Speak Easy: The Simplest Languages to Learn

Use It or Lose It
Anyone can sign up for a language class or listen to Rosetta Stone tapes, but the bulk of language-learning is done in the real world. Doing conjugation exercises in a workbook can only take you part of the way, so when choosing a language, it’s important to choose one that you can practice regularly. In this respect, Spanish is a good choice, since it’s spoken by so many people in the United States and abroad. It’s easy to find strangers to converse with, which will expose your ear to different accents and dialects, and it will force you to broaden your vocabulary. Other languages leave fewer opportunities for regular practice, but anywhere in America, it’s possible to tune in to Spanish television and radio, find Spanish-language newspapers, or see Spanish signs to translate. Using the language regularly is the most important part of learning, and no language is more ubiquitous in our culture today than Spanish is. 

Ultimately, being able to learn a second language depends on your relationship with English, which isn’t exactly known for being an easy language to learn. Although English has some easy characteristics, such as non-conjugated verbs, it has a vocabulary that surpasses most other languages of the world, and it is full of irregularities. It can be hard even to learn the simplest foreign language if your grasp of English isn’t complete. Also, more important than ease is how you’re going to use a language. Spanish is incredibly helpful in the Western Hemisphere, but if you desire to learn about classical music or philosophy, German is more important. If your future plans include traveling through Europe or Africa, French is a more important lingua franca. Most of all, regardless of other considerations, the easiest language is the one that you’re anxious to learn. If your lifelong goal has been to speak Polish and visit your ancestors’ homeland, you’ll find it an easy task, even if experts deem it the most difficult language in the world. The experts also have something else to say … the second language may be difficult, but the second one makes the third one even easier.