Is the English Language Hard to Learn?

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Meet Beenish Aslam, an accomplished Mphil scholar, and writer at Wonderful World English. Beenish has a wealth of experience in education, and we sought out her expertise to provide fresh insights into this dynamic world.

English is the most widely spoken and studied language in the world.

It is the world’s “Lingua franca,” meaning it is the most popular language among non-native speakers.

From business and tourism to science and academia, English is firmly embedded in the fabric of global society and continues to grow in demand.

There are over half a billion native English speakers in the world, and they have a huge advantage by being born in a place where English is widely spoken.

With over one and a half billion English learners around the world, it can leave some of us natives wondering whether English is difficult to learn.

English is considered a difficult language to learn and master. Many learners claim grammar is complicated due to its broken patterns, while others have trouble with English’s extensive vocabulary. One huge factor in determining the difficulty of English is the native tongue of the learner and how similar (or different) it is to English.

It is widely debated whether English is hard to learn or not.

The learner’s first language and learning goals/objectives are the two determining factors.

I am a multilingual Mphil scholar with a passion for languages and education, and I can attest firsthand to what it takes to learn English as a non-native speaker.

Today we will look at some of the most straightforward aspects of learning English and some of the most challenging aspects.

Let’s jump in!

English’s difficulty will vary depending on the first language of the learner.

Is English Hard to Learn?

For beginners, the success of their initial learning will depend significantly on their first language.

If a learner has a native language similar or closely related to English, such as German or French, for example, the chances are that they will be able to understand and pick up the basics faster.

If their native language is significantly different from English, such as Arabic or Mandarin, it will often take much more time to establish a foundational understanding of the English language.

Generally, it is easy to start learning English, but it is quite challenging to master it entirely.

There are a large number of people around the world who started learning English, but they lost track or gave up somewhere down the road.

This is also because the basic building blocks of the English language are simple, but as a learner moves toward fluency, things get tricky.

But, we are indeed not here to make anyone feel scared of learning or mastering English if they are in the process of studying.

Any language takes time, patience, and persistence to learn and master, and English has many aspects that can be understood quickly.

Let’s take a look at these:

Simple Aspects of the English Language

Although there are plenty of challenging aspects to learning English, some parts learners tend to pick up quicker than others.

Let’s have a look at what I found to be the three most simple aspects of learning English:

1. The Alphabet

There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, making it easier to learn than some other languages like Russian, which has 32.

The 26 characters in English make every word in the entire language.

Learning becomes much easier for learners if their first language uses the same alphabet.

Most European countries have the same 26-letter Roman alphabet system as English.

This means a Spaniard would have a much easier time learning English due to already understanding the alphabet than someone from China, for example.

Find out the truth about whether English is a hard language to learn in this article from a multilingual M.Phil. scholar who has been there and done it. — English has a relatively simple alphabet.

2. English is not a Tonal Language

Another huge benefit for non-natives who are learning English is that it is not a tonal one.

This means pronunciation is less complicated than in some other languages, such as Mandarin because speakers do not need to be as careful with the tone of each syllable.

However, this aspect can be tricky for learners whose first language is tonal.

Mandarin is an increasingly popular language studied by English speakers around the world.

It is also the world’s second-most-spoken language!

Check out the article below to discover how difficult Mandarin is to learn for an English speaker from someone who has been there and done it.

3. Genderless Nouns

There are some languages in which each noun is gender specific.

For example, French is such a language where the nouns are gendered.

In the French language, the articles and adjectives around the nouns shift due to the nature of nouns.

It can confuse learners to a great extent, but luckily, English doesn’t possess this complexity.

Genderless nouns make English easier than some other languages.

Difficult Aspects of the English Language

Now we have covered some of the most straightforward aspects of learning English, it’s time to look at some of the most difficult ones.

Below are the seven most challenging aspects that I found in learning and mastering English:

1. English has a Large Vocabulary

The English vocabulary is vast.

According to Webster’s English dictionary, there are approximately 470,000 entries with a broader language of around a million words.

Mastering such a vast vocabulary is extremely difficult and time-consuming.

English combines several root languages, which is why it has such an extensive vocabulary.

While English has West Germanic sounds and grammar, much of its vocabulary comes from Romance languages like Latin, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

In addition to these complex roots, the English language is continuously growing and expanding.

This language is constantly shifting as the number of speakers worldwide continuously increases.

Check out the guide below for some great tips on how to read big words in English!

Related Article: How to Read Big Words in English – The Guide

English has a very large vocabulary which can be tough to swallow.

2. English has Many Homographs

A homograph is a word spelled the same as another but has a different meaning.

To truly master English pronunciation, learning the context and parts of speech is crucial.

For example, consider the following sentence:

“It is the time to present John with his present.”

Here, we have the same word (present) two times, but they are pronounced differently and have different meanings.

This can be incredibly difficult for non-native speakers to understand context and pronunciation.

In many circumstances, words with identical spellings appear as a verb and as a noun form (present and present), with the noun stressing the first syllable (“PREZ-ent) and the verb stressing the second syllable (pre-ZENT).

3. English has an Unclear Level of Formality

Depending on the formality level, languages such as Spanish, Korean, and Japanese have different verb conjugations.

In Spanish, “tu” is used to speak to peers and family, while “usted” is used to talk to an elder or person higher in rank.

Because English lacks a direct correspondent, some non-native speakers regard it as “too informal.”

In English, the levels of formality are based on vocabulary rather than on the conjugation of verbs, which can be a problematic modification for non-native speakers when using English in a workstation or other professional settings.

Learners of English can sometimes struggle with what is considered formal or informal.

4. English has Lots of Idioms

Not everything in English can be taken literally.

The English language uses a lot of idioms that become difficult for non-native speakers to understand and comprehend.

For example, an English idiom says, “Taxis in New York City are a dime a dozen.”

The meaning of this idiom is that there are plenty of taxis, and they are not highly valued.

Understanding these can be very difficult for people who are not fluent English speakers.

Check out the guide below if you want to help a non-native learn English!

5. English has Different Dialects

Typical American English differs from British English, which differs from Australian English.

This can be very confusing for English language learners to begin with.

Dialects also differ even within countries and regions.

The southern side of the US typically uses the word “y’all” (which means “you all”) to describe the plural form, whereas the majority of the rest of the country would say “you.”

The words can also vary.

For example, the American “toilet” becomes the “loo” in English, while “trash” becomes “rubbish.”

Learners are typically trained in one of the “standard” dialects.

Still, according to the situation, they may need to adjust to a new dialect to meet the needs of the appropriate listeners.

Different accents and spellings can make English challenging for learners, especially beginners.

6. English Includes Very Specific Rules

When learning English, a few rules can be challenging to memorize.

For example, there is a rule that adjectives must be listed before nouns in a specific order.

The adjectives’ order is quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, cooler, material, qualifier, and noun.

For instance, “I adore my big old red hat.”

Saying these adjectives in any other order, such as “I love my red old big hat,” will sound incorrect, even if the sentences are duplicated and contain the same message.

Keeping such rules in mind is difficult, and it takes a lot of practice to get them right, just like native English speakers do.

7. Some English Language Rules Have Exceptions

There are numerous other rules in English, and many of them cannot be applied in all situations due to several exceptions.

For example, in many cases, you add an “s” or an “es” to the end of a noun to make it plural.

However, there are several exceptions to this rule, such as when the noun finishes in “f” or “fe,” which is altered to “ve” before adding the “s” (as in “wolves.”) then there are a few exceptions to this amendment, such as “beliefs” and “chefs.”

Finally, some plural nouns entirely disobey the rules, such as “mice,” and others that don’t change at all when pluralized, such as “deer.”

English is a difficult language to learn but is very doable with the right strategy and commitment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is always value in learning a new language, especially one as widely used in education and business as English.

While keeping up with your English learning goals, you must strive for strategies that deal with these difficulties associated with learning and mastering the English language.

Plenty of English material is available online, such as movies and podcasts, games, and apps.

They are an excellent way to improve English pronunciation and fluency for anyone learning the language.

Reading is another excellent way to improve fluency.

Note the new words using flashcards and try using them in daily conversations.

Lastly, learners can enroll in an authentic English learning platform.

Getting professional guidance will change your opinion about English being one of the most challenging languages to learn and master.

Depending on the individual, some will consider English more difficult than others.

Either way, it is a very achievable goal with the right level of motivation and persistence.

We hope this has helped you better understand how difficult English is to learn.

All the best on your journey!

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Is the English Language Hard to Learn? – Answered