It is true that most people can learn English easily with the help of a few hundred videos and basic grammar rules. But for those who wish to learn English as their second language, it is almost impossible. The language has too many different rules and is too complex for those whose first language is not English.
Is English hard to learn for foreigners?
For those who wish to improve their conversational skills in English, they need to memorize more than one thousand words and their pronunciations must be perfect.
In addition, for those who wish to learn English as their second language, they must have a good command of the English grammar rules. The only way to improve their conversational skills in English is by learning new words and phrases every day.
Rules and Exceptions
The English language, like any other, is rife with rules. Whether they’re grammatical or use it to assist in spelling. You’ll find more than 200 of these here, some even with explanations.
There are exceptions to nearly every rule. One must remember that language changes from time to time and the rules may have been different when a particular phrase or word was coined versus now since looking back no one seems to remember where it originated.
For foreign learners: You can immediately detect the word order if you speak English fluently. Another difficulty for students in distinguishing between right and incorrect orders. The following table contains some regular word orders. The question here is whether the sentence is right (and appropriate) or if there is an equivalent left-right order that can be used, in this case taking into account not only grammatical rules but also flow and the natural order of sentences for clarity when speaking fluently.
Just like any other language, there are exceptions and variations but they aren’t numerous or extensive enough to be worth listing due to the fact that English differs from country to country even less than most languages and their cultures.
English Has a Mixed Vocabulary
When it comes to specifics, 26 percent of English vocabulary is Germanic in origin. Nearly 30 percent is French, while about 12 percent is Latin. And while English has more words borrowed from French, the share of French borrowings stands at a little more than 26 percent of all borrowings in English—roughly on par with Germania’s taking up roughly 27 percent.
In fact, French and English switched places in terms of their borrowings from Sanskrit about 200 years ago. So we owe some words to the Romans while others appeared during Elizabethan times and more than a couple after Shakespeare’s death (think: “gravity,” “entertainment,” etc.).
Perplexing Spelling
English spelling is very different from many other languages. You will notice this at first when you compare it to French, Spanish, or German names. However, despite having so little in common with them, all three are similar enough to be easily compared and merged one-to-one into English (more or less). The English alphabet is also very different at first, but the sounds are fairly similar to other European languages. Of course, this can cause problems for some with learning how to mix them up right away. is far more likely to confuse Z with S, X with K, O, and A.
Because of this complete break in the alphabet at so many points, it is perhaps no wonder that English pronunciation can be very hard for foreign learners who are used to sticking their tongue squarely into the middle of a word.
English speakers and native English speakers have very similar pronunciations, but in some cases, it can be a bit tricky.
East Anglian dialect is a subset of British English and is especially pronounced by the people from Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge shire. Although they have been influenced greatly by American accents, sometimes also still have perfect classical regional accents.
The challenges to English learner
1. Grammatical “Rules” Often aren’t Applicable
English speakers grow up hearing the phrase “I before E, except after C.” But what about words like “science,” “their,” or “foreign,” all of which flout this rule?
Or that pesky rule that English verbs in the past tense end with the suffix “-ed”—except you “ate” rather than “eated” and “slept” rather than “sleeped”?
Even native English speakers occasionally stumble, as when they inadvertently use an irregular plural verb form such as “appeared” rather than the expected “e appeared.”
2. The Level of Formality is Unclear
Languages like Spanish, Korean, and Japanese have different verb conjugations based on the level of formality. In Spanish, the “tu” form is used to address friends and family, while the “usted” form is used to address an elder or a superior. The English language does not have a direct equivalent, and can therefore be considered “too informal” by some non-native speakers. Levels of formality in English, however, can change depending on whom you are speaking to (e.g., younger people use more informal terms like “the lads” or “bud” when talking about male friends).
3. English Uses a lot of Idioms
Not everything in the English language is meant to be taken literally. For example, when George W. Bush was inaugurated as President of the United States in 2001, one newspaper wrote “the dangerous day is here.” This means that many English speakers overuse idioms and figures of speech (alliteration and metaphor) in convincing themselves they speak like a native.
4. English Uses Different Dialects
Standard American English is different from British English, which is also different from Australian English. This means that speakers who have studied in one or more of these countries will likely not be able to think in the same way as native English speakers.
Because English is a language with so many influences from other languages, it can be especially challenging for non-native speakers to learn and use it properly.
5. Right Words
English word sometimes has more than one meaning and can be misinterpreted if it is not used correctly. For example, to say “the news made me cry” one should usually use the word “laugh” and then their face will probably look like that of a clown, but saying “I cried over the news” is rude and one should just keep quiet.
So, is English hard to learn for foreigners?
It’s easier to learn English if you don’t care about the rules. Concentrate on reading and listening to native language content, listening is a skill.
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FAQ
What are the five things that make English difficult for foreigners to learn?
1. The alphabet is different
2. English is a complex language with many spelling rules and exceptions
3. It has many words that are pronounced differently than in other languages
4. Many words have more than one meaning or pronunciation, which makes it difficult to learn new vocabulary quickly
What do you find difficult about English learning?
It is difficult to learn English because there are so many rules that need to be followed in order for it to be properly understood.
If you want to become a good English speaker, then you will have to practice your skills every day.
You also need to read books, watch movies and listen to music that are native speakers of the language in order for you to understand what they are saying.
This can be difficult because some people may not have access to or means of doing these things which may prevent them from becoming fluent in English.