German Spelling . Dutch language, like English, has an extensive population of speakers outside the Netherlands.
Torschlusspanik This German phrase means gate-closing panic when translated directly, but really describes the feeling of urgency to accomplish something before its too late.
!Eichhrchen Shirts Here! Learning a new language opens the doors of communication in more ways than one. 1. Mandarin is considered a super-hard language by the US Foreign Service Institute. Photos: DPA. It is also a place to discuss the language at large and for the kinds of submissions that elaborate on the reasons why we're interested in German, where they're not geographically specific like /r/DE, /r/Austria or /r/Switzerland. 4. I would say that Icelandic is the most difficult Germanic language. It depends on the dialect you're learning. This creates a cocktail that can prove incredibly difficult for language learners, confusing even seasoned students. Dutch. There are different kinds of conjunctions that have different effects on the sentence. As someone from a non English speaking country, you're always surrounded by English. So if you think German is purist, then you havent heard of Icelandic. Moreover, it is roughly the same type of language as both, as it has the (major) vocabulary of the latter plus the (minor) grammar. One of the toughest umlaut to pronounce is the , which doesnt sound quite a lot like the vowel u. The language of the land of ice and snow [1] I would say that Icelandic is the most difficult Germanic language. This is the most conservative Nort Mark (until 1923) French Franc (1920-1935) Reichsmark (1935-1947) Saar-Mark (June Nov 1947) French Franc (Nov 1947 1959) Deutsche Mark (1959-2002) Euro (2002 current) The line dividing the region where Upper German (in the south) and Lower German (in the north) were spoken can be traced from Aachen to Frankfurt an der Oder. Korean. For many foreign language learners figuring out which language in the world is the hardest to learn is easy: the one you are currently studying! Go to top. Though German is in the same family as English, its nuanced pronunciation gives it a higher difficulty level than other Germanic languages. German. This test was jointly developed by the Goethe Institute and telc gGmbH. There is no Germanic language that is easily understood by speakers of all other Germanic languages without training. However, there is a high degr This German word literally translates to shit, crap, or damn and is the most commonly used German swear word. But good news! 3 More Examples ber (p) over Sie haben das Schild ber die Strae gehngt. The Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers . However, it's not the only super long word in the German language and, technically, it's not even the longest. German is one of the hardest languages to learn for non-native English speakers. As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the toughest language to master in the world! I speak Iraqi Arabic and I find it difficult to understand moroccan dialect. When exclaimed alone, the closest English translation would be Damn! or Damn it!. German is a very rich language that allows for the expression of ideas and concepts without much confusion. However, there is no general agreement on that. Like any language, it just takes time, dedication, and patience. Conjugation overload. Definition: exhibiting or characterized by freedom from concern or care. Grammar is so complicated that most Arabic speakers aren't aware of the accurate grammar rules. The German language has a reputation for being quite aggressive and having words that are hard to pronounce. However, the language is also home to some beautiful German words, expressing concepts that dont exist in the English language. Is Saarland actually German? U.S. rankings rank Japan as the third most populous country. Is Italian easier than German? Here, your native language gets in the way of the language youre trying to learn. Some base characters, like root words, appear in other symbols, like the character for woman forming part of sister.. Mandarin. The nearest sound you can compare it Is German worth learning? The number of loanwords in this language is very low. Arabic. 25. on this list is the verbs. Eichhrnchen (Squirrel). Mandarin is the most widely spoken global language, belonging to the Chinese group of languages. Hungarian. * Languages preceded by asterisks are usually more difficult for native English speakers to learn than other languages in the same category. Hardest Languages to Learn. 5. The result is that unlike other languages, where it is pretty much enough to learn a word and move on, in German youll have to simultaneously learn its gender and its plural form. Category V: 88 weeks (2200 hours) Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers. Unsurprisingly Arabic, Chinese , Japanese and Korean come out as the hardest, requiring almost 2 years to learn. Iceland is known to have some pretty difficult words to pronounce, from place names to everyday words. Well none? All languages are as hard to perfect as the next. But that said: You can make yourself understood in English, Dutch, German and East Sc Wise words: A red cabbage is always a red cabbage, and a wedding dress is always a wedding dress. Most languages, including English, string smaller words together to form longer ones, but the Germans take this practice to new extremes. Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French. In the past Ive tried my hand at the latter three, finding all extremely challenging although the Korean alphabet ( Hangul) is far easier to learn than Chinese characters. What is the hardest language to learn for English speakers? Learn languages October 26, 2011. Not only is Icelandic one of the hardest Germanic languages, it is also one one the hardest languages overall for English speakers to learn. Learn which conjunctions change word order in German and which dont. 9. 10 Difficult German Words and How to Pronounce Them 1. 4. Dont worry though, only half of them will contradict each other. Origin: This word is from a French word.
Their class lasts for 35 weeks and includes about 750 hours of study. The Berlin Dialect (Berlinerisch) 6. The Icelandic language is easiest to learn if you understand any other Nordic or German language. I think the hardest dialects are the ones that are considered to be separate languages: Plattdeutsch Schwyzerdtsch Ltzebuergesch If raoulsson says, even as a Swiss he can't understand Walliserdeutsch, it is possible that this is the "hardest" one. For example, "his sister" can be translated directly into German ("seine Schwester"), and we understand there's a guy with a female sibling. It is part of the integration course for immigrants and, for refugees, it is free of charge. Category IV offers a huge variety of languages from Amharic to Czech to Nepali to Tagalog, each demanding 44 weeks (or 1100 hours) of study. Photos: DPA. Because certain sounds are Arabic also excludes vowels from words. The characters of the Chinese language make it one of the hardest languages in the world to learn, but they also are one of the most beautiful and charming aspects of the Chinese language. 1 Arabic Arabia Hardest Language in the World. The word that describes the emotion youre feeling may actually exist youre just searching for it in the wrong language. Arabic is hard for many other reasons. Japanese writing combines five different systems- kanji, hiragana, katakana, Arabic numerals, and the Roman alphabet. Its a famously difficult language for English speakers to learn, with complex grammar and pronunciation. The Bavarian Dialect (Bayerisch) 4. Dutch. 2. Zulu. Here are some of the most difficult challenges for Spanish language learners. Learning Arabic. Though varied by region, those of the southern half of Germany beneath the Benrath line are dominated by the geographical spread of the High German consonant shift, and the dialect continuum that connect German to the neighboring varieties of Low Franconian and Frisian. The Worlds Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers. Yes. The hardest languages for native English speakers to learn Icelandic (1100 hours) . Culture 10 German words non-Germans can't pronounce. Speakers: 75 million speakers. Wise words: A red cabbage is always a red cabbage, and a wedding dress is always a wedding dress. Translation services companies will do the job for you. 7 Different Types of German You Should Be Able to Recognize 1. 1. Here is a list of the top hardest languages to learn: 1. Written Mandarin is pictoral and contains over 20,000 characters. A mental violence, basically. 10. https An American tries to speak German - the hardest German word for native english speakers! Year: 1951. That is why German is the language of philosophers. If you're trying to practice your German Reading then the page below should help. 1. Basque. Generally regarded as one of the most difficult languages in the world, since it is not even remotely related to anything else. 2. Georg For many Germans, though, a dialect is the first language they grow up speaking, something that they live and breathe. The further south you go in Germany, the more likely you are to find colourful variations of the German you learn in German class. But there are also dialects spoken in the north of Germany. 4. If we seek more of an objective answer, though, most experts will list Arabic as one of the hardest languages in the world to The varieties of This makes it one of the easiest languages to speak for Germans. Germany 2 female, 26, 1973, German, Mnster (& Brussels, Belgium) You might be trying to learn one of the 9 hardest languages for English speakers. What language is closest to English? The hardest language in the world to learn for English speakers is Arabic. Only about 700,000 people speak Basque, so you wont run into it often, but what makes it difficult to learn is that it bears zero resemblance to any other language in the world. Here's my assumption: Learning English is different from an English person learning a different language. It is spoken as a native language by 13 million people, most of whom live in Hungary. Pretty much Middle Easterners barely understand North African dialects (Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian as these 3 dialects are a mixture of Berber, Arabic and French)|It's hard to answer. of speakers: 5.5 Meaning Icelandic is the hardest language in this category, followed by Faroese in a reason that Icelandic needs 44 weeks or 11 months to take before mastering the language. With focus and lots of practice, German is very doable. Here's a list of ten German poems which take on the sunny season that are worth learning German for. One of the hardest languages to learn by French speakers (despite being in the Spanish and Portuguese languages family too). Languages are determined by how long it takes to learn them, with the easiest language taking 24 to 48 weeks and the hardest language taking 88 weeks. Many beginner level language students have the misconception that German is an almost impossible language to learn. However, if youre up for a challenge, these are the 25 hardest languages to learn. Cantonese (Chinese) Mandarin (Chinese) * Japanese. The hardest language to learn is German. There arent many phonetic rules in German, but the fact that: Pronunciation is distinct from English, making it among what is the hardest language to learn for non English speakers! I did find German the hardest of the European languages I've meddled with (English, German, Spanish, Italian, French), although if you are interested in something really extremely hard on a whole new level, try Hungarian ;) Why is German a better language than English? German is not a better language per se, it is just a more valuable one. Its a fricative, labiodental sound. In fact, the beauty of the written language was one of the reasons I started studying it years ago. Assuming you read our article on the simplest dialects, you might recollect that the Germanic dialects from Scandinavia to a great extent ruled that rundown. Youve done the hard prep work, made the effort to learn the language and ask a stranger a question in German. Arabic. This is one of the hardest sound-to-spelling rules for English speakers and a frequent source of confusion for both German and English people trying to speak each others languages. Indeed, Norwegian and Swedish took the best two spots. 13. This explains why Icelandic is one of the most complicated Germanic languages, while Norwegian is one of the easiest.
This time we propose a list of ten of the hardest German words to pronounce without making mistakes. Hardest language to learn #4: Mandarin. Is German a level difficult? Deutsch-Test fr Zuwanderer A2/B1 or DTZ (a German language test for immigrants levels A2/B1 beginner/intermediate) is for those who are already living in Germany and wish to apply for German citizenship. Please select a sample from the list below. Let me quote some examples: Official Language: South Korea and North Korea. Croatian. Streichholzschchtelchen Pronounced (Schtraeyechholtsschaicktelchen) This one is a particular doozy due to the abundance of ch a combination not found in English. In my opinion the clear winner (or loser?) The concept of articles probably confused you when you learned English, and the concept of like six ways of saying "the" in German bewilders a lot of Americans and Brits learning German. 1. Until the mid 14th century Latin was the official written language, as most of the German-speaking regions of Europe were comprised in the Holy Roman Empire. It uses the subject-object-verb (SOV) instead of the subject-verb-object (SVO). A student who is starting to learn German, will have a really hard time finding the meaning of words in a dictionary. 3. Many of their words are very long with unfamiliar letters and 5. What is the hardest language to read and write? But it's a Romanic language, which means it's not as closely related to German as English, and many things just work differently. Pronunciation is distinct from English, making it among what is the hardest language to learn for non English speakers! In German, w is pronounced like an English v. German is easier to read than English ( but not easier than French, f.i.). Capitalisation of nouns and gerunds, generous use of commas, that fact t Is German useful in America? Whether it's online or whether your culture has expressions and phrases from English, you always feel from a young age that one of the "goals" is English. Breakdown: Streich + holz + schchtel-chen Its use is so ubiquitous, that its even common to hear children uttering it amongst their friends. The Defense Language Institute considers German to be a Category II (out of IV) language for difficulty. Arabic is a very guttural sounding language with a unique set of sounds. German. Japanese can be considered one of the hardest languages to learn because of just that- the writing system. A student who is starting to learn German, will have a really hard time finding the meaning of words in a dictionary. Certain words are separable, others appear with endings that have to be taken off, and, often, 2 or more words are combined to make just one word, without it appearing as that word in the dictionary. Korean is ranked last on our list of the most difficult languages. Many Americans who've never even tackled a foreign language have said Spanish is "easy", and yet for a German, say, of similar foreign-language challenged background, Spanish would be a nightmare of irregular tenses, whereby Dutch or even Danish would be much simpler for them. Verbs. The result is that unlike other languages, where it is pretty much enough to learn a word and move on, in German youll have to simultaneously learn its gender and its plural form. Umlaut vowels (or vowels with double dots) are one of the hardest concepts to wrap your head around when learning German. German is (in)famous for its long words. Streichholzschchtelchen simply means small matchbox, though it looks like it should mean so much more. Native to countries of the Arab League and a member of the West Semitic language family, this beautiful and highly expressive language is guaranteed to torment any English speaker who dares to learn it. It certainly isnt the easiest language for English native speakers to learn. As well as its written script. Theres no such thing as an intrinsically difficult or easy language anywhere. If there were, children learning their native tongue would progress Netherlands here, English is by far the easiest because you grew up with it, everything I did was basically in English, computers, video games, cartoons, movies, by the time English lessons came around all I got was A's. A moroccan may find The video above shows people struggling with some complex and difficult German words. Youre doing your best, studying your chosen language daily, but still not feeling anything close to fluent. This is called L1 interference (to get really technical) and its a phenomenon that affects all language learners. You will be able to sharpen your comprehension and understanding of the sample text below, which is part of the Article 26 and 27 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I took off my pants. There is no such thing as the Germanic language. There is a German language (this is the language spoken natively in Germany, Austria, and Switze 1. 1 More Example Eichhrnchen neutral (n) German vs English Language Challenge! 1. Learn the rules of German word order and practice them so that you can you use the language more confidently. Germans are proud of their English skills and like to speak to practice it with you. It resembles English through the Roman writing script, although German has unique consonants like (pronounced Eszett). They speak modern Arabic (slang) in different accents, which is a lot easier than the mother Arabic language itself. Category III contains no European languages at all (though it does contain Indonesian, widely regarded as one of the objectively easiest languages to learn). This is where lots of listening and a bit of patience come in. 13,946. It resembles English through the Roman writing script, although German has unique consonants like (pronounced Eszett). Austrian German (sterreichisches Deutsch) 3. /r/German is a community focused on discussion related to learning the German language. Listen to people from Germany speak English in their native accent and, in some instances, German in their native dialect. Germany 1 female, 24, 1975, German (exact ethnicity N/A), Hamburg. The normal word order, as we expect it to be, is Subject Verb Object. Swiss German (Schwiizerdtsch) 2. For native English speakers, the Foreign Services Institute is the most challenging language to learn. No. #6. It takes approximately 36 weeks (900 hours of practice) to reach professional working proficiency in these languages. Dutch language, like English, has an extensive population of speakers outside the Netherlands. May 5, 2020. Top 10 Hardest Words to Pronounce 10 words View 9 comments View as Slideshow English Add All to Flashcards Add All to Wordbank Hose feminine (n) pants Ich zog meine Hose aus. The German language has a reputation for being hard to pronounce, but, to be fair, its somewhat undeserved. But when it comes to word order, the language leans more towards the German influence. Is it easier to learn German or Dutch? My native language is Hungarian, I speak both English and German. I think the best way to put arguments is to break it down to "inside the box" and French is about as complex as German, it's not particularly hard.
Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. Low German (Plattdtsch) 7. Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) Korean. Sommer by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1810) Goethe is one of Germany's literary giants. Dutch is also called Netherlandic or Dutch Nederlands in Belgium it is called Flemish or Flemish Vlaams. Freundschaftsbeziehungen (Friendship relations). These are the most difficult languages that are in critical need, so the Khoisan languages do not count. Icelandic! Because of its: * conservative grammar (very developed word declensions and verb conjugations) * high number of irregularities. * few bo Can you learn 2 languages at once? German is also far from being the most difficult foreign language for a native English speaker.