How difficult is it to learn English, compared to other languages?

Martin Dansky : I think it is less difficult than learning a romance language due to fewer grammatical "rules and fewer verb tenses. It is also less difficult than the German language because of the lack of the different article cases like "die", "das" and "der" equivalent to our definite article "the". I do not know enough of the other langauges to make a serious comment, I am afraid.

Elizabeth Legge : Based on my own and fellow expatriates' experience, if one is serious and does the work, one can learn any language from zero to intermediate level in around 6 months. I taught myself Italian from books in this way, and a friend of mine did the same with several languages. To do so needs confidence and motivation. To improve from intermediate to advanced levels can take a little longer. It also helps to have a teacher or tutor as not everyone has the self motivation! According to some training centres for which I've worked, most people can improve enough to move to the next language level if they hire a tutor.

Ashley English : English is not very difficult when it comes to grammar but idioms, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary are difficult. As much as people joke how difficult it is to learn German, German is easier in a way because the rules are very logical. I feel that English is almost "temperamental" and you need to learn so much individually. That is not to say that there are no set rules (because there are) but it is something that takes time, practice, and consistency!

Lindsay Clayman : English is easier than some languages in terms of grammar and having no gendered nouns is a definite advantage. The most challenging part of learning English, in my opinion, is the pronunciation and the use of phrasal verbs.

Jenny-Lyn Usher : This depends on your first language and your previous experience with English. Every language has habits that appear when making the transition into English. For example, Mandarin speakers tend to drop plurals, while French speakers switch the adjective-noun order. A big part of learning English is to re-build your gut instinct, that feeling that tells you if something is accurate or not. That comes is practice, a sense of humour and self-reflection.

Maria Procaccino : How difficult is English? Here are a few examples: 1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) The farm was used to produce produce. 3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present . 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

Dakota Smith : As I have studied some French, German, and Mandarin Chinese, my personal opinion is that English is not the most difficult to learn. However, it can be tricky to learn pronunciation of new words, as they often are not said the way you'd expect them to be given their spelling. Still, I think pronunciation of Mandarin, a tonal language, is more difficult. Some English grammar and verb tenses can also be difficult for students, but I think it is easy overall when compared to German. So, in general, I think English is not the easiest language to learn, but it isn't the most difficult either.

Rosemary Elman : I think it depends on your native tongue and other spoken languages. Conversationally, English vocabulary is strongly based on Germanic roots, whereas academically, it is rooted in Latin. So if you have any knowledge of German or Latin languages, it would be much easier to learn when compared with an Asian language, for example. That being said, English is one of the only languages that when asked why something is a certain way, the answer is simply 'because', and there is no logical reason for it being that way, it just is and you need to memorize it.

Sean Legere : As with anything, the level of difficulty has a number of factors. However, the reason I feel that English is significantly easier than other languages is that English is everywhere. Its difficult to turn on the TV or open an internet page without seeing and hearing at least some English words or even hearing some English conversation, it is truly everywhere.

Safoora Sharaf : As a native speaker, I would say it depends on one's learning ability and passion for any language. Also, according to my previous answer, the advantages of learning English and its worldwide popularity and common interests prove that learning English is a lot easier than learning other languages. That's why it is used widely.

Bev Hotchkiss : We all have different aptitudes for learning a language. In university, Spanish was my second language, and I struggled with learning the language. I think the best thing we can do when learning a language is to not be afraid to make mistakes. I always think about when we first learn to speak, we have no shame in babbling sounds. Babbling sounds is part of learning a language. Playing is part of learning a language. It is important to have self-acceptance through the process of language acquisition.