{"id":3594,"date":"2015-11-26T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T10:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3594"},"modified":"2015-11-22T18:59:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-22T18:59:15","slug":"5-reasons-why-english-isnt-as-hard-as-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/5-reasons-why-english-isnt-as-hard-as-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why English Isn\u2019t as Hard as You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not easy to learn a new language, and English is no exception. With a daunting list of prepositions and a complicated spelling system that gives endless grief even to native speakers, it\u2019s no wonder that the English language poses a serious challenge to learners worldwide. But learning English isn\u2019t all blood, sweat, and tears. In fact, there are several features of the English language that are quite simple in comparison to other languages. Here are some of the reasons why English isn\u2019t as hard as you might think.<\/p>\n

\"ll_easy_english\"<\/a>

Image via Abhi Sharma<\/a> \/ flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Minimal conjugations<\/b><\/p>\n

In Romance languages like French and Spanish, verbs are conjugated by person and number which means that each verb has six different variations depending on what the subject is (e.g., I, you, they, etc.). In English, however, the only conjugation you have to worry about is the third-person singular (i.e., he\/she), in which case you add an -s <\/b>to the end of the verb.<\/p>\n

2. Nouns have no gender<\/b><\/p>\n

Memorizing the gender of inanimate objects is a common struggle among English speakers learning foreign languages. Some languages, such as German, even have three <\/i>genders, further complicating the issue. In English, however, the vast majority of nouns have no gender, which is one fewer thing that learners have to worry about. The only exceptions are nouns that correspond to actual people, such as \u201cactor\/actress\u201d.<\/p>\n

3. 1 in 7 people speak it<\/b><\/p>\n

English is rapidly becoming the international lingua franca, <\/i>and well over a billion people speak it as either their native or non-native language. Therefore, it\u2019s incredibly easy to find English-speaking conversation partners who you can practice your skills with.<\/p>\n

How good is your English? Find out by taking our <\/i><\/b>free online English level test<\/i><\/b><\/a>!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

4. It\u2019s the #1 language on the internet<\/b><\/p>\n

English is by far the most common language on the internet, meaning that finding free English-language websites to practice your reading skills is a cinch. We particularly recommend reading English-language articles on Wikipedia or joining English-language forums on Reddit. For learners who have a smartphone or tablet, there\u2019s also plenty of of useful English learning apps<\/a> at your disposal.<\/p>\n

5. Close relation to Germanic and Romance languages<\/b><\/p>\n

English is closely related both to Germanic languages, such as German and Dutch, as well as Romance languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian. As a result, English shares a lot of its vocabulary with languages from the Germanic and Romance families. This means that if you speak one of these languages, you have a head-start in learning English, as much of its vocabulary will already be familiar to you.<\/p>\n

Indeed, it may be confusing that \u201crough\u201d, \u201cthrough\u201d, and \u201cdough\u201d don\u2019t rhyme. But don\u2019t throw in the towel just yet \u2014 at least you don\u2019t have to worry about inanimate objects having genders! Especially if you take tailor-made courses from a native English speaker<\/a>, achieving fluency in English isn\u2019t as hard as it seems. Ready to take your English skills to the next level? Check out our course and package options<\/a> to see how we can best help you meet your English-language learning goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not easy to learn a new language, and English is no exception. With a daunting list of prepositions and a complicated spelling system that gives endless grief even to native speakers, it\u2019s no wonder that the English language poses a serious challenge to learners worldwide. But learning English isn\u2019t all blood, sweat, and tears.(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":3595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[59,66,30,46],"class_list":["post-3594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-learning","tag-english","tag-language","tag-language-learning-2","tag-languages"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Reasons Why English Isn\u2019t as Hard as You Think<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Picking up English as a second language or seeing how it measures up to other languages? 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