If English is the hardest language to learn...

Question

Why are people having trouble learning Spanish when it only took 2 years to learn all English?

• Because people are learning to speak both English and Spanish, it is important to use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Thanks. - Nicole-B Oct 13, 2009
• Also English isn't considered the hardest language to learn, but rather one of the easiest. Hungarian is supposed to be the hardest. - jeezzle Oct 13, 2009

Answer 1

There are really 2 different issues, grammar and pronunciation. You cannot say which is more difficult to learn until you understand and separate the two.

English is a lot more difficult to learn than Spanish in terms of pronunciation, because it's irregular. Spanish, on the other hand, is a phonetic language, like French or German. Once you learn the rules, there is only one way to pronounce each vowel.

English grammar is a lot easier than Spanish. Common nouns don't require genders, so straight away you do not have to deal with gender rules for articles or adjectives etc. English adjectives are easy, the fat man, the fat woman. Most (not all) Spanish adjectives have a changeable form e.g. gordo, gorda, gordos, gordas. Whilst on the subject of adjectives, the positioning of Spanish adjectives is even more complex, see other thread re Positioning of Adjectives .

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English verb conjugations are a lot simpler than Spanish. English irregular verbs can be typed on 1 or 2 pieces of paper using standard fonts. There are books for sale just containing Spanish verb tables, and some of them are thick! You try and find me a book for English verb tables. It does not exist!

English hardly ever uses verbs in a subjunctive mood as the way subjunctives are used in Spanish, and on the rare occasion when that happens, the infinitive of the verb is used. The true English subjunctive doesn't even require conjugation of the verb. An example of a true English subjunctive clause : It is vitally important that he understand it. (NOT "It is vitally important that he undestands it", which is correct English but only an Indicative, not a Subjunctive, in English). See linked text.

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The list can go on and on.

• So what you are saying is, I have no excuses for my ignorance of my mother tounge? - Seitheach Oct 14, 2009
• Think you are being modest! but at least you know Spanish, another language. - peterpierre Oct 14, 2009
• Great answer! When you break it down like that, English isn't so bad after all. - Nicole-B Oct 14, 2009

Answer 2

becouse you were teached english at first not spanish

Answer 3

Most of the people that I know that have learned English as a second language said that they learned it in less than 2 years using ESL courses. You have to keep in mind that they also watched TV and listened to music and heard native speakers using English ALL DAY LONG. So they were totally immersed in it. Most people that want to learn Spanish (or another language) might spend an hour or two a day on it, maybe dilly-dally with this or that, but never really give themselves to the language. You want to learn Spanish quickly? Surround yourself with Spanish people, only watch TV in Spanish. Write, think, BE Spanish. You will learn it pretty quick.

• Great comment. - Seitheach Oct 14, 2009

Answer 4

If you are referring to learning to speak English in two years as a child, remember that even at the age of two, no one speaks that well. We are only able to communicate in short sentences or phrases for our basic needs.

I have also heard that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. I'm very glad that I learned as a child. With Spanish, it is true that the best way to learn is to be immersed in the language. I think it is more challenging to learn any language if you don't have someone to practice with.

Answer 5

because you are retraining your brain and the very way you perceive speech etc.

Answer 6

Evidently, English is very hard to learn. I am 38 and still have not mastered it. I had never in my life even heard of a preterite or subjuntive until I started taking this course. I guess I should have stayed in school. I guess when Stephen King said you can learn how to read or join the military he was refering to me.

Answer 7

English or Spansh... hard to learn? Try my native language, Polish!

Seven Cases, Seven Genders and very difficult pronunciation. Average English speaker is fluent at about the age 12; the average Polish speaker is fluent in their language not until age 16. (I wouldn't agree with the last statement though, but the cases are a real pain in the neck of non-native speakers)

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I guess Chinese, Basque, Hungarian, Arabic, Estonian are also quite hard. I think a language which differs from our own base of structures (of any language we know and are able to have some basic conversations in) is difficult to learn. Not to mention larning a new alphabet.