Learning a foreign language is a long process that involves many aspects and phases. It certainly takes time, no matter what language. It is for sure that some languages may feel more accessible than others.
Let’s look at what languages are hardest for English speakers to master.
Because it depends on various factors, there is no definitive answer to this question. For example, the native language of the learner, the level of commitment and motivation, and the resources available to them. It is for sure that some languages are more challenging to learn than others.
Some of the most complicated languages to learn for English speakers include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. These are all tonal languages with complex writing systems. Other difficult languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Thai, and Vietnamese. Please note that this is a generalization and will always be individual exceptions.
You might ask, “why are these languages so hard to learn?” For example, one problem for Arabic is that there aren’t many cognates to help give English speakers a head start on vocabulary. So, for Arabic, the problem is that there aren’t many cognates available to give English speakers a head start on language. Then there’s the fact that written Arabic tends to drop vowels.
The best way to determine how hard a particular language is to learn is to consult someone who has experience teaching that language.
