Similarly, having a job where you communicate regularly in a foreign language will help, too. So does studying with a group of language learners who are hoping to travel to another country as they'll make great people to practice with. Generally, the most important thing is that you have a lot of opportunities to practise your new languages.
If that isn't the case, here are three languages on the easier side of things.
Easy Languages to Learn
Spanish, Portuguese and French are three languages that regularly appear in studies as the easiest for English speakers to learn.
Spanish, for example, uses the same alphabet English alphabet (barring a few accented letters) and it has only a few grammatical irregularities.
Portuguese, which shares many similarities with Spanish, also has a lot of common ground with English.
The English vocabulary includes tonnes of French words, words of French origin, or words that found their way to us from other languages via French. Furthermore, it uses the same alphabet and, as a Romance language, shares a lot of similarities with Spanish and Portuguese.
Spanish
Spanish is spoken by 14 million people in the United States. If you live in the US, then you will probably know someone who speaks perfect Spanish. After all, a large percentage of the Spanish-speaking community speaks both Spanish and English fluently.
You can also find a lot of resources for learning Spanish as well as apps and games like Duolingo to get you started.
How Similar to English is Spanish?
Compare these English words: Liberty, dentist, artist, famous, democracy, and photo to the Spanish words: libertad, dentista, artista, famosa, democracia, and foto.
See how similar they are in sound and spelling?
While this is just a small exmaple, many words could be included in examples like this.
Comparing English to Portuguese
To learn a language like Portuguese, you'll be happy to know that it is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Portuguese is the ninth most spoken language in the world.
Where is Portuguese Spoken?
Portuguese, as you could probably guess, was originally spoken in just Portugal. When Portuguese explorers went to South America in the 16th century, they brought their language with them.
In Brazil, Portuguese is spoken as the native language. It is also spoken in as a secondary language in parts of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The Portuguese also colonised West Africa in the 16th century. African countries that also speak Portuguese include Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé, and Equatorial Guinea.
There are parts of India and East Asia that were also introduced to Portuguese through colonisation. East Timor also has a tiny Portuguese-speaking community.
It won't be too hard to find someone else who wants to study and practise speaking Portuguese.
Learning French
Many English speakers are technically already familiar with a lot of French vocabulary. Under Norman rule, a lot of French vocabulary made their way into the English language.
Here are some French words already used in the English language:
- Fiancé
- Déjà-Vu
- Mirage
- Façade
- Pot-pourri
- Hors d’œuvre
- Cul-de-Sac
- Matinée
- Coup-de-Grâce
- Encore
- Souvenir
- Avant-Garde
- Touché
- Risqué
French and Spanish are quite similar, so if you grasp Spanish, you'll be able to learn French.
For example, uno, dos, tres in Spanish is un, deux, trois in French. Of course, the main problem will be confusing the two. Make the most of French culture, go to French restaurants and practice ordering the food or find someone from practice with a French-speaking person from France, Belgium, Switzerland, or Canada, for example.
Learning a language is a great experience and can help you to see new cultures, meet new people, and provide a boost to your career. Anybody who has learned a second language will tell you; you won't regret it.
Finnegan Pierson loves languages and has a passion for different cultures, and writing. As a freelance writer, Finn hopes to influence others to enjoy cultures and be inspired to learn other languages. He is fluent in English and Spanish.
Language is best way to communicate with others while traveling. I recommend you should learn Portuguese language.Thanks the article is very informative and interesting.
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