5 Common Reasons Finding English Hard To Learn

An article on Oxford Summer Course states that English is one of the hardest languages to learn according to linguists. However, learning English becomes easier when you have perfect surroundings for it.

When people around you also speak English, it is much more supportive. But, it is a rare scene in some regions of Asia such as Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. For this reason, English can be a difficult language for Learners from these countries.

Don’t worry if you are just beginning, AmazingTalker provides 1-on-1 native tutors with various levels of courses for all ages. Amazingly, this 家教網 provides opportunities to learn a language such as – Japanese directly from a 日文家教.

Here are five reasons that make English hard to learn:

1. Mixed vocabulary

It is unbelievable that 80% of English words are sourced from other languages. Numerous English words have come from Latin or Greek. Many English words even have come from Asian languages like Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi. 

When a language borrows a huge number of intact words from outside, the discipline of spelling and pronunciation of the language can be broken. And, it has happened in the case of English. English words have no fixed spelling and pronunciation rules. 

This randomness is a big challenge for foreigners. Since English words are not phonetic, learners always need to look over the spelling and pronunciation of a new word. Isn’t it annoying? 

2. Different mother tongues

English can be very easy to learn if your mother tongue is from the same language family. Let’s go through a short analysis. Indo-European and Sino Tibetan are two major language families. Both families have multiple branches, which are the source of many languages. 

For instance, Germanic is a branch of Indo-European. Similarly, Chinese is a branch of Sino Tibetan. Since English is a Germanic language, it has no relation with languages from the Sino Tibetan family. 

As a result, English seems very hard to learn for Chinese people and vice versa. On the other hand, Dutch and Norwegian people can easily learn English since they are also Germanic languages. 

3. Rules and exceptions on both speaking and spelling

Though grammar is designed to discipline a language, exceptions in English grammar rules can make the claim false.

Here is an example of how nouns, verbs, and adjectives can confuse English learners.

• Verb with –ing as a noun: Running is good for cardiac health.
• Noun with -fy as a verb: Our mission is to simplify people’s life.
• Noun as an adjective: We use paper plates for serving foods.
• Adjective as a noun: Paper can be a good alternative to plastic.

Exceptions between adjectives and adverbs are also very bewildering. In general, we see adverbs ending with –ly. However, some adjectives can also have –ly at the end. Similarly, numerous adverbs don’t end with –ly. Let’s check out a weird example:

Adjective: bodily, authorly, chilly, beastly, etc.

Adverb: back, better, already, even, etc.

Moreover, English spelling has many illogical exceptions. Here are a few examples:

Standard: entire + ly = entirely, like + ness = likeness.

Exceptions: true + ly = truly, guide + ance = guidance.

Standard: benefit + ed = benefitted, stoop + ing = stooping.

Exception: admit + ed = admitted, stop + ing = stopping.

Standard: pity + ful = pitiful, party + es = parties.

Exception: journey + ing = journeying, copy + ing = copying.

These exceptions look fun to linguists, but they are like nightmares for non-native speakers.

4. Complex words order

Standard English word order is subject-verb-object. If you already know a language that follows the same pattern, you can learn English grammar quickly.

For example, Spanish follows the SVO word order too. So, a Spanish speaker can form English sentences by simply learning basic English words.

In contrast, the word order of Korean is subject-object-verb. For this reason, English grammar will be opposite to Korean people. So, the difficulty of learning English also depends on which word order you are familiar with.

5. Synonyms aren’t always synonymous

Using synonyms is important to beautify your English writing and speaking. However, you have to use them carefully since the actual meaning of synonyms might be inappropriate.

For example, Finish is a synonymous word with Eat. However, their lexical meaning is thoroughly different.

Eat means– having a meal.

Finish means – bringing a task to an end.

Now, you can’t eat a task or finish a plate of pasta.

What is your biggest difficulty with learning English?

For me, the biggest difficulty with learning English is understanding native English speakers when they speak quickly and fluently. I often have to ask people to repeat themselves or slow down.

Final Words

No matter how difficult it is to learn English, you can achieve your goal by following the right way. Nowadays, you can join an 線上課程 to learn English from home. But, learning a language with a native tutor is always appreciated. The 線上英文 from AmazingTalker offers you the exact thing. 

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