What languages ​​are easiest for a Russian to learn. What is the easiest foreign language to learn for a Russian person

Knowledge of two or more languages ​​today is one of the main conditions for developing a good career, but learning all languages ​​is not enough life. Which languages ​​can you learn faster than others? We help novice polyglots.

Study order

Much depends on how many languages ​​you already know, which language group, whether the grammatical structure is similar, etc. It also matters for what purpose you need this or that language: hobbies, work, etc. aspect, how the study of foreign languages ​​by a Russian person, we will find out what is given to him the easiest.

Nikita Petrov, a senior lecturer and methodologist at the Institute of Philology and History of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Ph.D.

According to Petrov, who has developed a methodology of mnemonics that helps in the study of languages, the easiest way for a Russian person to master the Slavic languages ​​and Esperanto. At the same time, the specialist clarifies that the Slovak and Polish languages ​​are easier to master after mastering Czech. In the second group of foreign languages, Petrov included Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, and also added Latvian. The third section includes English, Dutch, Lithuanian, Yiddish, French and other Romance languages ​​not included in the second group. It is noteworthy that, according to the author of mnemonics, English is easier to learn after French, and Dutch is better with prior mastering of English. While Yiddish Petrov recommends mastering after German and Slavic languages.

In the fourth group according to the degree of ease, he classified German and other Germanic languages, Hebrew, Greek, Altai and Indo-Iranian languages. The fifth group includes all other languages ​​of the world. There is also a caveat here: Nikita Petrov advises to start studying Persian and Hebrew after Arabic, and Korean and Japanese after Chinese.

In addition, in his opinion, when mastering any foreign language, you first need to master the alphabet, reading rules, several dozen of the most common words and expressions. Then turn to basic grammar and vocabulary for basic everyday topics. After that, you can already start reading the adapted texts and discussing them. At the end of the grammar course, Petrov recommends choosing additional lexical topics taking into account the profession, interests, etc. And the crown of learning a foreign language should be the reading of works of art in the original and easy communication with native speakers.

How many people, so many opinions

Not everyone agrees with such a calculation for the groups of foreign languages ​​that are easiest and most difficult for a Russian person. Thus, Anna Kravchenko, deputy dean of the Faculty of Translation, Moscow State Linguistic University, is sure that there is no such sequence and ease in learning foreign languages. According to her, each of us has our own abilities and mentality. However, she believes that after mastering three foreign languages, the fourth and subsequent ones are easier to master, since a person has own system by studying them.
Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian State Humanitarian University Sergey Gindin also notes that general rules in the sequence of mastering foreign languages, their accessibility for a Russian-speaking person is not. There is only relative ease between two similar languages. For example, a student of French will find it easier to learn Spanish, which also belongs to the Romance group.

Another specialist in foreign languages, simultaneous translator Dmitry Petrov, who has been broadcasting the popular Polyglot program on the Kultura TV channel for several years, believes that the certain complexity of the Russian language gives us, its native speakers, a big plus when learning foreign languages. Whereas the Englishman has a much harder time in this regard.

However, for Russians, there are languages ​​with categories that are absent in Russian. For this reason, it is not so easy for Russian-speaking students to master Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages with a different logic. But Dmitry Petrov emphasizes that the difficulty of any foreign language is predominantly a myth and, if you wish, you can master any. Moreover, it is quite permissible to study two languages ​​in parallel at once. He also urges not to be afraid of an accent, since every person in the world, even in their native language, speaks with some kind of accent. For example, in the same Great Britain there is a classic version, the so-called Royal English, in which in work time the speakers, some politicians and the queen speak. Otherwise, there are dozens of absolutely incredible dialects and accents, including London.

However, many believe that when learning a foreign language, one should be guided not by ease, but by its relevance. As you know, at the present time it is English, it is also studied by a significant part of Russians. But the future is not his at all. So, Gennady Gladkov, head of the department of language training and the Bologna process of MGIMO, is sure that in 50 years the most relevant language in the world will be Chinese, which will bypass English due to the growth of the population and economy of the PRC.
It is generally accepted that Chinese is one of the most difficult foreign languages ​​for Russian speakers. However, those who risked mastering it argue that this is not the case. In particular, it is not at all necessary to know more than 80 thousand hieroglyphs, most of the Chinese do not know them. For example, for reading it will be enough to master only one thousand of them.

Today, knowledge of foreign languages ​​is not so much a person's advantage as a necessity. Foreign languages ​​will help you not only in your studies and at work, but also in your travels around the world.

If you are going to study new language, you will have a wide choice. Some languages ​​are good for business communication, others will be useful to you in any part of the world, and others just sound beautiful!

In this article, we will tell you about the most popular foreign languages, which are really worth taking the time and effort to learn.

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Popular languages

What languages ​​are most widely used in the world?

Chinese- 955 million people

Spanish- 405 million people

English- 360 million people

Hindi- 310 million people

Bengal- 300 million people

If, according to statistics, foreign language is widely used in the world, this does not mean that many people study it. It is enough that it is native to residents of one or more major countries... For example, on Chinese speaks 37% of the world population, while the language is considered official only in 3 countries of the world.

However, many people choose a language to study based on these statistics. A number of experts believe that in the future, languages ​​such as Chinese and Hindi will replace the "world" English. And while this is not foreseen in the near future (English is much easier to learn!), For many, this prospect is a great incentive to learn a new language.

Career languages

What languages ​​will come in handy in the business community?

English, Chinese, Japanese, German, French

The ability to use a foreign language at work is one of the main reasons forcing even adults to sit down at their textbooks again. Rating " business languages»Is determined by the economic and business potential of the countries of the world.

In the first place in the rating is English, which any modern business person must know. The Asian languages ​​compete with English - Chinese and Japanese, which got into the rating thanks to rapid development economies and industries of these countries.

German and French can also be useful for business communication. There are many branches of large corporations in Germany, France and the United Kingdom around the world, so the languages ​​of these countries can help in building a career at an international level.

Languages ​​that are easy to learn

Which world languages ​​are the easiest to learn?

Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Afrikaans, Norwegian

It is believed that each next foreign language is easier to learn than the previous one. After learning 2-3 languages, a person develops his own strategy for memorizing vocabulary and language rules, which speeds up the process of further learning. In addition, many languages ​​are similar to each other.

So, the above languages, according to experts, are quite easy to learn if you already know English. If you want to become a real polyglot, start learning languages ​​belonging to the same group, or simply similar to each other.

The most beautiful languages

What languages ​​sound more beautiful and more romantic than others?

French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian

Of course, there are as many tastes as there are people. Nevertheless, some languages ​​are generally considered the most beautiful and "musical" - these are, in particular, the mentioned languages ​​of the Romance group.

People in the very different ages begin to learn French and Italian just for themselves, because of the beauty and melody of these languages. Indeed, what could be more beautiful than confessing love to a dear person in French?

In addition, Romance languages ​​are a real treasure for connoisseurs of music, literature and culture in general. Knowledge of Spanish, French and other languages ​​will give you the opportunity to read the classics in the original and learn wonderful foreign songs!

When you are faced with the task of learning a language, you often ask yourself which of the languages ​​is still the easiest? TravelAsk decided to make a small selection.

How the lightest languages ​​were determined

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs classifies as simple languages ​​those that require approximately 600 hours of study. Certainly, it comes about quality ownership.

First of all, they refer to the lungs of the languages ​​of Germanic and Latin. language groups... However, German itself will be more difficult: on average, in order to master it sufficiently, you need to spend about 750 hours studying. The grammar is pretty complicated here.

But do not forget that the degree of difficulty is still individual for everyone and in most cases depends on personal motivation and interest.

English language

English is considered one of the simplest ones. Judge for yourself: its grammar is not so complicated, it has no cases and gender, and the words do not need to be coordinated. And the words themselves are rather short and laconic. Add to it all wide use: it is spoken almost everywhere. Well, the native English speakers who live in different corners planets are quite calm about the mistakes of foreigners.

French

The French speak as if they are singing, don't they? But from the outside it seems that it is impossible to approach him, such a pronunciation ... But, according to experts, it only seems. After all, many words in French are similar to English. In addition, the language is very popular and is used in many places.

Spanish language

Perhaps Spanish is one of the easiest languages ​​to learn. It is very similar to English, and his spelling is much simpler: both hear and write. Many native Russian speakers who memorize vocabulary from the first class, they will only envy this rule)

Well, Spanish is quite popular, and its pronunciation is simple. So is grammar.

Italian language

Another language that is included in our rating is Italian. There are no cases, a fairly simple pronunciation, the stress is fixed. Well, the language itself has Latin roots, so it will be familiar to many people. And it is also related to Spanish, therefore, if there is a desire to become a polyglot, then the choice of close languages ​​will help to achieve the goal in a shorter time)

Esperanto

Esperanto is considered the easiest language to learn. It may even surprise someone that this language exists, but yes, it is. And do you know why it is the simplest? Because it was developed specifically as a second language for each person, it was even originally called it - international or a language for humanity. It is spoken, according to various estimates, from one hundred thousand to ten million people.

Esperanto grammar is very simple, there are no exceptions at all. And, of course, its undoubted plus is that it is neutral, since it is not tied to any state. Perhaps its only drawback is that it is not as widespread as English).

The first thing to do is learn English. The second is German. Knowing English and German, you can learn French without any problems, since the lexical base will already be laid down. But they are practically not useful to you when living, say, in the UAE. And you won't be able to use them if you go to work in China or Uganda.

In China, English can be explained with units, and in Uganda, knowledge of Swahili is especially urgent - less than 1% of the population speaks English here. We recommend evaluating not the global perspectives of the language, but its prospects for you, for your future life and work. How do you do this, what languages ​​do you need to learn, and how do you match them to your own priorities? More on this later.

Which language to learn first

English... With rare exceptions, which only confirm the rule. This official language in more than 60 countries around the world. English is spoken by over 1.5 billion people around the world the globe... He is native to more than 700 million people. Take a look around - the best songs, scripts of TOP films, documents, instructions - all are written in English. His knowledge significantly increases your chances of finding a job and your value as a qualified employee, no matter what industry you work in and whatever your responsibilities.

5 reasons to learn English first:

  • Opportunity to clarify in most countries of the world.
  • Best for travel and business travel abroad.
  • The ability to watch the best Hollywood movies in the original.
  • An advantage in obtaining education and in building a career.
  • The ability not to face language barriers in everyday life.

It is the most popular language in the world. What's more, it is versatile and applicable in most situations.

Example: you want to go to study abroad, say, to Italy, but you don’t know Italian. Knowledge of English will allow you to choose a program in which you can use a well-known foreign language for learning as a base. But if you only know German or French, then the chance to get an education in Italy tends to zero.

But there are exceptions. They consist in individual characteristics each person. If English is not given to you, if you have a sincere hatred of learning it, if you do not understand the logic, there is no point in torturing yourself. Of course, if this is only your feelings, and not the mediocrity of the teacher and the wrong training.

Example: singer Shakira knows many languages, but English was the hardest thing for her. Despite a close to brilliant IQ and phenomenal learning ability, the Colombian native still does not speak English perfectly and prefers to sing and speak it only in extreme cases.

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What language to learn the second, third, fourth

There is no need to guess here - it is important to be guided by the desires, needs and challenges facing you. Motivation is the basis for fast and successful learning. You must clearly understand why you need it and at what level you need to master it. It is recommended that you formulate goals and only then begin to consider options.

Suppose that after graduation, you want to enroll in one of the Czech universities for a master's program. Then it's worth learning Czech. Or in your city there is a factory owned by the Japanese - in order to make a successful career as a leader, knowledge of Japanese is desirable here. We do not know anything about the tasks facing you. Therefore, we can offer only TOP-7 languages ​​(in addition to English), which are most often chosen for learning:

  1. Deutsch.
  2. French.
  3. Spanish.
  4. Chinese.
  5. Italian.
  6. Arab.
  7. Norwegian.

Let's make a reservation that the Scandinavian languages ​​are among the most difficult in the world. If you are planning to move to Norway or Sweden but are unable to succeed in learning Norwegian and Swedish, consider your options. It's no secret that in Sweden they are quite loyal to emigrants, not who know the language... Moreover, children have the right to study in their native language: if there is at least one Russian-speaking child at school, then a Russian-speaking teacher will be found for him. Therefore, be sure to clarify the need for training.

TOP 5 most promising languages

If you do not set yourself the task of moving or often travel to a certain country, work in international enterprises and be in demand as a translator, then we recommend that you pay attention to the most promising languages ​​in the world. They may not be the most demanded and not the most popular on this moment time. But if you do not know which foreign language is better to learn from the point of view of its future prospects, this rating is especially for you.

Chinese

The most common in the world. No one doubts the prospects of the Celestial Empire in terms of economic and industrial development. Strong contacts with Russia, the United States and other leading economies of the world lead to the emergence of a mass of multinational enterprises in which knowledge of Chinese is highly welcomed. Chinese is no less than 10 radically different dialects. It makes sense to learn literary (it is also called Mandarin or North Chinese) - it can be used to communicate with a speaker of any dialect.

Spanish

It ranks third in terms of prevalence among all languages ​​in the world. He's one of the easiest to learn. It is used not only in Spain, but also in many countries that were once colonies. Not all of them are alike - for example, in Mexico they speak a special dialect of Spanish called Español mexicano. There are significant differences, but if necessary, you can express yourself in classical Spanish with any Mexican - you will be understood.

Deutsch

Germany is one of the strongest economies in the world, one of the most developed and comfortable countries for life. Therefore, the language has not lost its promise for more than the first century. German is spoken not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, and a number of other European countries. It is especially promising for employment and emigration to Europe.

Arab

Ranks 4th in terms of prevalence in the world. More than 240 million people speak it in different parts of the world. The difficulty lies in the fact that the language has many local dialects, and learning classical Arabic does not guarantee you understanding them. However, they will understand you - you will be able to express yourself not only as a tourist, but also as a specialist.

Japanese

The official Japanese language is only in Japan, but it is in demand to varying degrees in no less than 25 Asian countries. By the way, it has a minimum of similarities with Chinese, you should not combine the study of these two languages, mistakenly assuming their identity. From the point of view of prospects, it is worth noting the development of the state economy, the scientific industry. Japan is one of the world leaders in terms of GDP.

What foreign language to learn for emigration

Naturally, this depends on the country you plan to emigrate to. Our advice will be relevant only if you have not yet decided on the place of your future residence.

We are guided by information about the most popular countries for emigration among Russians. What languages ​​need to be learned according to these data:

  • English - Russians most often prefer to emigrate to the United States. He is also in demand for admission to universities in the USA, Great Britain, Canada and a number of other countries under special programs and grants that cover tuition costs.
  • German and French - perfect option if you want to emigrate to these countries, staying there after completing your studies. Education in these countries is practically free (with the exception of the compulsory fees, which are 300-500 euros per semester).
  • Italian is a must for immigration to Italy. Interestingly, the level of English proficiency in this country is practically at the same level as in Russia. In general, Italians, unlike many Europeans, do not speak English well.

Also popular destinations for emigration are Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Russian citizens also willingly emigrate to European countries - Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Serbia, and the Baltic countries. But in Asia, according to polls, less than 10% of Russians ready to emigrate are planning to go.

What foreign language should a child learn

Here again, it is important to be guided by the child's living conditions. You shouldn't choose the simplest language - choose the most promising one. At the same time, observe the child's enthusiasm, his desire to learn. If you see that training is absolutely indifferent to him - change the tutor or the place of training. If the result remains the same, it makes sense to choose another language for learning. The most popular are English, French, German and Spanish. The native languages ​​of the parents (or one of the parents) should not be taken into account.

What language is better to learn as an additional language? It makes sense to pay attention to the options with the simplest grammar - Italian, French.

Educators disagree on whether or not a child should learn two languages ​​at the same time. It is important to monitor the condition of children - they should not be overwhelmed. You should not take away their childhood, guided only by their own ambitions and the desire to get a fully developed prodigy. Observe the child's attitude to educational process- his desire is extremely important.

The easiest and most difficult languages ​​to learn

The starting position is important here: for example, knowledge of English will greatly simplify the study of the languages ​​of the Latin and Germanic groups. Your native language is also important. It's no secret that the easiest way for Russians to learn is Ukrainian and Belarusian, Bulgarian and Serbian. However, they cannot yet be called promising in a global sense. Therefore, we note the most easy-to-learn European ones:

  • English.
  • Italian.
  • Spanish.
  • French.

Spanish is considered to be the simplest one - it is characterized by the simplicity of spelling, grammar and pronunciation. As you hear - so it is written, do not be afraid to make mistakes. Ideally, if you know English - Spanish has a very similar vocabulary and you will learn it as quickly as possible. The second and third places are Italian and French, respectively. English is more difficult but also quite accessible.

It was from him that all dialects were formed, therefore, even when you move to a country where pure language variations are not practiced, you can quickly adjust. V classic version it is also easiest to trace the logic of word formation and construction of sentences. It is often clearer, more pleasing to the ear. Almost always it is literary and official for the preparation of documents.

Conclusion

Learn the languages ​​that you need and are interested in. Without necessity, there is no motivation, and without genuine interest, there is no desire. Both of these components form the basis of successful learning. It makes no sense to study when the process only causes you stress and irritation. You should really like the training. You must understand why you are studying this particular language, what perspectives it opens up in front of you, what allows you to do in the future.

If you do not know which languages ​​are worth learning right now, try to look into the future. Understand where you want to live and what to do. Choose English as a base and master it at a decent level. If you already speak English, move on to others. But be careful - only a few people are capable of learning French and, say, German at the same time. In other cases, separate training is required.

What foreign language to learn: TOP-5 most promising

4.5 (90%) 18 votes

Knowledge of a foreign language, and ideally several, has become a great necessity today. First of all, it is prestigious. Secondly, it develops the level of intelligence, and thirdly, it is useful for many spheres of human life. New knowledge is especially needed if you work in a field that involves partnerships with foreign partners. Sometimes even a favorite hobby forces you to learn a particular foreign language. Therefore, we can say with confidence that foreign languages ​​open new doors for a person, give more prospects and chances to realize themselves in life, to achieve success. This is an opportunity for career development, study abroad, access to previously inaccessible information and simply training the intellect.

Which foreign language to study to choose?

What is the easiest language to learn, and what should you pay attention to? These questions are asked by people who plan to study a foreign language.

It should be noted that the most important and important thing in learning any foreign language is motivation. You need to understand for yourself whether you like to speak and communicate in this or that language or not? It directly depends on which language will be the easiest and easiest to learn for you. German, French, Polish or ... Japanese. If you need to learn a language that you are not interested in, then learning it will seem very difficult, even if in theory it is completely wrong. Learning something new, like everything else, should only bring pleasure, intrigue, interest. Otherwise, there will be no sense.

The easiest and easiest languages ​​in the world to learn

Research by the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs has shown that the most simple languages for study are those for which a person needs no more than 600 hours of classroom instruction. Anything over the stated time is very difficult to master.

English is the easiest language to learn

So which language is the easiest? I managed to find out that many people find English the most simple and understandable. It has absolutely no cases, no gender, no agreement of words, and the grammar is quite simple and clear. This language is widespread as it is spoken in almost every country in the world. The words in it are clear, short, easy to pronounce, and the verbs change exclusively for the third person.

Native speakers of English are calm about the mistakes of tourists and visitors, because many people learn English as a second language. The easiest way is to learn a foreign language in a specialized school, but you can easily master a new speech using the global network. English language learning online for beginners opens up many possibilities, because in this way great results can be achieved in a few months.

Italian is easy to learn

Italian ranks second in simplicity. It is also simple, because it has no cases, is easy to pronounce, and the vocabulary has Latin roots, in other words, it will be familiar to those people who speak the languages ​​of the Indo-European group.

Spanish as a foreign language

Third place belongs to Spanish... It turns out to be the easiest language to learn. It is similar to English, has simple spelling and grammar is widely used.

French is not difficult to learn online

Also French is not difficult. Many of his words are similar to English. This is what allows you to learn French in the shortest possible time. This language has an important historical meaning since it was the first language (before English) spoken huge number population. It is still considered the second most popular language in the world today, it is spoken by 130 million people. More than half of them live in France, and the rest in the Maghreb and West Africa.

There are many options to learn this language, for example - on skype. French learning the language of love with a native speaker is extremely easy and fun to learn online. "Live" communication will help you to speak this amazing language in a matter of days, maximum of a week.

Esperanto

But do not forget about other equally easy foreign languages. For example, artificial Esperanto. In it, just like in Spanish, everything is extremely simple; words are written as they are heard. This is a fictional language, created back in 1887, for this reason it is really easy to understand and learn. One thing about him is just bad, very few people speak Esperanto.

Thus, a whole group of the most easy languages which you can easily learn if you really want to:

  1. English;
  2. Italian;
  3. Spanish;
  4. French;
  5. Esperanto.

But, if the above languages ​​are easy to learn, you cannot reject other languages ​​that are very popular with people.

Polish language

. Polish... This language is studied for various reasons. Tourists who fall in love with Poland, the beauty of its nature and architecture, the benevolence of people learn Polish in order to better understand this country. Some people want to read the giants of world literature such as Adam Mickiewicz and Henryk Sienkiewicz in their own language. And some learn Polish because it belongs to Slavic languages, so for Russian speakers, learning Polish will seem very easy. Learning Polish online will be an exciting adventure that takes the student to interesting world incredible beautiful language.

Greek language

. Greek... If someone says that Greek language very difficult - don't listen. It is difficult to learn Greek only for some people, for example the English. It is difficult for them to understand that the table is masculine and the stand is feminine. In their language there are no genders and declensions of nouns in cases, in contrast to Russian grammar, which is very similar to Greek. As in Russian, nouns in Greek are feminine, masculine and neuter. All nouns are inflected, and verbs come in first and second conjugation. The exception is articles that are in Greek, but not in Russian. Those who have heard the Greek language cannot but agree that this language is very beautiful. It flows like music. Reading literature in Greek, one never ceases to be pleasantly surprised and admire the beauty of the phrases. It's very easy to learn Greek online, especially if you really want to.

German as popular

. Deutsch. German learning online is as easy as learning any other language. This language is one of the most widely spoken in Europe and the world in general. It is spoken in Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, partly in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. German is the official language of the European Union. So why not learn it, if only for these reasons? German speech can be heard in America, Poland, and even Kazakhstan. The language is not inferior in its demand to English. It is very interesting and peculiar. At first, a misunderstanding of muffled German sounds may arise in a learner, but over time this feeling will disappear.

It follows from this that one cannot call one language complex and the other simple. To thoroughly master a foreign language, you just need to want it, and also ask for help from professionals, to whom the center belongs. distance learning″ External ″. It is here that they will help to learn any foreign language based on the student's initial knowledge. An individual training program and methodology will be selected for each person.