Languages, which one is the easiest to learn?

trish • 24 March 2013 at 6:35 PM

I have to choose a language to learn for my high school, and was wondering which I should learn? Another thing, the high school Im going to is a lot harder than regular public schools, you had to place with the top grades to get in, and as everyone explains its 'rigorous curriculum', I don't want to take a hard language because I'd rather spend my time on the other subjects I have to learn.

So my choices are:
Chinese
French
Hebrew
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Latin
Spanish

I have to choose 3 and label then from 1st to 3rd preference. Please help me choose and explain how hard or easy they are based on experience.

whispers • 24 March 2013 at 6:40 PM

@trish
Spanish and Latin would be the easiest.
There are a lot of cognates in Spanish, and words are similar. It's an easy A for me.

Latin would also be easy since a lot of English is based off of it.

For a third one, I wouldn't know. I don't much about the other languages. But I hear that Korean is hard (according to my friend taking Korean).

meixiaotian • 24 March 2013 at 6:44 PM

Well, I know Spanish is easiest for english speakers.
Chinese has a LOT of different words/characters, and it takes years for Chinese people to be called literate.
Chinese also doesn't have masculine/feminine words.
I hear Latin has a lot of variations of a word, and it's hard.

leafpelt • 24 March 2013 at 6:45 PM

@trish

Latin and Spanish yes. After that...I'd say...Japanese? I heard that it's all phonics.

DON'T TAKE FRENCH. THERE'S SO MANY GRAMMAR RULES IT'LL KILL.

mairbear • 24 March 2013 at 6:51 PM

@trish

If your native language is English, and you have absolutely no interest in any of the foreign languages, then your best bet is:

1) Spanish
2) French
3) Latin or Italian or Japanese (different reasons for each XD)

If you have even a slight interest in one though, you should do that language 😊

trish • 24 March 2013 at 6:52 PM

@whispers @leafpelt Yeah, I was considering both Spanish and Latin, since English was based off of Latin (right?) and Spanish words kind of look and sound like English.

@meixiaotian I took Chinese for 4 years then forgot everything. Should I still consider it for like 1st or 2nd choice? I know how to speak Cantonese but not Mandarin.

leafpelt • 24 March 2013 at 6:54 PM

@trish

Yay. Another Cantonese speaker. XD

But I heard that Spanish is ridiculously easy most of the time.

meixiaotian • 24 March 2013 at 6:55 PM

@trish
If you've taken it before, I would put it as 2nd or 3rd. Even if you know/knew Cantonese, it's still the same writing, which is the hardest part, I believe.

whitefire • 24 March 2013 at 7:00 PM

@Trish
I would take French, because English is half French, thus having more cognates. For example, "pizza" in French is "la pizza."

trish • 24 March 2013 at 7:02 PM

@mairbear I have a slight inkling of interest in French, Latin, and Italian because they are Romance languages and it so adorable how I read in books they use a little of those languages to describe people.

@meixiaotian 3 years of language is recommended for colleges so Im not sure how far I might fair in any of those languages except for Chinese, which might come back to me piece by piece if I learn it.

@leafpelt I think it'll definitely be in my choices, I just don't know which place.

leafpelt • 24 March 2013 at 7:06 PM

@trish

*nods* And if you know a little Chinese, it helps in Japanese and Korean too.

trish • 24 March 2013 at 7:07 PM

@leafpelt I don't have interest in Japanese or Korean. 😋

leafpelt • 24 March 2013 at 7:08 PM

@trish

Umm...then take spanish, then french, latin, or italian...They're all romance languages, so they do connect to each other.

meixiaotian • 24 March 2013 at 7:11 PM

@leafpelt
Romance languages?

leafpelt • 24 March 2013 at 7:13 PM

@meixiaotian

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages

First sentence. If you're feeling lazy, read this: They're languages based off Latin.

mairbear • 24 March 2013 at 7:16 PM

@trish
Hehe I thought the exact same things as you when I was picking 😃 In that case, I think you should go with French (and not just cause I'm biased ;3) It's really easy because lots of words are very very very similar to english. Pronunciations aren't too difficult once you have a few basic sounds down (plus you can always blame discrepancies on Parisian or Quebecois french depending on the situation XD) Also, it is the most commonly used language in the Romance languages 😃 (Cause you don't want something you spend years learning to just be shelved right? ^^)

^Sry, wall of text 😋

icymuffin • 24 March 2013 at 7:18 PM

Like what some other users mentioned, since part of the English language was based off of French, Spanish, French, Latin would be the easier ones of the bunch.
I've taken French & it is very similar. Took a look at some friend's Spanish textbooks & it's the same.


I've known some people who've taken Chinese & Japanese, and they told me that you have to learn how to write it two separate ways. In character form & spoken? form. Can't say much on this though :I
But since it seems that you've already taken Chinese, and assuming you'll be taking the same one, then it should be pretty easy. You should start remembering the things you've learned before...


As for Korean, Italian, & Hebrew, I don't know...

Deleted • 24 March 2013 at 7:22 PM

@trish Maybe French or Spanish. It's similar to English.

I wouldn't learn Chinese if your around a teenage age to learn, Chinese gets harder to learn when you grow, I'm 10 and my parents are Chinese, and I am not at all fluent in Mandarin. XD

trish • 24 March 2013 at 7:26 PM

@meixiaotian Isn't there like traditional characters, mandarin, Cantonese, and my pei ying isn't spot on. D: oh god, I feel like I'm destroying my family's honor by not taking Chinese.

@mairbear Im drawn to French now. >.<

@icymuffin French or Latin? I've only seen use of Latin roots in Language Arts, and is French easy or does it take up a lot of time?

mairbear • 24 March 2013 at 7:31 PM

@trish

Yesh! 😃 C'est une langue mervielleuse ❤️

whitefire • 24 March 2013 at 7:38 PM

@Trish
If you pay attention in class, French is very easy and doesn't take up a lot of time. I know; I take it now. I have a hundred in class, I'm the most fluent of my class, and I have memorized every phrase that we've learned even though I don't study. Just pay attention in class and you're good.

whitefall • 24 March 2013 at 7:56 PM

@trish
Spanish or Korean. ^^
But I think Spanish, unless you already speak an asian language.

meixiaotian • 24 March 2013 at 8:15 PM

@trish
Eh?
Well, there are simplified and traditional characters, but simplified is found the most.

dreamer • 24 March 2013 at 8:27 PM

@Trish T.T Lucky. The high school I'll be going to doesn't have Italian as a choice, and that's what I really want to learn. D8 It has basically all the basics besides Italian.

I'd go Spanish, Latin, or Italian.

Whatever you do, DON'T DO FRENCH. I took it for a few years in elementary, and it was brutal. My friends take it now, and they get tons of tests, projects, and essays, and studying consumes a lot of their time (but their parents won't let them take Spanish, so they don't have a choice). Some people say it's easy, but most people say it's difficult. Only take French if you're deeply fascinated with the language.

I have absolutely no experience with any Asian languages, so can't help you there. XD

I take Spanish now. My teacher is pretty strict, but it's still easy enough for me to stay above an A in the class. Spanish has a lot of cognates, and there are also a lot of people who speak Spanish, so it's easier and probably more helpful. Just watch out where you put the accents. That's a killer. D:

I'd also choose Latin, since a lot of the English language has words that originate from the language. I don't have experience with Latin, though, so I'd have to roll the dice for that.

I'd go with Italian as well. I love Italy and I'm Italian myself, so personally I'd have lots of interest. Also, we took Italian in elementary school in my old town, and it was pretty easy. Again, though, I love Italy.

So overall; I'd go with Spanish, Latin, and then a language you're really interested in learning.

whitefire • 24 March 2013 at 8:35 PM

@Dreamer
See my above post.

dreamer • 24 March 2013 at 9:11 PM

@Whitefire I saw it before.

I still think French is hard. Same with my friends, except they can't get out of it. I mean they have passing grades, but they always complain about how difficult it is.

They let me look at a few sentences in French and I translated them to English. It made them so mad. Some of the words are similar in French and Spanish (like library; French is bibiloteque or something like that, and Spanish is biblioteca).

Deleted • 25 March 2013 at 8:40 AM

Spanish _is_ ridiculously easy. I took three years of it in high school. Once you understand how the verbs work (should be mastered first year), it's easy-peasy.

Chinese would be most useful, if your career path takes you international. Korean is hard but fun. The hardest thing about the Asian languages will be learning new letter sets.

Pick something you would love to know, though. I picked Spanish only because German was not available at the school I went to. All these years later, I wish I had changed schools to one that taught German. xoxo

scream • 27 March 2013 at 11:21 PM

@trish Hmm... If you plan on living in America for the rest of your life, you might want to do Spanish. It'll help you more here. If you want to live in Europe, try French?

I dunno 😋

jazzyleia • 27 March 2013 at 11:35 PM

French lot of the words have same roots as english and some words mean what they sound like

mokat • 29 March 2013 at 10:00 AM

Spanish or French would probably be the easiest imo.