No matter the difficulty level of your new language, Rosetta Stone makes learning easy, effective, and fun. Russian is one of the most famous European languages with over 150 million speakers across the world. Modern Greek is maybe the easiest language to learn that uses a different alphabet. On the other hand, Polish doesnt distinguish as many tenses as English does - theres only past, present, and future combined with a perfective and imperfective verb aspect. Then you better be ready to study. If your goals align more with a Level 1 or 2 proficiency, you may be able to learn a language even faster. Polish. She's currently learning Dutch (and forever brushing up on her Spanish and French) using the Rosetta Stone app. 8 Hardest Languages to Learn In The World (Especially the 6th) - Jumpspeak 10 Most Difficult Languages in the World! | Leverage Edu One word is capable of 10 different translations as a result. Because of its pictorial writing system, you aren't going to be able to learn to read phonetically. They studied in the Soviet Union, in Russian-speaking schools, completed university in the Russian language and now we are all transitioning to Ukrainian. How To Learn Spanish and Chatting with Native Speakers When it comes to the similarities between the Slavic languages, their kinship lies in the fact that they all derive from a common ancestor the Proto-Slavic language. Despite the fact that Greek roots are found throughout the English language, Greek is among the hardest languages for English speakers to learn, according to . It takes approximately 24-30 weeks (600-750 hours of practice) to reach professional working proficiency in these languages. Prepositions behave similarly to English, and questions have many question words that are simple enough to remember. 25 Hardest Languages to Learn, Ranked | Far & Wide Its synthetic nature gives rise to a complex system of declension and conjugation. Hungarian is an agglutinative language. It's beautiful and valuable when you travel to that side of the world. Whether for gaining a deeper cultural understanding of a country or for the simple necessity of co-existing and even performing business, multilingual speakers put themselves at the forefront of new possibilities. The Hardest Languages in the World to Learn, The 14 Hardest Words to Pronounce in the English Language, Stop Using These Phrases to Sound Instantly Smarter, 40 Latin Phrases So Genius You'll Sound Like a Master Orator, 7 Common Phrases That You Didn't Know Have Racist Origins, Hungarian is a member of the same small language family. When it comes to pronunciation, the real difficulty factor comes into play for tonal languages. This is one of the giveaways that a person's native language is Slavic. Russian. Korean and Arabic may not be as hard, but theyre still challenging. If youre looking for ease of learning, finding a language with familiar or easy-to-master grammar rules can help you tone down the language difficulty level. For instance, lina means "linen" in Estonian, but linna means city., Where its most commonly spoken: Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece. New: Russian Names - Learn the history of Russian names. Grammar can be a tricky one, even in your native language. Korean uses an alphabet, but unlike Spanish or French, its letters combine to form syllabic blocks. All Rights Reserved. There are also Bulgarian speakers in some of the neighboring countries. Japanese requires a large amount of study to learn because its writing system includes three different scripts, and the language includes different vocabulary and grammatical forms to use based on social context. For example, , , , , , , , and are all different letters that you might have a hard time distinguishing between if you're new to the game. Russian. The 5 Hardest Languages to Learn For Spanish Speakers (or Not?) brzcze. She is a polyglot and a digital nomad. The term hard language refers to their complexity. One example is Thai. A professional translator, she now works as a cultural and language liaison for the Rubizh brigade, a part of the national armed forces engaged in fighting around Bakhmut. For this reason, it is worth learning all Slavic languages - each of them is unique. There are 30 letters in the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet. Someone who speaks German, someone who speaks Farsi, and someone who speaks Vietnamese will likely have massive differences in what languages they find easy or hard to pick up, because the native languages theyre starting with are so dissimilar from one another. First, it helps you determine how much of a challenge youre up for in your language journey. It is also the most geographically widespread language. Lets take a look at them in more detail. They make decisions faster. Maria Stambler, a Russia-American bilingual speaker, who used to teach English, explained: "Words and phrases like `Tina Turner' and `happy birthday' are hard to pronounce because Russians . It consists of some extinct languages, including Thracian, Illyrian and Dacian, while also featuring some grammar rules and vocabulary from Greek and Latin. Russian speakers could also request Russian versions of other documents, such as marriage certificates. For English terms you need to finally perfect, here are 23 Words You Need to Stop Mispronouncing. As with learning Russian, becoming fluent will depend highly on the learner. Plus, it doesnt even take that long to get used to the new alphabet, as its pretty straightforward! Without a doubt, Finnish is one of the most difficult languages for English speakers. What Is the Hardest Language to Learn for Non-English Speakers? It has six declension cases, which dont exist in English and can be challenging for English speakers to comprehend. Beginning language learners may want to start with an easier language, such as Spanish, German or Italian. Russia announced similar plans for other regions it controls, though some of the proposals, like introducing the Russian currency rouble in the Kherson region, are in flux. Spanish speakers do have one small consolation when learning Arabic: the languages share a surprising amount of vocabulary. Here's a look at the top 10 hardest languages to learn: Knowing language difficulty will also help you come up with a realistic timeline for learning. In 1989, for example, while about 40 percent of the Donbas population identified as ethnically Russian, more than 60 percent considered Russian as their mother tongue. However, theres no way of accurately guessing the gender of the noun. Easier, too, to keep your eye on the prizeyour personal language goalsat all times. Spanish, French, and Italian are all descendants of Latin and have many similarities. The language is also known for having very confusing conjugations. It has 7 declension cases for nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. And the alphabet's a breeze, assuming you can read Russian. In other words, a native speaker of an East Slavic language is unlikely to understand a West Slavic language. These are "super-hard languages" that are "exceptionally difficult for native English speakers" to learn, including Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Korean. Forget carpe diem. } ); . In order to become fully proficient in any Slavic language, you need to invest years of study. The grammar is also loaded with exceptions that require a ton of practice. Russian is rated a two of three in difficulty by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which ranks languages based on how long it would take the average native English speaker to learn it, so it's not as difficult as some of the other languages on this list. One example is Arabic. The very subtle language features minute changes in sound and context as well. Across Ukraine, reports suggest that many of the roughly 20 percent of Ukrainians who identified as Russian speakers in March 2022 are actively choosing to distance themselves from the language of their aggressor. In terms of grammar, a lexical and grammatical similarity exists between Bulgarian and Macedonian. Some languages, such as Arabic and Russian, are notoriously difficult to learn for English speakers. Russian is a Slavic language, the 7 th most spoken language in the world by the total number of speakers, which, unfortunately, does not make the task of learning Russian much easier Russian is widely believed to be one of the most difficult languages to learn. A very serious shift has occurred in the consciousness of many people, said Zahalskyy, a landlord who used to own a pharmacy business. The pronunciation is what will get you. Although Slavic languages are similar in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics, they are all entirely different from English. In contrast to the similarities between the Romance languages listed above, German and Mandarintwo languages of different families with entirely unique writing systemscouldnt be more linguistically distant. This is just one example of unique grammar rules that dont exist in other languages. According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Spanish belongs to category I by difficulty. Georgian has its own writing system that no other language uses. The script is almost entirely phonetic, which means that once you pick up the pronunciation of the letters, you can quickly begin reading fluently. The silent D, can really throw learners for a loop, with the DD in jeg hedder sounding more like an L. Along with finding places to use Gaelic (theres a major drop in usage in Ireland, never mind globally), the language also has many grammatical cases and dialects that prove hard to pick up. Russian grammar and phonetics would sound more familiar to you, and some Polish and Russian vocabulary is related. Conclusion: Very Difficult. The four key ways that determine language learning difficulty are: Languages can be grouped into language families based on how they developed and common ancestor languages. Do Not Sell My Information | Thats why knowing the difficulty level of a language in relation to your native tongue can be useful. Grammatically, verbs often come before the subject, while there are many dual forms of words in addition to the singular and plural forms. Terms & Conditions | Whether youre interested in learning an easy or hard language, Rosetta Stone can help you achieve your language goals. Hardest languages to learn for English speakers . Russian also has many words where consonants are grouped together, which makes spelling and pronunciation difficult. 1. Comparison: Hardest Languages To Learn - YouTube Most experts believe that to become truly fluent in Russian that is thinking and speaking in Russian requires 7-10 years of study. February 8, 2022. A major reason why is that Finnish has so many different noun cases and verb conjugations that can shape words depending on their context. Another intriguing yet foreign concept to many English speakers, for instance, is the emphasis on respectful speech. Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian belong to this group. This list of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn comes from data gathered by the US State Department. And pronunciation requires some practice because there are sounds that don't have an equivalent in English. Macedonian is the language spoken in Macedonia, which used to be part of the former Yugoslavia. In addition, consonants and vowels are made up of three specific lengths: short, long and overly long. Polish is undoubtedly one of the hardest languages to learn for English speakers due to its complex grammar and pronunciation. On the one hand, each letter only has one pronunciation ever. So, what are the origins of the Slavic languages, and what are they? To begin with, the Slavic languages derive from the Proto-Slavic language - their immediate parent language. Gabe Wood is a writer for Rosetta Stone and other websites in the IXL family of brands. Unusual grammar, difficult pronunciation, and six different tones make Vietnamese a challenge for English speakers. To be able to read and write, you have to learn thousands of characters. First of all, there are many resources available online to learn Russian, and its also taught in many languages schools. Thus, Russian . The best time to start learning a language is today. Experts say these things bring unlucky energy. Thats because Czech is a highly complex language. Furthermore, it requires learning the Greek alphabet, which is not a requirement for the majority of European languages. Tarasuik disagrees, but says Russia has unintentionally reversed decades of Russification. Russian is the most spoken native language in Europe and the 8th most-spoken language in the world. New: Lesson 18 - Russian Homes and Apartments - Learn all the words needed around the house. Where its most commonly spoken: Iran, Afghanistan. 11 Hardest Languages To Learn - StoryLearning The Korean language doesnt have an equivalent phoneme. One of the most intriguing aspects is that emphasis can completely change the meaning of certain words. Whats the logic there? Maybe its PTSD, but we react negatively to the media in Russian, she said. Most major writing systems generally fit into one of these categories: The easiest writing systems you can learn are ones of the same type and that use the same letters or characters as your native language, while the hardest writing systems to learn are different types altogether. So far, she has traveled to 28 countries and lived in 4. Navajo is hard enough to figure out that code talkers in World War II used the language to develop a code for communicating that the Germans wouldn't be able to track. This means that, rather than containing individual prepositions, prefixes and suffixes are added onto words. Syllabaries: These use symbols to represent syllables. Start dropping carpe vinum instead. And because there are no characters, its harder to visualize them for memorization purposes. 12 Easiest & Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers