The 8 Easiest Languages to Learn in 2024
In a completely globalized world, speaking a second language is essential to have better job opportunities, form international relationships, and expand cultural understanding. That’s why we bring you the easiest languages to learn!
If you want to become familiar with a new language to develop your international profile and increase your value as a professional, this article is for you! You will find a list of the easiest languages for you to learn.
A great way to do this is to fully immerse yourself in that language, stay in touch daily and have conversations with native speakers. So what better way to master a language than to study abroad? For this reason, we are also going to tell you about some possibilities that exist for you to travel with a student visa.
Why learn a new language?
Learning a new language goes much further than just acquiring linguistic knowledge. Knowing a second language implies a wide variety of benefits that directly impact various aspects of life.
First of all, we must highlight the professional advantages. In today’s working world, the ability to communicate in several languages is highly valued by businesses and companies.
Additionally, Forbes magazine noted in an article that the coronavirus pandemic increased the need for bilingual professionals. Therefore, if they master a second language they will have many more job opportunities and greater chances of getting the job of their dreams!
On the other hand, there are also a series of cognitive benefits. The thing is that, when learning a different language, the brain faces new challenges that require cognitive capacity. Without going any further, several studies show that polyglots have a greater ability to solve problems and think more creatively.
Last but not least, learning a new language also means immersing yourself in a new culture, with different customs. This not only broadens cultural understanding, but also fosters empathy and respect for other societies.
Tips for learning a new language
The truth is that there is no single definitive technique that works for everyone to learn a new language. Each person is different and the method that works for someone may not work for another. However, there are a series of general tips to enhance learning and not get frustrated along the way.
First of all, it is essential to define specific and achievable goals. Not only will they serve as a guide, but as you meet different objectives, you will experience satisfaction and the desire to continue. There is no point in setting impossible goals, such as learning to speak perfectly in a few months, because that only leads to disappointment.
On the other hand, it is essential to use immersion techniques, that is, immerse yourself in the new language as much as possible. This means they should watch television shows, watch movies, read books and listen to music in the language they want to learn.
Another great option to speed up the learning process is to use the different language applications that are available. In the digital age, it is very easy to take interactive lessons, practice vocabulary and perform pronunciation exercises through a cell phone.
If you have the opportunity, participating in conversations is one of the most efficient techniques. Nothing beats reality. Speaking with native speakers or people who are also learning the same language is an invaluable experience to improve fluency and listening comprehension.
Easiest languages to learn
What makes one language easier to learn than another? Grammatical similarity, historical connection and linguistic structure are some of the elements that facilitate learning.
1. English
There are very different opinions regarding how easy or difficult it is to learn English. However, what there is no doubt about is that it is the universal language: it is the language with the most speakers in the world, with a large majority of people who use it as a second language.
English is influenced by Latin, so many of its words resemble those of Spanish. Furthermore, from a very young age one usually has contact with this language, whether through movies, music or video. Therefore, one usually grows familiar with English and, when it comes to learning it, one has an advantage.
Knowing how to speak English will open many doors for you, especially in the world of work. In a completely globalized world and with the possibility of working for companies in other countries, English is usually the preferred language to communicate in international work settings.
Study English in Australia
As we already told you, what better way to learn than to study English abroad? In that sense, a great option is to study English in Australia. For this, they will need a student visa, with which they will be able to train and even work part-time during the duration of their English course, which must be at least 14 weeks long in an Australian academy that is accredited by the Australian Government.
On the other hand, they can also apply for the Working Holiday Australia: it allows them to stay in the country for up to 12 months, work full-time and study for up to four months.
Study English in Ireland
A great alternative is to study in Ireland, an English-speaking country located in Europe that receives thousands of students every year. In this case, they must take a course of at least 25 weeks to apply for a student visa. In particular, the courses are in Dublin, the Irish capital. They can also choose the Ireland Working Holiday Visa and study there if they wish.
Study English in New Zealand
They also have the option of studying in New Zealand. If you want to get a student visa, you will need to take a course of at least 16 weeks duration. Another option is the New Zealand Working Holiday visa with which you will be able to stay in the country for 12 months, work full time and study for up to six months.
2. Portuguese
Without a doubt, Portuguese is one of the easiest languages to learn. Both languages have many similarities in their vocabulary, grammar and syntax.
However, one should not be overconfident. Several words are spelled and sound alike, but their meanings are completely different. That’s what is known as false friends.
Despite this, Portuguese is positioned as one of the easiest languages to learn. Therefore, if you want to add a second language without major complications, do not hesitate to choose it!
3. Italian
Italian shares many grammatical and vocabulary characteristics with Spanish. That is why, even though they do not know anything about the language if they read a text in Italian they can understand much of what is written. Furthermore, the pronunciation of the letter sounds are almost identical.
You only need to review some of its most common expressions to realize the similarities with Spanish. “Grazie” means “thank you,” “per favore” means “please,” and “probabile” is “probable.”
That is why Italian is a relatively easy language to learn for Spanish speakers, compared to those who speak other languages such as English.
4. Catalan
First of all, it must be clarified that Catalan is not only spoken in Catalonia, but also in many other cities in Spain. It is even used in the Principality of Andorra and in some parts of southern France.
Without a doubt, Catalan is one of the easiest languages to learn. Some challenges that may arise are vocabulary and the pronunciation of some sounds.
5. French
French is another language a bit similar to English which represents a great advantage. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The thing is that, in particular, pronunciation is often very difficult to master.
In that sense, words are not pronounced in the same way as they are written and some of their sounds do not exist in English. Additionally, there are many varieties of vowel accents.
French is the seventh most spoken language in the world. It is spoken not only by natives of France but also by many other people. Without going any further, in Canada, the second largest country in the world, the second official language is French, behind English.
6. Romanian
Although many do not know it, Romanian is one of the many languages that derive from Latin. The lexicon, that is, the set of words that make up the vocabulary, is 70% shared.
However, that doesn’t mean he’s easy to talk to. The thing is that its pronunciation has a lot of influence from European countries.
7. Dutch
Dutch is not too difficult to learn, especially if you already have some basic knowledge of English. The thing is that many of the words are very similar to English, while some sounds are similar to Spanish, such as the letter “j”.
As for words that have similarities with English, there are “week”, “kat” ( cat in English, cat) and “drinken” ( drink in English, drink).
8. Greek
For a Spanish speaker, it is quite easy to learn Greek, especially to pronounce the words in this language, since the phonetics of this Hellenic language is very similar to that of Spanish. It is much easier to speak than to write in Greek.
It’s just that the alphabet is different. However, don’t worry. The vast majority of the letters resemble the Spanish alphabet, many are even used in mathematics or geometry during school, such as α=alpha, β=vita, γ=gama.
FAQs
How long do I need to learn a new language?
One of the most frequently asked questions people ask is how long does it take to learn a new language? However, there is no exact answer for this. The speed of learning depends on several factors.
In that sense, the level of attention you pay, the amount of time you dedicate to the learning process and the attitude you have towards this challenge, among others, influence. Furthermore, not all people have the same speed at assimilating new knowledge.
What language is worth learning?
As we already told you, English is the universal language. This means that having English as a second language will open many job doors for them, as well as allow them to form relationships with many people from around the world.
However, many have different objectives. There are people who would like to move to France, others who would like to work for a company in Portugal and others who would like to meet their relatives of Italian origin. Therefore, not everyone will benefit from learning the same language. It all depends on your objectives and goals.
What is the hardest language to learn?
Mandarin Chinese is considered by many to be the most difficult language in the world to learn. Not only is its pronunciation very complicated, but also its writing. It’s not for nothing: the language is made up of five different tones, including the neutral. That is, the same syllable can have different meanings, depending on what tone it is said with.
Read Also: Top 4 Best Schools to Learn English in Queenstown, New Zealand
If you made it to the end of the article, you already know which are the easiest languages to learn and you know several ways to study English abroad. Don’t hesitate to learn a second language and increase your value as professional!
