavic group, and the closer they are to their native language, the easier the training will be. You can learn Ukrainian and Belarusian the fastest; Bulgarian and Czech are somewhat more difficult. Polish is not considered a simple language - it has seven cases, and its grammar is replete with exceptions to the rules.

When you are faced with the task of learning a language, you often wonder which language is the easiest? TravelAsk decided to make a small selection.

How the easiest languages ​​were determined

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs classifies simple languages ​​as those that require approximately 600 hours of study. Certainly, we're talking about about quality ownership.

First of all, they classify the languages ​​of the Germanic and Latin language groups as light. However, German itself will be more difficult: on average, to master it sufficiently, you need to spend about 750 hours studying. The grammar here is quite complex.

But do not forget that the degree of difficulty is still individual for everyone and in most cases depends on personal motivation and interest.

English language

English is considered one of the simplest languages. Judge for yourself: its grammar is not so complicated, it has no cases or gender, and words do not need to be coordinated. And the words themselves are quite short and concise. Add to all this its widespread use: it is spoken almost everywhere. Well, the carriers in English who live in different corners planets are completely calm about the mistakes of foreigners.

French

The French speak as if they sing, don't they? But from the outside it seems that one cannot approach him, such a pronunciation... But, according to experts, it only seems so. After all, many words in French are similar to English. In addition, the language is very popular and is used in many places.

Spanish

Spanish is perhaps one of the easiest languages ​​to learn. It is very similar to English, and its spelling is much simpler: I write as I hear. Many native Russian speakers who memorize vocabulary spellings from the first grade will only envy this rule)

Well, Spanish is quite popular, and its pronunciation is simple. So does grammar.

Italian language

Another language included in our rating is Italian. There are no cases, the pronunciation is quite simple, the emphasis is fixed. Well, the language itself has Latin roots, so it will be familiar to many people. It is also related to Spanish, so if you want to become a polyglot, then choosing similar languages ​​will help you achieve your goal in a shorter time)

Esperanto

Well, Esperanto is considered the easiest language to learn. Some may even be surprised by the existence of this language, but yes, it exists. And do you know why it is the simplest? Because it was developed specifically as a second language for every person, it was even called that way initially - international or language for humanity. According to various estimates, from one hundred thousand to ten million people speak it.

Esperanto grammar is very simple, there are no exceptions at all. And, of course, its undoubted advantage is that it is neutral, since it is not tied to any state. Perhaps its only drawback is that it is not as widespread as English).

Knowledge of a foreign language, and ideally several, has become a great necessity today. First of all, it is prestigious. Secondly, it develops the level of intelligence, and thirdly, it is useful for many areas of human life. You will especially need new knowledge if you work in an area that involves partnerships with foreign partners. Sometimes even favorite hobby forces you to learn one or another foreign language. Therefore, we can say with confidence that foreign languages They open new doors for a person, give them more prospects and chances to realize themselves in life and achieve success. This is an opportunity for career development, study abroad, access to previously inaccessible information and simply mental training.

Which foreign language should I choose to study?

What language is the easiest to learn, and what should you pay attention to? These questions are asked by people who plan to study a foreign language.

It should be noted that the most important and important thing when learning any foreign language is motivation. You need to understand for yourself whether you like speaking and communicating in one language or another or not? This directly determines which language will be the easiest and easiest to learn for you. German, French, Polish or... Japanese. If you need to learn a language that is not interesting to you, then learning it will seem very difficult, even if in theory it is completely wrong. Learning something new, like everything else, should only bring pleasure, intrigue, and interest. Otherwise there will be no sense.

The simplest and easiest languages ​​in the world to learn

Research results from the US Department of Foreign Affairs showed that the most simple languages to study are those for which a person requires no more than 600 hours of classroom instruction. Anything longer than the stated time is very difficult to master.

English is the easiest language to learn

So which language is the simplest? We managed to find out that many people find English the simplest and most understandable. There are no cases at all, no genders, no word agreement, and the grammar is quite simple and understandable. This language is widespread as it is spoken in almost every country in the world. The words in it are clear, short, easy to pronounce, and the verbs change exclusively for the third person.

Native English speakers are calm about the mistakes of tourists and visitors, because many people study English as a second language. The easiest way to learn a foreign language is in a specialized school, but you can easily master a new language using the global network. English language online study for beginners it opens up many opportunities, since in this way you can achieve great results in a few months.

Italian is easy to learn

Italian takes second place in terms of simplicity. It is also simple, because it has no cases, is easy to pronounce, and the vocabulary has Latin roots, in other words, it will be familiar to those people who speak languages ​​of the Indo-European group.

Spanish as a foreign language

Third place belongs to the Spanish language. It turns out to be the easiest language to learn. It is similar to English, has simple spelling and grammar, and is widely used.

French is not difficult to learn online

French is also not difficult. Many of his words are similar to English. This is what allows you to learn French in the shortest possible time. This language is important historical meaning, since it was the first language (before English) spoken by a huge number of the population. It is still considered the second most popular language in the world; it is spoken by 130 million people. Most of them live in France, and the rest in the Maghreb and West Africa.

There are many options to learn this language, for example, via Skype. French Online learning will bring great pleasure, since learning the love language with a native speaker is extremely simple and interesting. “Live” communication will help you speak this amazing language in a matter of days, a maximum of a week.

Esperanto

But don’t forget about other equally easy foreign languages. For example, artificial Esperanto. In it, just like in Spanish, everything is extremely simple; words are written as they are heard. It is an invented language created back in 1887, and for this reason it is really easy to understand and learn. The only bad thing about it is that very few people speak Esperanto.

Thus, we can identify a whole group of the most easy languages, which can be easily learned if you really want to:

1. English;
2. Italian;
3. Spanish;
4. French;
5. Esperanto.

But, if the above languages ​​are easy to learn, you cannot reject other languages ​​that are very popular among people.

Polish language

. Polish. This language is learned by various reasons. Tourists who love Poland, the beauty of its nature and architecture, and the friendliness of the people learn Polish in order to better understand this country. Some people want to read giants of world literature such as Adam Mickiewicz and Henryk Sienkiewicz in their native language. And some people learn Polish, since it is one of the Slavic languages, so for Russian speakers, learning Polish will seem like a very simple task. Learning Polish online will be an exciting adventure that will take the student into interesting world incredibly beautiful language.

Greek language

. Greek. If someone says that Greek is very difficult, don't listen. Only some people, such as the English, find it difficult to learn Greek. It is difficult for them to understand that the table is masculine and the stand is feminine. Their language does not have genders of nouns or declensions of nouns by case, unlike Russian grammar, which is very similar to Greek. As in Russian, in Greek nouns are feminine, masculine and neuter. All nouns are inflected, and verbs are of the first and second conjugation. The exception is articles, which are in Greek, but not in Russian. Anyone who has heard Greek speech will agree that this language is very beautiful. It flows like music. Reading literature in Greek, you never cease to be pleasantly surprised and admire the beauty of the phrases. Learning Greek online is very easy, especially if you really want to.

German as a popular language

. German. German learning online is as easy as learning any other language. This language is one of the most widespread in Europe and the world as a whole. It is spoken in Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, partly in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. German is the official language of the European Union. So why not learn it, at least for these reasons? German speech can be heard in America, Poland and even Kazakhstan. The language is not inferior in its demand to English. He is very interesting and unique. At first, a student may experience misunderstanding of dull German sounds, but over time this feeling will disappear.

It follows from this that one language cannot be called complex and another simple. To thoroughly master a foreign language, you just need to want it, and also turn to professionals for help, which includes the Extern distance learning center. This is where they will help you learn any foreign language based on the student’s initial knowledge. An individual training program and methodology will be selected for each person.

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 a successful career. Language can do a lot for your resume and open up international business opportunities you never knew were possible.

After English, is French, Spanish or even Chinese 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 the 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.

An easy language might be Romance, 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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The first thing you should do is learn English. The second is German. Knowing English and German, you can learn French without any problems, since the lexical base will already be laid. But they will be of practically no use to you when living, say, in the UAE. And you won't be able to use them if you go to work in China or Uganda.

In China, only a few people can communicate in English, and in Uganda, knowledge of Swahili is especially urgently needed - less than 1% of the population speaks English here. We recommend assessing not the global prospects of the language, but its prospects for you, for your later life and work. How to do this, what languages ​​you need to learn and how to compare them with your own priorities? More on this later.

Which language to learn first

English. With rare exceptions, which only confirm the rule. It is the official language in more than 60 countries around the world. English is spoken by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide globe. It is native to more than 700 million people. Look around - best songs, scripts of TOP films, documents, instructions - all this is written in English. Knowledge of it significantly increases your chances of employment and your value as a qualified employee, no matter what industry you work in or what your responsibilities include.

5 reasons to learn English first:

• Opportunity to clarify in most countries of the world.
• Best for travel and business trips abroad.
• The opportunity to watch the best Hollywood films in the original.
• An advantage when getting an education and building a career.
• Possibility of not having to deal with language barriers at home.

It is the most popular language in the world. Moreover, it is universal and applicable in most situations.

Example: you want to go to study abroad, say, in Italy, but you don’t know Italian. Knowledge of English will allow you to choose a program in which you can use a known foreign language for learning as a base one. But if you only know German or French, then the chance of getting an education in Italy tends to zero.

But there are exceptions. They lie in the individual characteristics of each person. If English is not good for you, if you feel sincere hatred for learning it, if you don’t understand logic, there is no point in torturing yourself. Of course, if these are just your feelings, and not the mediocrity of the teacher and incorrectly structured preparation.

Example: singer Shakira knows many languages, but English was the hardest for her. Despite an IQ close to genius and phenomenal learning abilities, the Colombian native still does not speak English perfectly and prefers to sing and speak it only as a last resort.

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What language should you learn as your second, third, or fourth language?

There is no need to guess here - it is important to be guided by desires, needs and the tasks facing you. Motivation is the basis for fast and successful learning. You must clearly understand why you need it and at what level you need to master it. It is recommended to formulate goals and only then begin to consider options.

Let's assume that after graduating from college you want to enroll in one of the Czech universities for a master's program. Then it’s worth learning Czech. Or there is a Japanese-owned factory in your city to make successful career For the manager here, knowledge of Japanese is desirable. We know nothing about the tasks facing you. Therefore, we can offer only the TOP 7 languages ​​(besides English), which are most often chosen for study:

1. German.
2. French.
3. Spanish.
4. Chinese.
5. Italian.
6. Arab.
7. Norwegian.

Let's make a reservation that Scandinavian languages ​​are among the most complex in the world. If you are planning to move to Norway or Sweden but are having trouble learning Norwegian and Swedish, consider your options. It's no secret that Sweden is quite loyal to emigrants, not those who know the language. Moreover, children have the right to be taught in their native language: if there is at least one Russian-speaking child in the school, then they will definitely find a Russian-speaking teacher for him. Therefore, be sure to clarify the need for training.

TOP 5 most promising languages

If you do not set yourself the goal of moving or frequently traveling to a certain country, working in multinational enterprises and being in demand as a translator, then we recommend paying attention to the most promising languages ​​in the world. They may not be the most in demand and not the most popular on this moment time. But if you don’t know which foreign language is better to learn in terms of its prospects in the future, this rating is especially for you.

Chinese

The most common in the world. No one doubts the prospects of the Celestial Empire in terms of economic and industrial development. Strong contacts with Russia, the USA and other leading economies of the world lead to the emergence of a mass of multinational enterprises where knowledge of Chinese is highly welcome. Chinese is made up of at least 10 radically different dialects. It makes sense to learn literary (it is also called Mandarin or Northern Chinese) - you can communicate in it with a speaker of any dialect.

Spanish

It ranks third in terms of prevalence among all languages ​​of the world. It is also one of the easiest to learn. It is used not only in Spain, but also in many countries that were once colonies. Not all of them are alike - for example, in Mexico they speak a special dialect of Spanish called Español mexicano. Eat significant differences, but if necessary, you can speak classic Spanish with any Mexican - they will understand you.

German

Germany is one of the strongest economies in the world, one of the most developed and comfortable countries for living. Therefore, the language has not lost its promise for more than a century. German is spoken not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, and a number of other European countries. It is especially promising for employment and emigration to Europe.

Arab

It ranks 4th in terms of prevalence in the world. More than 240 million people speak it in different parts of the world. The difficulty is that the language has a lot of local dialects, and studying classical Arabic does not guarantee that you will understand them. However, you will be understood - you will be able to express yourself not only as a tourist, but also as a specialist.

Japanese

The official Japanese language is only in Japan, but it is in demand to varying degrees in at least 25 Asian countries. By the way, it has a minimum of similarities with Chinese; you should not combine the study of these two languages, mistakenly assuming their identity. From the point of view of prospects, it is worth noting the development of the state’s economy and the scientific industry. Japan is one of the world leaders in terms of GDP.

What foreign language should I learn to emigrate?

Naturally, this depends on the country to which you plan to emigrate. Our advice will only be relevant if you have not yet decided on your future place of residence.

We are guided by information about the most popular countries for emigration among Russians. What languages ​​should you learn according to this data:

• English – most often Russians prefer to emigrate to the USA. It is also in demand for admission to universities in the USA, Great Britain, Canada and a number of other countries under special programs and grants that cover tuition costs.
• German and French – perfect option, if you want to emigrate to these countries, staying there after completing your studies. Education in these countries is practically free (except for mandatory fees of 300-500 euros per semester).
• Italian is required for immigration to Italy. Interestingly, the level of English proficiency in this country is almost at the same level as in Russia. In general, Italians, unlike many Europeans, do not speak English well.

Also popular destinations for emigration are the Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Russian citizens are also willing to emigrate to European countries– to Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and the Baltic countries. But according to surveys, less than 10% of Russians ready to emigrate plan to go to Asia.

What foreign language should a child learn?

Here again, it is important to be guided by the child’s living conditions. You shouldn’t choose the simplest language – choose the most promising one. At the same time, observe the child’s enthusiasm and desire to learn. If you see that he is absolutely indifferent to learning, change the tutor or place of study. If the result remains the same, it makes sense to choose another language to study. The most popular are English, French, German and Spanish. The native languages ​​of the parents (or one of the parents) should not be taken into account.

Which language is better to study as an additional language? It makes sense to pay attention to options with the simplest grammar - Italian, French.

Teachers disagree on whether a child should even learn two languages ​​at the same time. It is important to monitor the condition of children - they should not be overloaded. You shouldn’t take away their childhood, guided only by your own ambitions and the desire to get a well-rounded child prodigy. Observe the child’s attitude towards the educational process - his desire is extremely important.

The easiest and most difficult languages ​​to learn

The starting position is important here: for example, knowledge of English will significantly simplify the study of languages ​​of the Latin and Germanic groups. Your native language is also important. It's no secret that the easiest languages ​​for Russians to learn are Ukrainian and Belarusian, Bulgarian and Serbian. However, they cannot yet be called promising in a global sense. Therefore, we note the easiest European ones to study:

• English.
• Italian.
• Spanish.
• French.

Spanish is considered to be the simplest language - it is characterized by simplicity of spelling, grammar and pronunciation. As it is heard, so it is written, there is no need to be afraid of making mistakes. Ideally, if you know English - Spanish has a very similar vocabulary, and learning will proceed as quickly as possible. The second and third places are Italian and French, respectively. English is more difficult, but also quite accessible.

It is from him that all dialects were formed, so even if you move to a country where pure linguistic variations are not practiced, you can quickly adapt. IN classic version It is also easiest to trace the logic of word formation and sentence construction. It is often clearer and more pleasing to the ear. Almost always it is literary and official for the preparation of documents.

Conclusion

Learn the languages ​​that you need and are interested in. Without necessity there is no motivation, and without sincere interest there is no desire. Both of these components form the basis for successful learning. There is no point in studying when the process only causes you tension and irritation. You must genuinely enjoy learning. You must understand why you are studying this particular language, what prospects it opens up for you, and what it allows you to do in the future.

If you don’t know which languages ​​are worth learning right now, try to look into the future. Figure out where you want to live and what you want to do. Choose English as a base and master it at a decent level. If you already speak English, move on to others. But be careful - only some people are able to study French and, say, German at the same time. In other cases, separate training is required.

Which foreign language to study: TOP-5 most promising