Speak Easy: Top 7 Easiest Languages to Learn with Your English Knowledge

By Iryna Smuk

Key Takeaways:

• Although mastering a new language demands patience, perseverance, and consistent practice, there are certain languages that those who have already mastered English may find comparatively more accessible to learn.
• Dutch, Spanish, Norwegian, Italian, Portuguese, French, and Indonesian are the top languages that are relatively easy to learn with your English proficiency as a foundation.
• It is relatively easy for English speakers to learn those languages due to some shared qualities and characteristics of English, such as sentence structure, vocabulary, tones, sounds, and writing systems.
• According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Native English speakers can achieve fluency in those languages from 24 to 30 weeks.

Do you want to expand your linguistic horizons, but feeling daunted by the prospect of learning a new language? Although mastering a new language demands patience, perseverance, and consistent practice, there are certain languages that those who have already mastered English may find comparatively more accessible to learn. This is due to the shared qualities and characteristics of English, such as sentence structure, vocabulary, tones, sounds, and writing systems.

So, let’s dive into the top 7 languages that are relatively easy to learn with your English proficiency as a foundation and how much it will take to master it according to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).

DUTCH

Dutch, spoken by 22 million people globally, is a West Germanic language. It’s spoken by the majority of citizens of the Netherlands, as well as a large portion of Belgium’s population.

Due to its close relation to English, Dutch is relatively easy for English speakers to learn. This language has similar grammar to English and only two past tense conjunctions, making it easier to understand and use.

Despite some pronunciation differences, Dutch shares many similarities with English, particularly in vocabulary. Here are some examples of words that are similar in Dutch and English:

• Boek — Book
• Appel — Apple
• Wereld — World

Approximate learning time is 24 weeks (575–600 hours).

SPANISH

Spanish is a global language spoken by almost 500 million native speakers around the world, and more than 23 million people study Spanish as a foreign language. Spanish ranks as one of the top choices for English speakers seeking a second language.

It is a remarkably phonetic language, meaning that words are pronounced very close to their written form. However, grammar can be challenging for English speakers due to several different verb tenses.

Despite these challenges, it is Spanish’s similarities to English, including shared Latin roots, that make this language relatively easy to acquire. Here are some examples of words that show how similar some words are:

• Final — Final
• Ópera — Opera
• Múltiple — Multiple

Native English speakers can achieve fluency in Spanish within 24 weeks (575–600 hours).

NORWEGIAN

Norwegian is a North Germanic language. Over 5 million people speak it, and it’s the official language of Norway. This language shares striking similarities with English, making it an appealing choice for language learners.

The main problem of Norwegian is that there are two official written standards of this language: bokmål and nynorsk. And it is not like in the case of English where different varieties are used in different countries (British vs. American English, for instance), but those two standards are used in one country.

However, many Norwegian words closely resemble their English counterparts. Pronunciation flexibility adds to its appeal, as various official written standards in Norway allow for multiple correct pronunciations. Here are some examples of a few similar words:

• Katt — Cat
• Tre — Tree
• Snø — Snow

One of Norwegian’s perks is its straightforward grammar, featuring only one verb form per tense. Moreover, Norwegian’s grammar is further streamlined by its lack of grammatical gender. The familiar subject-verb-object word order in Norwegian mirrors that of English, enhancing the ease of sentence construction and comprehension.

Mastering Norwegian will approximately take 24 weeks (575–600 hours).

ITALIAN

Italian, a Romance language descended from Latin, shares a substantial linguistic kinship with English. Italian boasts 63 million native speakers, with an additional 3 million speaking it as a second language, mainly concentrated in Italy, Switzerland (mainly Canton of Ticino), and parts of Croatia and Slovenia.

It shares Latin origins with English and Spanish. Over 60% of Italian words have cognates, or words with a common ancestor, in English. Here are some examples of word similarities:

• Generosità — Generosity
• Attenzione — Attention
• Futuro — Future

Pros of learning Italian include straightforward pronunciation, spelling rules, and similar sentence structure in most cases. However, some challenges exist, such as verb and adjective conjugation, as well as pluralization.

The approximate time to learn is 24 weeks (575–600 hours).

PORTUGUESE

Portuguese, a Romance language spoken by over 250 million people worldwide, holds official status in Portugal and Brazil, while also being widely spoken in countries like Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.

Portuguese’s relatively phonetic nature aids English speakers in mastering pronunciation. Also, it has a familiar sentence structure.

For English speakers, Portuguese presents itself as one of the easiest languages to learn, with over 80% of Portuguese words having cognates in English. Here are some examples of words that show similarity:

• Fluência — Fluency
• Chocolate — Chocolate
• Situação — Situation

However, there are false cognates, these are words that look like they should have the same meaning, but don’t. Moreover, navigating its grammar, especially verb conjugations, can pose challenges.

To attain fluency, native English speakers need approximately 24 weeks (575–600 hours).

FRENCH

French is a Romance language and is spoken by over 270 million people around the world. It’s the official language of 29 countries and some major international bodies, like the United Nations.

Despite being slightly more challenging than some of its counterparts, French’s linguistic kinship with English simplifies vocabulary acquisition for English speakers, with over 50% of French words having cognates in English. Here are some examples of words that are similar:

• Édition — Edition
• Univers — Universe
• Romantique — Romantic

However, its pronunciation is tricky compared to other Romance languages, where most words are pronounced as they appear. It will require practice to understand pronunciation rules and use them correctly.

Native English speakers can achieve fluency in French within 30 weeks (750 hours).

INDONESIAN

Indonesian, a member of the Austronesian language family, uses the Roman alphabet. It is spoken by over 40 million native speakers and more than 150 million non-native speakers. Indonesian does differ quite a bit from the Germanic and Romance languages on this list, but it’s surprisingly straightforward for English speakers to learn.

Words in this language are pronounced closely to their written forms. Many words are identical to both languages, and even more are very similar. The reason for this is that the Indonesian language, first, developed as a lingua franca and, second, had been hugely influenced by Dutch. Here are some examples of it:

• Advis — Advice
• Rute — Route
• Kartun — Cartoon

Grammatical simplicity is a hallmark of Indonesian, with minimal verb conjugations, no grammatical genders, and no plurals (simply repeating the word twice). Although Indonesian grammatical structures are very different from those in English, their lack of rules makes learning grammar a lot easier.

English speakers can attain fluency in Indonesian within 36 weeks (900 hours).

Hence, embarking on the journey to learn a new language can be both exciting and rewarding, especially when armed with English as a starting point. While this list provides valuable guidance, it’s essential to consider your individual preferences, motivations, and learning styles when choosing a language. Just be consistent in your learning journey, put in enough effort, and be patient!

What language are you most excited to learn after reading about these seven easy options? Please, tell us in the comments.

By the way, you may be interested in our article about The easiest languages to learn on your own or 5 cutting-edge apps that use AI, VR, and AR.

Follow us on other social media: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter