Today, knowledge of foreign languages is not so much a human advantage as a necessity. Foreign languages will help you not only in school and at work, but also when traveling 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 talk about the most popular foreign languages, which are really worth devoting time and effort to learning.
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Popular languages
Which languages are especially widely used around 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 the inhabitants of one or more large countries. For example, Chinese is spoken by 37% of the world's population, but the language is considered official in only 3 countries of the world.
However, many people choose a language to learn based on these statistics. A number of experts believe that in the future languages such as Chinese and Hindi will replace the “world” English language. And although this is not expected in the near future (English is much easier to learn!), for many this prospect is a great incentive to learn a new language.
Languages for career development
What languages are useful in the business community?
English, Chinese, Japanese, German, French
The opportunity to use a foreign language at work is one of the main reasons that forces even adults to sit down with textbooks again. Rating " business languages» is determined by the economic and business potential of the countries of the world.
In first place in the ranking is the English language, which any modern business person must know. English competes with Asian languages - Chinese and Japanese, which were included in the ranking thanks to rapid development economies and industries of these countries.
German and German may also be useful for business communication. French languages. There are many branches of large corporations in Germany, France and the UK around the world, so the languages of these countries can help in building an international career.
Languages that are easy to learn
What world languages are the easiest to learn?
Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Afrikaans, Norwegian
It is believed that each subsequent 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.
Thus, 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 that belong to the same group, or are simply similar to each other.
The most beautiful languages
Which languages sound more beautiful and romantic than others?
French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
Of course, as many people as there are, so many tastes. However, some languages are generally considered the most beautiful and “musical” - these are, in particular, the mentioned Romance languages.
People in at different ages they begin to study French and Italian simply for themselves, because of the beauty and melodiousness of these languages. Indeed, what could be more beautiful than admitting dear person in love in French?
In addition, Romance languages are a real treasure for lovers of music, literature and culture in general. Knowledge of Spanish, French and other languages will give you the opportunity to read classics in the original and learn wonderful foreign songs!
Text: Daria Sukharchuk
Learning foreign languages is addictive and if you already know one (most likely), you will probably soon want to learn the second, and maybe even the third or fourth. At this stage, the most serious question is which language to choose? To correctly answer this question, we decided to turn to professionals. With the help of Ekaterina Matveeva, a linguist, Yasna Aksenova, a Hebrew tutor, Ekaterina Pukhova, a specialist in the history of the Middle East, and Oksana Nalivaiko, a translator from Japanese, we talk about nine very different languages and share tips and resources for those who would like to learn one.
French
Website with video lessons using the “Polyglot” method
One of the most popular foreign languages, it is also very widespread in Africa, Asia and the Middle East - many people here still speak it better than English. French is accepted, along with English, as an official language in the EU, the UN, as well as many international corporations. It is one of the Romance languages, which means it is related to Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Thus, knowledge of French will help you navigate not only in France, but also in countries where similar languages are spoken.
There are many opportunities for learning French, the most obvious is to enroll in one of the many language schools, since it is taught almost everywhere. The resources available on the Internet are Duolingo, the educational section of TV 5 Monde, and many video lessons - for example, using the “Polyglot” method (however, this system is only suitable for beginners).
Spanish
Website of the Cervantes Institute
Along with English and Chinese, Spanish is one of the three most widely spoken languages in the world. Population of countries Latin America at the same time, it is only growing, which means that Spanish will spread further and further. If you ever plan to travel around South America or to the homeland of the language, you will have to learn at least basic phrases. Most residents of Spain and Latin America speak only their native language, but are always ready to listen carefully to a gesticulating and confused foreigner. So don't neglect your lessons - even a couple dozen Spanish words can make your life a lot easier.
Of all the Romance languages, Spanish is the easiest to learn and the easiest to start speaking. The matter is facilitated by the network, open all over the world, and the availability of the language on all major online platforms: Duolingo (there are courses in Russian), Babbel (you need to know English) and Amolingua - a new paid resource built around Skype lessons and chats with native speakers. The latest platform was invented by Russian linguist and polyglot Ekaterina Matveeva, who developed her own methodology and wrote a book about it.
Italian
Website of the Italian cultural center
Many consider this language to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. The practical benefits of studying it are not as obvious as in the case of Spanish or French - but if you appreciate classical opera, Italian art, or simply love Italy and miss it (this fate does not escape almost anyone who has been there at least once), then learning the language is a good way to get closer to the local culture. In addition, Italian has provided strong influence to the Spanish dialects of Latin America (especially Argentina, where many Italians left in the 19th and 20th centuries), which means that with knowledge of this language it will be easy for you there too.
Italian courses can be found on all major online platforms (Duolingo, Amolingua, Babbel), as well as in Italian cultural centers, which are in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, Italy actively participates in international volunteer programs, and local language schools open summer courses every year.
German
Website of the German cultural center
German is the most common language of the Germanic group: knowing it, you will be able to navigate Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Despite the fact that in the countries of Northern Europe, and even in Germany itself, many speak fluent English, knowing at least a few German words greatly facilitates communication with those who speak this language: seemingly stern Nordic interlocutors become friendlier right in front of you eyes. And if you learn German well, you will be able to appreciate German and Austrian literature: Mann, Zweig and Hesse are much richer in the original than in the translation.
German is known for its complexity: even Germans themselves complain about its complex case system. However, it is as popular as French, and the German government spends a lot of money on promoting its native language. There are several German cultural centers in Russia, where you can find German courses - often free. In addition, you can study German remotely on large Internet platforms: Babbel, Amolingua, Duolingo. And training videos and tests can be found on the website of the German channel Deutsche Welle.
Swedish
Swedish Institute website
Swedish is the most accessible of the Scandinavian languages: it is understood in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, where it is actually the second state language. This language is a dream for those who love Scandinavian design and minimalist lifestyle, Bergman films and the Nordic noir genre. If you want to get to know them in the original or in the future go to study in Sweden, tempted free training, it’s worth taking a closer look at Swedish.
Studying this language is worth it for those who want to try something fundamentally new, but not very difficult. Hebrew is an ideal compromise between European and Eastern languages, because, despite the pronunciation and new writing that is unusual for the Russian ear, its grammar is very similar to Russian. The most difficult will be the first months, when you will have to not only learn a new alphabet that does not have vowels, but also get used to reading and writing from right to left. The study of Hebrew itself provides an opportunity to look at European history from a completely different angle, because Hebrew for a long time was associated primarily with mysticism and Kabbalah - hobbies through which many European intellectuals passed. After delving into this language, you will certainly be able to understand the novels of Prague writers and Umberto Eco much better.
You can learn Hebrew for free in Israeli cultural centers open to everyone, as well as online in courses for repatriates (free and also open to everyone). You can practice Hebrew by watching films and videos collected in thematic public"In contact with". There is also a good electronic Hebrew dictionary and a website with interactive exercises. When choosing courses, pay attention to those where the emphasis is on spoken language: in modern Hebrew there are no strict stylistic differences, and if you learn to speak well, then you can easily learn the book version.
Arab
Arabiconline platform for learning Arabic
Under common name « Arabic“In fact, there is a whole group of Arabic dialects hiding, often sharply different from each other. In addition to numerous dialects, there are two variants of classical Arabic: Fusha, the medieval language in which the Koran was written, and modern standard Arabic, the language of major media and business contracts. Before you start learning Arabic, you need to choose your option. If you want to bargain in your own way at your favorite bazaar, it's worth learning the local dialect. Remember that Lebanese and Syrian dialects are closest to standard Arabic, but Moroccan is the most distant, and is not understood by anyone except the native speakers themselves. If you want to read modern literature or understand contracts in Arabic - stick to Modern Standard. If the calls of the muezzin have sunk into your soul or you want to read the Koran in the original, you need fusha.
For those who are intimidated by the abundance of Arabic variants, there is also good news: All these languages use the same script. Arabic script is as common in the Muslim East as Latin alphabet in Europe - it is used even in languages not related to Arabic, such as Farsi (Iran) and Urdu (Pakistan). Except purely practical reasons There may be one more reason for learning Arabic - the desire to touch a completely different culture and aesthetics, to try to understand the intricacies of calligraphic patterns. For learning standard Arabic, there is a convenient platform Arabiconline, the University of Leipzig website has exercises (though you need to know German), interactive exercises can be found in the Salaam app, and more advanced ones can explore the learning section of Al Jazeera.
Perhaps there are few languages that have as many legends as Chinese: they like to call it either the most complex or the most ancient. At the same time, nearly one and a half billion people speak it, and the attractiveness of China as a business destination is only growing. Of all the eastern languages, this language is the furthest from our usual logic. If you are not driven to study it by practical necessity, it is worth taking it at least for the sake of trying to understand it. Chinese hieroglyphic writing is the most the hard part language that you will study throughout your studies. Spoken Chinese, on the contrary, is very simple. After suffering for three to five weeks with the tone system, you will quickly learn the most necessary simple phrases and you will breathe a sigh of relief when you realize that Chinese has no grammatical quirks like multiple tenses, cases or articles. Another good news is that you most likely won't have to learn dialects. All Chinese world, with the exception of residents of Hong Kong, remote villages and long-time immigrants, perfectly understands standard Chinese - Putonghua ("Mandarin").
Learning Chinese on your own is difficult: you need the help of a teacher, at least to understand the features of the tone system and master the pronunciation. You can “taste” the language and learn the basics on the Peking University course on Coursera, and learn it in one of the many that are available in all big cities, or on courses at universities.
Japanese
Website of the Japanese cultural center
Japanese is the only language on our list that is widespread in only one country and does not have a single close “relative”. It’s worth taking up its study if you want to try something fundamentally new: Japanese aesthetics are just as unique and just as different from European aesthetics as Middle Eastern ones. There is no point in equating Japan and China: they are close in many ways, but there are as many differences between them as there are similarities. Even the hieroglyphs that the Japanese borrowed from their neighbors back in the Middle Ages in Japan retained the old style, and often their meaning, while in China they managed to change noticeably. However, not to the point of unrecognizability - therefore, knowledge of the hieroglyphs of one language can, to some extent, make it easier to live in the country of another.
Japanese is not as common as Chinese, but it is no less difficult to learn - so just like Chinese, you will need a teacher. Japanese courses can be found at cultural centers and universities where there are oriental faculties: Moscow State University, the Diplomatic Academy and MGIMO in Moscow, FEFU in Vladivostok, St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg. You can practice Japanese grammar using apps
What is good for a Russian is death for a German. However, in linguistics everything is not so simple, and this law also applies in the opposite direction. In almost any language, Russians have sounds that cannot be reproduced on the fly. Some of them take months to master.
Traditionally it is believed that the most Difficult language- Chinese. In practice, mastering pronunciation is not particularly difficult for people with good hearing. Of the sounds that our speech apparatus is not used to making, the most difficult in this language is the sound “r” - something between “zh” and “r”. Chinese is composed, first of all, of its tones, of which there are from 4 to 9 (in the Cantonese dialect). The Vietnamese language has even more tones - about 18. If we talk about European languages, in particular about German, then the most difficult ones for a Russian person are ä, ö, ü. But learning to pronounce them is not difficult, since in our speech there are words, when pronounced, we involuntarily make similar sounds, for example, in the words “muesli” or “honey”.
The beavers wandered along the log
French, with its nasal consonants and the “r” sound, is a little harder to master. What is the norm for France (elegant grazing), Russian speech therapists are trying to correct. In our country, people who were unable to pronounce a hard “r” were called burrs, and the tongue twister about the Greek who stuck his hand in the river, and about beavers on a log, is one of the exercises designed to help in producing this sound. In some dialects of German, this grazing also sounds, but more booming - such as the famous “French little sparrow” by Edith Piaf. Among the English, the letter “r” is not pronounced at all, but is only indicated by a sound more similar, as in Chinese, to “w”.
East is a delicate matter
Eastern culture is very different from Slavic, and Semitic culture is just as sharply different language family. For example, it contains sounds that have no exact analogues in Russian. These include, in particular, guttural ones, pronounced not with the mouth, but with the throat. Hebrew has four, as does Arabic. On the territory of modern Israel they were practically reduced, but among those Jews who were born in Arab countries, meet. The same can be said about some Caucasian languages with their guttural sounds, for example, Adyghe, Chechen, etc. You can imagine these sounds if you remember a trip to the ENT. The very “a” that he forces us to say by pressing the root of the tongue with a spatula is precisely the laryngeal one. The harshness of the sound of Arabic speech, which seems not very melodic to many Slavs, is due to the presence of such throat sounds. Interdental sounds, in which the tip of the tongue is located between the upper and lower teeth, are also a novelty for Russian people, but in some European languages they exist, for example, in English. Arabic back-language words, also found in languages, are also very difficult to pronounce. northern peoples. The famous Baikal is the Yakut Baigal, modified by the Russians for ease of pronunciation, where the “g” is just the back lingual.
From the clatter of hooves, dust flies across the field
Onomatopoeia with the clatter of horse hooves and clicking of the tongue is just entertainment for Russian people. But there are peoples for whom such sounds are the norm of speech. Those who watched the film “The Gods Must Be Crazy” will remember how one of the main characters and all his Aboriginal fellow tribesmen spoke in a language that sounds very strange to us. Khoisan languages. They are spoken by only about 370,000 people in southern Africa and Tanzania. They are common mainly among the inhabitants of the area surrounding the Kalahari Desert. These languages are gradually dying out. The clicking consonants are called “kliks”, and their number sometimes reaches 83. In addition to the Khoisan languages, kliks are also found as the main components of speech in Bantu and Dahalo. With desire and patience, a Russian can master any language, including Khoisan. It's just a matter of time.
Which language is easier to learn?
Many of you would definitely like to learn a new foreign language, especially if you are only fluent in your native language. Knowledge of foreign languages is always a plus. This is not only your advantage when hiring and great psychological comfort while traveling. Knowledge of foreign languages has a positive effect on mental activity, so it’s never too late to learn any language. Perhaps at 50 years old it will be a little more difficult, but you will still be able to learn it. By the way, the world around you will also change, you will understand the origin of many words, know what languages they came from, you will be able to read in the original and understand. Moreover, the more languages you know, the easier each next one will be for you. A combination of French-Spanish-Italian - one might say perfect case: the words are intuitive, the grammar is similar, and after each next one, a new language is learned much faster. Many, by the way, choose a suitable language school for themselves and there they begin to take turns mastering the foreign languages they like. Foreign language courses in St. Petersburg in language school Communication Club, for such students they can cost much cheaper, because they have discounts for regular students up to 50% (!).
The most frequently asked question: ? There is no single answer to this question, because there is various factors which must be considered. One of them is yours native language. The easiest language to learn is considered to be the one that is as close phonetically as possible to your native language. Also, keep in mind that each language has borrowed something from each other at some point. For example, if you are a carrier in English, then the most suitable languages for study will be: German, Spanish, French and Italian, since they are “sisters” to English. For native speakers of Russian (among European languages), it is easiest to understand, especially after English.
Another factor is your personal motivation for learning a certain language, love for the culture of a certain country, desire to study there or go for permanent residence. All other things being equal, some people have greater ability in some languages and less in others. As an example, the French “r” is obtained without special training :).
- logical, relatively close in pronunciation to Russian, and very interesting language. Most words from English are also found in Italian. The Italian language is bright, emotional and beautiful. It can be recommended as a second language especially to those who love classical music and Italian culture itself.
Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to the question of which language is easiest to learn. Firstly, it depends on what your native language is. Secondly, it depends on whether you already speak any foreign languages. Thirdly, on your motivation: are you enthusiastic enough to start regular exercise?
But let’s assume that we are talking about a Russian-speaking person who is determined to learn a foreign language.
The easiest way for a native speaker of Russian to learn one of the Slavic languages language group: Eastern (Ukrainian, Belarusian), Southern (Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian) or Western Slavic (Czech, Polish, Slovak).
Next come the Romance languages: French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and others. To simplify the learning process, many experts even recommend studying English after French. Dutch, for example, is best studied after English, and Yiddish after German.
Thanks to the complexity of Russian grammar, it is quite easy for Russian speakers to master other languages, however, there are stumbling blocks for us too. Thus, Turkic (Turkish, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Uzbek and others) or Finno-Ugric (Hungarian, Finnish, etc.) languages are not easy for Russian speakers. It’s not easy for foreigners (not just Russian speakers) to speak Chinese. At the same time, apparently, the most difficult thing is not to memorize hieroglyphs or cram grammar - all this is quite understandable - the most difficult thing for foreigners to cope with is colloquial speech. Tone system of pronunciation and great amount dialects makes it difficult to interact with Chinese speakers. It takes students several years to simply learn to understand Chinese speech. Many never reach the level of fluency in the language.
However, in some ways, dividing languages into simple and complex is nothing more than a convention. Polyglots say that after mastering three foreign languages, you can say that you will receive all the others as a gift. At the very least, learning them will be very easy for you. In addition, it makes sense to focus primarily on the demand for languages in general and the need for these languages specifically for you. Any language will be easy to learn when you are motivated, but not easy if you don’t fully understand why you are learning it.
There is also an opinion among scientists that the main thing in learning foreign languages is to master basic knowledge: Most Popular grammatical structures and a minimum lexical set. Everything else, as they say, is a matter of technique, or rather, your perseverance and perseverance.
Teacher's advice:
Learning a foreign language becomes easier when you practice it a little every day. Each language has its own special sound. The more you listen to the language, the easier it becomes. Reading helps strengthen your grammar and your lexicon, so read every day. It doesn't matter if you listen to the news or music, or read a book, magazine or website, the most important thing is a little bit every day.
Learning a language becomes easier when you practice a little every day. Every language has a different sound and the more you listen the easier it gets. Reading improves your grammar and vocabulary so read a little every day too. It doesn't matter if you listen to the news or music, or read a book, magazine or website, the important thing is to a little every day.
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