| Stran v tématu: [1 2] > | Poll: Which of the following is the easiest language to learn for an English speaker? Autor vlákna: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which of the following is the easiest language to learn for an English speaker?".
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As I am a non-English speaker, I don’t know, but I’d risk saying German as both belong to the same language family.
| | | | Novian Cahyadi (X) 
Local time: 02:15
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
but I’d risk saying German as both belong to the same language family.
Both German and Norwegian are Germanic languages, though. But they differ in the sense that German is West Germanic, whereas Norwegian is North Germanic.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Itálie
Local time: 21:15
angličtina -> němčina
+ ...
There are some unexpected similarities between English and Italian, probably due to Latin influences via French. I think being a native Italian speaker was an advantage for me when learning English for this reason.
Another factor that makes Italian easier to learn is that Italian words are almost always spelled as they're written. In German, for example, you'd need to learn that "ei" is spelled "ai", how to spell "ü", and that an "s" is sometimes spelled "sh", and so on. Not to mention th... See more There are some unexpected similarities between English and Italian, probably due to Latin influences via French. I think being a native Italian speaker was an advantage for me when learning English for this reason.
Another factor that makes Italian easier to learn is that Italian words are almost always spelled as they're written. In German, for example, you'd need to learn that "ei" is spelled "ai", how to spell "ü", and that an "s" is sometimes spelled "sh", and so on. Not to mention the 3 genders in German vs. 2 in Italian. ▲ Collapse
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Novian Cahyadi (X)
Local time: 02:15
| Germanic (cont.) | Jul 25, 2025 |
Can we really still consider English as part of the Germanic family? English has committed so much adultery with members of the other families that its kin are ashamed to be associated with it.
[Diedit pada 2025-07-25 08:19 GMT]
| | | | Zea_Mays
Itálie
Local time: 21:15
angličtina -> němčina
+ ...
Zea_Mays wrote:
There are some unexpected similarities between English and Italian, probably due to Latin influences via French. I think being a native Italian speaker was an advantage for me when learning English for this reason.
Another factor that makes Italian easier to learn is that Italian words are almost always spelled as they're written. In German, for example, you'd need to learn that "ei" is spelled "ai", how to spell "ü", and that an "s" is sometimes spelled "sh", and so on. Not to mention the 3 genders in German vs. 2 in Italian.
Just found this: https://www.adrosverse.com/similarities-differences-english-italian/
| | | | Alison MacG (X)
Velká Británie
Local time: 20:15
| Glitch with this poll? | Jul 25, 2025 |
This poll has been stuck at 21 votes since it first became visible to me several hours ago.
In addition, I am being told that I have voted in this poll when I definitely haven't (this is my first experience of that particular commonly reported bug).
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But there are two Norwegian languages: Bokmål and Nynorsk.
Which one is meant here?
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| German, at least if you have Latin | Jul 25, 2025 |
I would say German, Norwegian, Russian, Chinese in that order.
Having to learn a new alphabet is not a big problem, but having to learn Chinese characters is a lifelong project for some. How easy learners find the structure of the language will probably depend on the individual.
Having tried both German and Danish, which is very close to Norwegian, I would say German is the easiest.
My Latin teacher's thorough explanation of cases was an advantage. (Nominative, Ac... See more I would say German, Norwegian, Russian, Chinese in that order.
Having to learn a new alphabet is not a big problem, but having to learn Chinese characters is a lifelong project for some. How easy learners find the structure of the language will probably depend on the individual.
Having tried both German and Danish, which is very close to Norwegian, I would say German is the easiest.
My Latin teacher's thorough explanation of cases was an advantage. (Nominative, Accusative, Dative and Genitive - plus Vocative and Ablative for good measure!) Of course, a good German teacher can spring Latin over and explain just as well with German. I rushed through the basic stages, and never spent enough time practising, but I read it fairly fluently and speak enough to get by and understand a fair amount. I love the vocabulary and the way it builds up.
The subjunctive is a hurdle for many English speakers, which you have in German, but it is vestigial in Norwegian, like English.
German pronunciation and spelling, if you are going for Hochdeutsch, are more consistent and logical from an English point of view.
Norwegian has two written forms, Bokmål, which is closely related to Danish and widely used, and Nynorsk, a written form which attempted to relate more closely to spoken dialects. Beginners can probably skip Nynorsk in many parts of the country, but it is taught in schools in some regions.
To English ears, both written forms of Norwegian are a long way from the spoken forms, so if you depend a lot, as I do, on relating to the written language, you will find pronunciation difficult. I cannot understand the spoken language without written subtitles. I speak Danish as fluently as many natives, but it sounds completely different!
The grammar is probably closer to English than German, but I have only a passive knowledge of it and no formal training apart from where it is the same as Danish.
The vocabulary is fascinating for an English linguist, but probably not more difficult than any other language for a non-specialist.
[Edited at 2025-07-25 13:48 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Novian Cahyadi wrote:
Can we really still consider English as part of the Germanic family? English has committed so much adultery with members of the other families that its kin are ashamed to be associated with it.
[Diedit pada 2025-07-25 08:19 GMT]
English is a Germanic language not because of the Germanic origin of its words, since only about 25% of English words are of Germanic origin, but because the vast majority of English used in everyday communication (the core vocabulary) is Germanic, including basic verbs, pronouns, numbers and family terms. Also Germanic are its syntax (SVO), its function words, the distinction between "strong" and "weak" verbs, its uninflected modal verbs and its verb conjugations.
The Latin and French influences on English over the centuries haven’t changed English’s essential Germanic nature. Rather than replace Germanic words, they’ve contributed nuances to the language, giving it the largest vocabulary of any widely spoken language, with 600,000 words per the OED. (Yes, Korean and Japanese do have larger vocabularies, but they aren’t as widely spoken.) This means English can express shades of meaning that other languages simply can’t. Some examples: “ask,” “help,” “start” (Germanic via Old English and/or Old Norse, introduced by the Vikings) and “inquire,” “assist,” and “commence” (from French via Latin).
One of the most interesting examples of this that I've studied is the names used for farmed animals and their meat. Before the Normans came, the Anglo-Saxons raised animals and called both the animals and their meat by Germanic names: cow, pig and sheep. The Normans, who spoke French, were not farmers; they were the ones who ate the meat and they used French words like beef, pork and mutton. That’s why in English we use Germanic words for the animals but French words for the meat.
I consider this immense, nuanced vocabulary to be one of the main challenges of ES-EN and EN-ES translation. And, among other features, it makes English a very difficult language to master.
The English language is the result of the incredible history of its birthplace, England. It’s absorbed vocabulary from the Celts (they left us just a few words of their unwritten pre-Roman speech), the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings, the Norman Conquest, the Renaissance, British colonialism and nowadays even Korean and Japanese.
So rather than English’s Germanic kin being ashamed to be associated with it, perhaps they’re just a bit jealous of its storied linguistic wealth. It is, by far, the richest of all Germanic languages.
[Editado a las 2025-07-25 13:05 GMT]
[Editado a las 2025-07-25 13:06 GMT]
[Editado a las 2025-07-25 22:51 GMT]
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
As I am a non-English speaker, I don’t know, but I’d risk saying German as both belong to the same language family.
Definitely Norwegian, mainly due to similar and relatively simple grammar and very similar syntax. Norwegian nouns have two (female is obsolete, only male and neutral in use) genders and use suffixes for definite form. Otherwise grammar should be very straight forward for native English speakers. It should be about learing the words.
German, on the other side....
[Edited at 2025-07-25 13:25 GMT]
[Edited at 2025-07-25 13:26 GMT] A lot of typos...
[Edited at 2025-07-25 15:43 GMT]
| | | | Edith van der Have
Nizozemsko
Local time: 21:15
Člen (2016)
angličtina -> nizozemština
+ ...
| I guess Norwegian, not German | Jul 25, 2025 |
I am Dutch and learnt German in secondary school and Swedish - very similar to Norwegian - in my young twenties. The latter was much easier because it doesn't contain so much grammar where one can fail. Different word genders are present in all these languages, unlike in English, so that would be hard for English speakers. But hey, Norwegian has only two and German three 
[Edited at 2025-07-25 14:47 GMT]
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Edith van der Have
Nizozemsko
Local time: 21:15
Člen (2016)
angličtina -> nizozemština
+ ...
| Danish pronunciation | Jul 25, 2025 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
I would say German, Norwegian, Russian, Chinese in that order.
Having to learn a new alphabet is not a big problem, but having to learn Chinese characters is a lifelong project for some. How easy learners find the structure of the language will probably depend on the individual.
Having tried both German and Danish, which is very close to Norwegian, I would say German is the easiest.
I found learning Swedish to be easier than learning German. One issue with Danish - which is much less of a problem with Norwegian and Swedish - is its pronunciation. One has to get used to the "singing" in Norwegian and Swedish; before that, it just sounds uncomprehensible even if you already have quite a good basic vocabulary that you can use to read it. However, the Danes only pronounce half or so of what they write, so I assume that getting the "click" in your head to understand them when they speak will be a bigger challenge. I tried to master this but never succeeded.
| | | | Paul Lambert
Švédsko
Local time: 21:15
švédština -> angličtina
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| A close call | Jul 25, 2025 |
I see most people are saying German, but I still think Norwegian would generally be somewhat easier for a native English speaker to learn. Yes, some point out the technical distance between languages, English and German being West Germanic, while Norwegian is North Germanic, but I don't think that has any practical manifestation in terms of ease of learning.
I would guess Norwegian is easier in terms of grammar, having a similar word order as English, particularly in subordinate cla... See more I see most people are saying German, but I still think Norwegian would generally be somewhat easier for a native English speaker to learn. Yes, some point out the technical distance between languages, English and German being West Germanic, while Norwegian is North Germanic, but I don't think that has any practical manifestation in terms of ease of learning.
I would guess Norwegian is easier in terms of grammar, having a similar word order as English, particularly in subordinate clauses, and not being as highly inflected as German. While both languages would be relatively easy for an English speak to learn, I imagine that mastery of Norwegian would come more quickly to a learner for those reasons. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Novian Cahyadi (X)
Local time: 02:15
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