As a non-native English speaker, finding a language to learn can be hard. Therefore, it would be best to look for the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers.
This article will detail the languages that are hard for you if you are a non-English speaker. So let us dive in.
What Are The Hardest Languages To Learn For Non-English Speakers?
Each language learner has his reasons and ability to learn. Every learner has different experience levels and goals.
Some languages are generally more difficult for English speakers to learn than others.
These languages tend to have complex grammar rules and unique sound systems. Or they might have a completely different alphabet.
So, what are the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers? There is no definitive answer to this question.
Since it depends on several factors. Including a person’s native language and their level of fluency in other languages.
However, some experts have compiled a list. The top ten hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers. These languages include:
1. Chinese:
Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, with over 955 million speakers.
Unfortunately, it is also the hardest language to learn for non-English speakers.
The main reason why it is so difficult is that it has a different grammatical structure than English.
For example, there are no tenses in Mandarin Chinese. So you must rely on context clues to determine when something happened.
There are also no plurals or articles, so you must guess whether a word refers to one thing or many things.
These things make Chinese a complex and hard language to learn.
2. Arabic:
Arabic has 28 consonants, only two of which are in English. That’s already quite a challenge for non-native speakers.
But it gets worse. Each letter has varying forms, depending on where in a word it appears.
As well as numerous diacritical marks that can completely change the meaning of a word.
No doubt, Arabic is one of the most difficult languages to learn for non-native speakers.
It is a complex language with a unique script, and its grammar rules can be challenging to grasp.
So if you’re planning on learning Arabic. You better be mentally prepared for a serious commitment of time and effort.
3. Japanese:
Japanese has three alphabets and thousands of characters. Plus, a sentence structure that is from back to front.
No wonder Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers.
There are three different scripts in Japanese: hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
Hiragana and Katakana are both phonetic alphabets where each character represents one sound.
On the other hand, Kanji are ideographic characters. Where each represents a word or concept.
In addition, there are two different types of speech in Japanese: formal and informal.
You use formal speech when talking to someone of higher rank, such as a boss or a teacher. Informal speech is mostly used when talking to friends or family.
Finally, the sentence structure in Japanese is different from English. In English, we typically start with the subject followed by the verb.
In Japanese, sentences typically start with the topic followed by the comment. So, for example, “I am going to the store” would be “store-ward go-ing I am” in Japanese.
4. Russian:
Russian is one of the most difficult languages to learn for non-English speakers.
It is a Slavic language related to other languages like Czech and Polish. Russian is also a very formal language.
So it can be difficult to master the correct level of formality for different situations.
Russian has a lot of grammar rules and exceptions to those grammar rules.
For example, it has six cases (nouns’ role in a sentence). While English has two or three genders (male, female, and neuter).
The verbs have different endings. Depending on whether the subject is first-, second-, or third-person singular or plural.
5. German:
Interestingly, it is not only the sheer number of rules. That makes German one of the hardest languages for non-native speakers to master.
But also that these rules are often applied in seemingly random ways.
The gender of words, for example, has very little to do with their meaning. And has everything to do with their history (derivation).
Consequently, this grammatical gender can change over time. A word that was once masculine might become feminine (or vice versa) without any change in meaning.
This makes German one of the hardest languages learn overall.
6. Dutch:
Dutch is not a difficult language for English speakers, but it is certainly not one of the easiest. And in that light, it is hard to learn for non-English speakers.
English and Dutch share some similarities but also some significant differences.
For one thing, Dutch pronunciation can be very different from English. Even the grammar is also quite different. But with a little effort, you should be able to learn Dutch.
But as a non-English speaker, it can be a bit difficult to learn Dutch.
7. Swahili:
Swahili is a complex language with many different dialects. that makes it one of the hardest languages for non-English speakers to learn.
It is the official language of Tanzania and Kenya. But it is also spoken in Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Difference languages have influenced Swahili, including Arabic, Portuguese, and English.
So, if you do not know any of these languages, it might be easy for you to learn Swahili. Otherwise, it can be hard for you to learn it.
8. Spanish:
Spanish is one of the hardest languages for non-English speakers. That is because of its pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Spanish has a lot of different sounds that are difficult to produce.
For example, the “ñ” sound is made by placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and flicking it off. Which is difficult for speakers of other languages.
Spanish has many grammatical rules that differ from English.
For example, Spanish has gender-specific nouns. Meaning that each noun is masculine or feminine.
Spanish has many cognates. That can make understanding what someone is saying difficult. Especially if you don’t know the vocabulary.
9. Hindi:
For non-English speakers, Hindi may be one of the hardest languages to learn.
In addition, while English is widely spoken worldwide. Hindi is only spoken in India and South Asia. That can make it difficult to find resources and people to practice with.
Hindi also has a very different grammar than English.
It is a fusional language. Meaning that words are created by combining multiple shorter units of meaning.
That can make it difficult to understand sentence structure and word order.
Another challenge of learning Hindi is its complex writing system. Hindi uses the Devanagari script, which consists of over 50 different characters.
That can make it difficult to read and write Hindi words correctly.
Hindi is a phonetic language. This means to pronounce words precisely is more important than learning to spell. It can be difficult for non-native speakers to get the hang of things.
Additionally, Hindi has many dialects, which can complicate things for learners.
10. French:
French is one of the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers.
The grammar is complicated. And the pronunciation can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the language.
Additionally, French has many different dialects. That can make it even more difficult to understand
So, as a non-English speaker, it can be tough to learn French. Though not entirely impossible.
11. Finnish:
Finnish is the hardest language to learn for non-English speakers. That is according to the latest research.
The Languages of the World report, published by Witlytic, looked at factors. Such as grammar, vocabulary, orthography, and phonology.
To determine which languages would be most difficult for English speakers to learn.
The top five hardest languages to learn were. Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.
All of these languages have different grammatical structures than English. Hence they require significant amounts of memorization.
Additionally, they use different scripts. Which can make them even more difficult to learn. Finnish might be your language if you’re looking for a challenge.
12. Hebrew:
Many factors contribute to how difficult a language is to learn. It varies depending on the individual.
However, some languages tend to be more difficult. Especially for non-native English speakers than others.
One of the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers is Hebrew.
This is because Hebrew has a completely different alphabet than English. It also has a different grammar structure.
Also, Hebrew is a Semitic language, meaning it has roots in ancient times. Its grammar rules are based on historical usage rather than contemporary usage.
This can make Hebrew difficult to understand. Especially for those who are used to modern languages like English
13. Hungarian:
If you’re not a native English speaker, you might think English is the hardest language to learn.
But according to a new study, that’s not the case.
Education First conducted the study. Ranked English as the sixth hardest language for non-native speakers to learn.
Hungarian came in first, followed by Dutch, Lithuanian, Czech, and Russian.
The rankings are based on several factors. Including grammar difficulty spelling difficulty. Even the number of cognates and the number of irregular verbs.
So if you’re looking for a challenge, Hungarian might be your language.
But don’t despair if you’re not up for such a challenge. Plenty of other languages are equally difficult (or easier) to learn.
14. Czech:
Czech is the hardest language to learn for non-English speakers.
According to a new ranking. Education First compiled the list. Ranks languages by their difficulty for non-native speakers.
Czech came in at the top spot, followed by Russian, Catalan, and Hungarian.
The ranking looked at three factors to help determine. These factors are grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
So, Czech is another challenging language to learn for non-English speakers.
Is English A Hard Language To Learn For Non-English Speakers?
The answer mostly depends on where you are coming from.
For example, if you are a native speaker of French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Learning English will be a relative breeze.
Because these languages share common Latin roots.
The same goes for speakers of Germanic languages such as German, Dutch, and Afrikaans.
On the other hand, if you are a native speaker of Japanese, Mandarin, or Cantonese. Learning English will be much more challenging.
Because these languages belong to different families.
The best way to gauge the difficulty of learning a new language. It is to consider the four main language skills. Which are reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
For example, English has relatively simple grammar. Compared to languages like Russian or Arabic.
However, English spelling can be very difficult for non-native speakers. Because there are many exceptions to the rules.
The best way to learn any language is to immerse yourself in it as much as possible.
Try watching English movies with subtitles or listening to English podcasts. And see how quickly you start to pick up the nuances of the language.
Final Thoughts:
In conclusion, there is no definitive answer to the question. What are the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers?
That is because the difficulty of learning any language depends on many factors.
Including a learner’s native language and their level of proficiency in English. Even their learning style and motivation for learning the language.
However, from the perspective of linguists and language experts. Certain languages are generally more difficult than others.
All these factors, such as its grammar rules, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing system. Contribute to making the learning process easy or hard.
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