Can an English speaker understand German?

You would think, for example, that conversational German would be somewhat (can't say easily) accessible to a native English speaker, but aside from conversational pleasantries afforded us all by UG, most anglophones do not understand German.

Can English speakers learn German?

It turns out, yes. Especially if you're a native English speaker. But it gets more complicated than that. There are components of the German language that may be hard to learn, and components that are easy to learn.

What language can English speakers understand?

Some of the most common languages learned by native English speakers are Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. Next to English, French and Spanish are two of the most spoken languages in the world.

Why is German so hard for English speakers?

Because German has rules to which one can abide to, whereas in English the grammar is more 'flexible', so to say. Although English is one of the most learned and used languages globally, the English grammar remains a mystery to much of the native and foreign speakers alike.

Are Germanic languages easier for English speakers?

Like English, Norwegian or “Norsk” is a Germanic language, which makes it easier for English-speakers to learn. It shares quite a bit of vocabulary with English, and unlike some Germanic languages, the pronunciation of most Norwegian words is fairly straightforward.

German words vs. English speakers - Covid Edition

What is the hardest language for English speakers to learn?

What language is English closest to?

The closest language to English is one called Frisian, which is a Germanic language spoken by a small population of about 480,000 people. There are three separate dialects of the language, and it's only spoken at the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.

How long learn German fluently?

According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!

What is the hardest language in the world?

1. Mandarin. As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the toughest language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.

Is German worth learning?

Germany has some of the most prestigious universities in the world. The country enrolls the third-highest number of international students. The country's capital, Berlin, was also recently voted one of the best student cities in the world. That's just one reason among many why you should learn German fast!

Is French or German easier?

Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets, while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.

What is the easiest language for English speakers?

What is the best language to learn after English?

How hard is German if you know English?

Getting Great at German

German might not be as familiar to English speakers as Spanish, but it's still one of the easiest languages to learn. Like Spanish, it's also a phonetic language, which makes pronunciation easy to figure out.

Is German harder than English?

Some parts of German grammar are particularly tricky for English speakers to get to grips with, but German grammar is actually arguably easier to learn than English grammar because it follows set rules that are laid down by the three regional authorities, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (with small differences ...

Is English closer to German or French?

By linguist criteria English is more similar to German, both belong in the West Germanic languages and its vocabulary has been influenced by other Germanic languages as well.

Is German hard to learn?

With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.

What is the easiest language to learn in the world?

Which language has easiest grammar?

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How fast can an English speaker learn German?

In short, the FSI estimated that learning German will take approximately 30 weeks (750 hours) for English speakers. This may seem like a lot of time, but it's a fraction compared to languages like Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, which took students up to 88 weeks to learn.

Can I learn German in 1 year?

German is a complex yet highly systematic language. It is possible to learn German in one year, but it will take a near full-time commitment and immersion learning.

Is German similar to English?

Close Language: German

This is why English and German share a great deal of vocabulary. All of this overlap in pronunciation and meaning means that despite German's complicated grammar, English and German are still considered 60% lexically similar.

What language is most like German?

German is most similar to other languages within the West Germanic language branch, including Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German, Luxembourgish, Scots, and Yiddish.

Does English sound like German?

' However, both agree English does not sound similar to any other language – despite it belonging to the same family as German, Dutch and Afrikaans.