Self-care during self-isolation is important. As the world struggles to come to terms with the “new normal,” millions of people all over the globe are adjusting to life under quarantine, whether self-imposed or not. And, it’s going to take some time to adjust to that new routine, to a daily life confined within the parameters of your home.
If you’re self-isolating, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting enough rest, stretching and moving your body and taking care of your health. This includes keeping your mind active and healthy as well. Sure, binge that new Netflix series. Then, download a few games. Whatever you need to do to take care of yourself amidst the spread of coronavirus.
But, eventually, you’ll need to find other ways to stimulate your mind. And, what better way than learning a new language? Studies show that it can increase the number of neural pathways between parts of the brain. So, what are you waiting for? These are the easiest languages to learn for English speakers, according to the United States Foreign Service Institute.
Easiest Languages To Learn For English Speakers
1. Danish
If you’ve ever wanted to learn to speak Danish, now is the time. It’s a North Germanic language that is derived from East Norse, like Swedish. And, unlike other languages (such as Spanish) that add letters to the alphabet (we’re looking at you, ñ), there are only three additional letters to the Danish alphabet.
2. Dutch
Surprisingly, Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. Language experts and professional teachers note that to learn Dutch fluently (if you’re practising every day), it only takes about 23-24 weeks. And, it’s spoken outside of the Netherlands as well, with over 22 million native speakers worldwide.
3. French
Admit it, you’ve always wanted to learn French. Whether you were inspired after watching Amélie years ago or simply fantasise about gallivanting off to Paris to have a secret love affair with a French local, most people seem to love the French language. And, it is quite romantic. Over 200 million people all over the world speak French, and it’s definitely one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
4. Italian
When the world begins to recover from coronavirus and the travel industry stabilises a bit, we’re going to want to help boost economies in the countries that have been hit the hardest. As Italy will likely struggle to recover for some time, it’s a fantastic idea to think about travelling to the country (when it’s deemed absolutely safe to do so). And, what better way to show solidarity with locals who’ve been affected than by arriving and speaking their own language with them?
5. Spanish
If you’re a native English speaker then you’ll undoubtedly find lots of similarities between English and Spanish. It’s one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers with language teachers noting you can become semi-fluent in a little over six months. It’s also currently the third most spoken language in the world, meaning that it will open lots of doors for you in terms of communicating with others around the world.
6. Portuguese
Not interested in learning Spanish but like the general sound of the language? Portuguese is pretty darn close. In fact, you might confuse the two at times if you hear people speaking one or the other pretty fast. Like other romance languages, its got its roots in Latin, making it pretty easy for English speakers to speak, read and write.
7. Norwegian
Like Danish, the Norwegian language is pretty easy to learn. In fact, Norwegian shares similar grammatical systems with Swedish and Danish. So, by learning one of the three, you’re pretty much able to get by in any of the countries where they speak ane one of them. Vocabulary is similar and sentence structure is similar.
