Top 20 Easiest Languages to Learn

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the global dialects that native English speakers would have little difficulty adapting to their daily lives.

#20: Russian

We’re glad that this list is about learning a new language, rather than learning to read a new language. That’s because Russian isn’t exactly the easiest to write, read and comprehend. Still, phonetic learning of Russian is possible, thanks to the scores of resources made available to the public. These include online tools, such as Babbel or Rosetta Stone, as well as old-school, in-person classes. After all, Russian is a beautiful language, and those who can successfully adapt the challenging phonetics into their daily routines will come out feeling accomplished on the other end.

#19: Hungarian

The language examples contained at the bottom of this list admittedly possess more of a challenge than the typical romance dialects. Hungarian, for example, with its verb conjugations, suffix choices and complex word formations might prove daunting for those just starting out on their language journey. This is why we recommend taking it slow, and learning the basics first, preferably in small doses every day. The end results will certainly be worth it, but consider Hungarian not exactly as a starter language. Instead, think of it as something you tackle after retaining a couple of different global tongues under your belt.

#18: Welsh

Learning a new language, like anything else, requires time and patience. Welsh has gained a certain reputation over the years as being an unwieldy and difficult language to learn for native English speakers. However, there are also many sources out there that claim this reputation is both unfair and unearned. For starters, there’s a lot of consistency within the Welsh alphabet, especially in how it is utilized in sentences. There’s also a strong influence from Irish and Latin, which can make learning Welsh feel somewhat natural and easy for English speakers seeking to throw themselves a challenge.

#17: Frisian

You may be forgiven for not being immediately familiar with the term “Frisian.” It refers to a cluster of West Germanic languages localized in and around the North Sea. That said, these common dialects from both Germany and The Netherlands hold roots in the Middle Ages, and are generally considered to be a little similar to English. As a result, picking up Frisian might feel like a breeze, particularly to those who already speak German or Dutch. But even if one doesn't, many linguists acknowledge that Frisian remains one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn.

#16: Haitian Creole

It’s one of the most beautifully vibrant languages of the Caribbean Islands; simple, straight-forward and quite easy to learn. It’s Haitian Creole, and new speakers will likely be refreshed by this dialect's lack of common verbal stumbling blocks. For example, there are no silent letters that are usually found within Haitian Creole’s parent language, French. Additionally, the phonetic pronunciation and minimalist approach to grammar make latching onto the basics super easy, even for those just starting out. There’s also certain commonalities to basic French, meaning that if one already knows that language, then Haitian Creole should be a breeze.

#15: Filipino Tagalog

The rudimentary elements of Filipino Tagalog may speak to its origins as a localized sub-division of traditional Filipino, but this simplicity also makes it easy to learn. The roots of the language stretch across a varied linguistic family tree, borrowing from Spanish, Malay and even some basic English words. There are noted differences with regards to phrasing and conjugation, however, and adapting Filipino Tagalog to one’s daily conversations will take time. But learners will find that by either diving into language apps or going all-in with cultural immersion, fluency becomes less a distant goal and more an inevitable reward.

#14: Swahili

This East African language is another that contains roots from dialects like Portuguese, German and Arabic. There are also some commonalities with other languages on this list that make Swahili comparatively simple. This is especially true for English speakers, as the language borrows quite a few words from English that are only slightly altered, such as “penseli” for “pencil” and “mashine” for “machine.” Writing out Swahili as you learn can be a helpful tool for those seeking to master the language, which is spoken by around 60-150 million people worldwide. Plus, once you’ve gotten a hold of Swahili, tackling other African languages becomes far less intimidating.

#13: Malay

Several countries around the world, including Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, speak Malay, which makes it a useful language to have under your belt. Surprisingly, the actual process of learning the language is easier than one might imagine. For starters, the Malay language also uses the Latin alphabet, which is shared by English, so at least you don’t have to worry about encountering strange letters. Also, Malay keeps things relatively straightforward grammatically, with no complex verb conjugations, tenses or tricky plurals. Although, it’s worth mentioning that different countries and regions put their own cultural spin on the language, so a deep understanding of these nuances will serve to enhance one’s fluency.

#12: Indonesian

Language buffs will likely have varying opinions on which continents possess the most challenging dialects. But many agree that Indonesian stands out as one of the easiest languages to learn, outside of Europe. One major reason for this is that Indonesian is a phonetic language, meaning that words are pretty much pronounced as they are spelled. What you see is what you get, literally. While there aren’t a lot of overlaps in vocabulary between English and Indonesian, it does borrow some words from Dutch which, like English, is also a West Germanic language. Also, Indonesian doesn’t use grammatical case or gender, which leaves learners with less guesswork and fewer awkward mistakes.

#11: Romanian

When we think of “Romance languages,” the first ones that come to mind are typically Italian, Portuguese, or French. Romanian also belongs to this family, however, and as a result could potentially be learned with ease. This is provided, of course, that the speaker is already somewhat familiar with a language such as Spanish, since Romanian actually shares some common phrasings. But even without prior familiarity, it’s not impossible for someone to learn Romanian cold, it may just require extra work. This added complexity stems from the influence of Romania’s slavic neighbors, such as Ukraine, Moldova and Hungary, which has shaped its otherwise Romantic roots.

#10: German

Admittedly, German sounds pretty intense, but thankfully, it’s not as hard as it seems. Like most of the languages on this list, German uses the same alphabet as English. Both languages also use comparable stress and intonation patterns, and share a number of vocabulary words. If you’ve ever ordered a pretzel or a bratwurst from a delicatessen, you’ve already got a few German words in your arsenal! One thing that might pose a problem, however, is the grammar – especially word genders: for example, a spoon is masculine, a fork is feminine, and a knife is neutral. There doesn’t seem to be any logic to it, but you’ll probably forget once you get to Oktoberfest anyway.

#9: Norwegian

The first of a few Scandinavian languages to make this list, Norwegian is one of many languages whose word order and ways to pronounce words may be familiar to English speakers. Plus, verbs are a snap: you don’t even have to conjugate them based on person or number, and conjugating for tenses usually only means adding one letter! Put that all together and that means this North Germanic language is relatively simple for Anglophones to pick up. Though it began as Old Norse in roughly the 8th century, Modern Norwegian dates back to the 16th century, and today roughly 5 million people across the world speak it. Just think of all the new friends you could make if you spoke norsk!

#8: Swedish

No, not that kind of Swedish! Spoken in Sweden, parts of Finland and probably by some overzealous Ikea employees, Swedish actually shares some characteristics with English: both are Germanic languages, both have two genders and both use a similar Subject-Verb-Object syntax. What’s more, both languages share many similar words, like “absurd,” “December” and “orange.” What is different about Swedish is its use of a pitch accent, meaning you can differentiate between different words based on the tone or pitch in which they’re spoken – which makes it sound kinda singsong-y. Okay, the pronunciation can be kinda tough, but even so it’s estimated by some that it’d only take an English speaker about 24 weeks, or 600 hours, to learn Swedish.

#7: Danish

Mastery of the Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish or Norwegian, will likely go a long way in learning Danish. This is due to the fact that native speakers of these languages can generally translate the others with relative ease. That said, English speakers can also expect Danish to be approachable, even without any prior experience or exposure. This language from Denmark does admittedly possess more vowels than English, but the vocabulary and grammar should make sense after some lessons. It’s a straight-forward Scandinavian dialect that sounds lyrical, pleasant and beautiful.

#6: Afrikaans

Used mainly in South Africa and Namibia, Afrikaans is spoken by an estimated 15-23 million people around the world. It’s actually a descendant of the Dutch language, with roughly 90-95 percent of its vocabulary coming from Dutch. However, all things considered, Afrikaans is a simpler language than either Dutch or English: there are no verb conjugations, like speak, spoke and spoken, or noun genders as in a language like French, and its sentence structure is relatively logical. So, once you have a few words memorized, you’ll be able to start building sentences in no time! Good luck (or geluk)!

#5: Esperanto

Created in 1887 by Polish Doctor L. L. Zamenhof, Esperanto was intended to be a bridge between people of different nations, cultures and native languages. The idea was that this constructed language could easily be learned and spoken around the globe, enabling people to communicate through a neutral tongue. And, it really is simple: the spelling is intuitive and the grammar rules are a breeze, since it was planned without irregularities. Today, it’s spoken by about two million people worldwide to varying degrees, and aside from being easy to learn, it’s also been shown that learning Esperanto makes it easier to learn a third language. So, if you’re interested in expanding your vocabulary significantly, Esperanto is a good start!

#4: Portuguese

It was called “the sweet and gracious language” by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes – well, that’s a ringing endorsement! This Romance language is already spoken by over 250 million people in the world, and – alongside Spanish – has been pegged as the fastest-growing European language after English, according to UNESCO data. One easy thing about Portuguese is the fact that if you can say something, you can ask it as a question – all you have to do is change your intonation: for example, “we’re here” becomes “we’re here?” Plus, its close relationship to Spanish means that learning Portuguese would give you a leg up to learn it as a third language. Win-win!

#3: French

Français: la langue d’amour – or the language of love if you don’t speak it yet! Spoken by 220 million people worldwide, this romantic romance language has a lot in common with English; in fact, according to some experts, almost half of all English words – or roughly 80,000 words – have their roots in French. This is a result of the Norman Conquest of 1066, when William the Conqueror of Normandy invaded and became the first Norman King of England. So, today, French is quite familiar to Anglophones, and therefore easier to learn. Yes, you’ll have to power through the grammar, phrase structure, word genders and weird accents, but isn’t it worth it? French just has that certain je ne sais quoi.

#2: Italian

Bellissimo! Arguably the second language of love, Italian has this melodic quality to it you can’t help but fall in love with. Compared to English, Italian verbs can seem a little more complex, but don’t worry: there are some words in common to help you out – minute and minuto, paradise and paradise, impossible and impossibile, and many more! The fact that the Italian alphabet only has 21 letters to the English alphabet’s 26 makes the language that much easier to master, as well, with the letters J, K, W, X and Y only being used in imported words and names. And don’t forget: you also have to learn the hand gestures!

#1: Spanish

One of the Iberian Romance languages, this Latin-based tongue is spoken by almost 600 million people worldwide, and is recognized as an official language in more than 20 countries. With so many people speaking Spanish, it makes for a very appealing option when it comes to choosing a second or third language, because you’ll be able to communicate with that many more people. What’s more, it’s also fairly easy for Anglophones to learn, as about 30-40 percent of English words have a similarly spelled and pronounced Spanish equivalent that means the same thing – like family and familia. So what are you waiting for? You probably learned some in high school, so brush up – it’ll be no problema.




How many languages can you speak? Do you think it’s ever too late to try learning something new? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.