What are the hardest languages for English speakers to learn?
To answer that question, most people default to the FSI’s four language categories. Based on 76 years of experience, these categories outline how long it takes for foreign diplomats to reach fluency through full-time study.
Based on this system, learning a Category III language is always harder than a Category I, right?
No. Here’s why.
Are you a US diplomat learning a language to native-level fluency to use in high-stakes situations?
Probably not.
Language learning has dozens of motivations, each with a different target level. You might be learning to:
None of these applications require the same professional proficiency that the FSI scale describes. Most just need you to reach a conversational level of the language. And guess what the FSI scale doesn’t tell us: how quickly you can become conversational.
Starting to learn a language is completely different from mastering it. The difficulty of the beginner phase of language learning is not consistent within the FSI categories.
Let’s scale back our question then to the goal most people have when learning a language: to be conversational. Could a Category III language be easier than a Category I in the beginning? Let’s see.
Let’s compare learning two languages I learned to at least CEFR level B1:
If your goal is professional fluency, Category III Thai will take longer. But which comes quicker at the beginning?
As a Category I language, French is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to master. It uses the same alphabet as English, meaning you can read (albeit with terrible pronunciation) from day one. Some words are also similar to English in spelling, which helps comprehension and confidence.
However, French is notorious for its challenging verb conjugation tables. Beginners don’t just need to learn the everyday verbs like be, have, go, do, and eat, but how to adjust each one’s conjugations depending on the sentence’s subject. Each noun also has a gender to memorise, affecting every article in every sentence. Those familiar words similar to English are often false friends with different meanings. And don’t get me started on French pronunciation and orthography.
While beginner French learners can read the language, speaking it with correct grammar and pronunciation takes considerable effort.
A tonal language with its own alphabet sounds the furthest thing from easy. While it’s hard to master, many aspects of Thai make it quick to pick up as a beginner.
There are no verb conjugations. Articles are not used. Unlike French and English, it’s an orthographically shallow language with consistent pronunciation across the vowels and consonants. The grammar is simpler than in many European languages. The vocabulary of everyday conversation is narrower than French or English, so the bank of words you need at the start is smaller than many European languages. And that intimidating new alphabet with 60+ letters and 5 tones? You can learn it in a week.
Learning to read and write Thai takes time. But the simple grammar and vocabulary of conversation can come just as quickly as French, and maybe even with better accuracy!
Each language has unique challenges that the FSI scale can’t express. Whether it’s a new alphabet, orthographical depth, or a culture opposite from yours, mastering a language will never be easy.
Don’t let that put you off learning one classed as “difficult.” The beginner stages might just surprise you.
Most importantly, whichever language you study, it’ll open a door to understanding more cultures, more ways of looking at the world, and more people. I’d say it’s worth the effort.
As for learning the languages I mentioned, I used an app called Pocket Thai Master (PTM) to start learning Thai, then moved on to self-study combined with an online tutor. For French, I’d recommend checking out my friends over at Kwiziq French. It’s the best free system I’ve found, and they also offer exercises in Spanish.
