Best Languages To Learn At The Same Time: Choose Your Language Match
Are you a language fan and want to learn multiple languages at the same time? If you are eager to learn new languages, this article will reveal to you which languages you should learn at the same time. Even though I don’t recommend learning multiple languages at once, some people love doing so. If you are one of them, check out the best languages to learn at the same time. It will make your learning process a lot easier and enjoyable.
I’ve written this article out of my own experience learning languages. As a European who travels a lot through Europe, I’ve been able to hear many European languages and make the comparison between them. Thanks to this experience, I now understand the similarities between these languages. So check out my personal insights into the best languages to learn at the same time.
Best Languages To Learn At The Same Time
If you want to learn two languages at the same time, choose these pairs of languages. They’ll work really well together, and it will be easier for you to learn:
- Italian & Spanish
- French & Spanish
- Spanish & Portuguese
- German & English
- German & Dutch
- Norwegian & Swedish
- Finnish & Hungarian
- Russian & Ukrainian
- Slovak & Czech
- Polish & Slovak
Generally speaking, the easiest way to learn two languages at the same time is to choose the languages from the same language family (group). That means the languages within one family have similar features and structures and evolved from the same dialect. So I’ve made it easier for you and have already chosen two languages from the family groups for you. This article will talk about the Italic, German, Finno-Ugric, and Slavic languages.
Now that you know what the best languages to learn simultaneously are let’s break each pair down.
Italian & Spanish
Italian and Spanish belong to so-called Romance languages. They are also the easiest ones to learn from the list. Italian is one of the easiest European languages to learn. And if you mix it with the second easiest language, Spanish, you’ve won the battle.
Both of these languages originated as dialects of spoken Latin. So they belong to the same language family, which is the Italic language family. The Italic language family belongs to the big Indo-European language group, languages mostly spoken in Europe.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Italian or Spanish?
The easier language from this pair is Italian. So you might want to start with the Italian language and translate words into Spanish. However, there is not a big difference as with other language pairs.
These languages are generally easy to learn when it comes to accents. With Italian, you’ll have more cases when words are pronounced differently than how we write them. But once you learn the basic rules of pronunciation, you’ll be well off. Spanish has only a few cases when you need to know certain pronunciation rules such as ñ, h, or j.
French & Spanish
French and Spanish also belong to the Italic language family, with languages evolved from spoken Latin in France and Spain.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Frensh or Spanis?
Spanish is easier language to learn than French, so you might want to start with Spanish and translate vocabulary into French.
French is more challenging when it comes to the pronunciation of words and sentences. This is because you don’t write words as you hear them. So the pronunciation is slightly different in writing. However, many French words are similar to English. So it will make it easier for you to learn new vocabulary.
With the Spanish language, you write words, and you hear. You don’t even need a special accent to sound like a native speaker in Spanish. Pronunciation might be difficult for those who already have a specific accent in their native languages, such as English, French, or German.
Spanish & Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese are very easy to learn at the same time. The main reason for it is that they have many words in common. In fact, if you already know Spanish, you’ll automatically catch some Portuguese words without even learning them. This is because they also belong to the Italic language family.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Spanish or Portuguese?
Spanish language is easier to learn than Portuguese. But still, you’ll hear many similarities as these two languages have a lot in common. Once you speak Spanish, it will generally be easier to learn other languages, especially Portuguese. What I recommend is to start with Spanish and incorporate Portuguese into the process.
German & English
German and English belong to the Germanic language family. That means it will be easier to learn them together as they have similar language structures. Unfortunately, German is one of the most difficult languages to learn generally. I’ve been there, I’ve learned the language, and it is challenging. But you can make it. Just choose an easy language to learn with it. That’s why I’ve matched it with English.
English is one of the easiest languages to learn. If you are an English speaker, I suggest you learn German alone. Don’t mix it with learning another language. It is better to focus on German solely.
The only difference between these two languages is pronunciation. English has a very specific, rather smooth accent. Whereas German’s accent is harder. So if you speak English, which I suppose you do if you’re reading this article, rather learn German on its own.
German & Dutch
If you already speak a little bit of Dutch or are a native Dutch speaker, it will be easy to learn German. It also works the other way around. German and Dutch have a lot in common. They both belong to the Germanic language family.
I speak German, and when I hear somebody speaking Dutch, I can catch so many similarities. In fact, it even confuses me for a while whether the person really speaks German or what kind of language it is.
In case you want to start learning German, check out the best way to learn German vocabulary.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: German or Dutch?
None of these languages are easy to learn. But if you learn German, it will be easier for you to learn Dutch afterward. If you don’t speak any of these languages, I suggest you start with learning German. Then incorporate Dutch into it. You’ll understand how similar these languages are. It will also get easier for you with pronunciation.
Norwegian & Swedish
Swedish and Norwegian both belong to the North Germanic language family. They have a similar language structure with German, Dutch, Danish, and Icelandic languages. All these languages are part of the so-called Norse group, basically all North Germanic languages (Scandinavian languages).
If you plan a trip to Scandinavia, it is best to start learning these two languages. Or, if you want to challenge yourself, incorporate Danish as well as another Scandinavian language.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Norwegian or Swedish?
Norwegian is the easiest language to learn from this group. So start with Norwegian and then learn Swedish with it. These languages are especially easy to learn for English speakers. Norwegian is easily understandable for you, so you’ll enjoy the process.
Finnish & Hungarian
One Scandinavian language is different from the rest of North Germanic languages. Finish belongs to a completely different language group, the Finno-Ugric language family. So if you thought of learning all Scandinavian languages, Finish would be a lot different from the rest.
Hungarian is also part of the Finno-Ugric language family. That’s why you should learn it with Finnish. These two languages have similar language structures. However, that’s all they have in common. These languages are still pretty different, use different vocabulary, and it won’t be as easy to learn both of them at the same time as with other languages from this list. Have a look at the table below and see how the words are different and don’t have a lot in common.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Finnish or Hungarian?
None of these languages are easy to learn, so choose whichever you want to. Make a choise based on some criteria, for instance, travel, or a job opportunity on these countries.
Honestly, the Hungarian language has always sounded like many funny words put together into one sentence. Don’t get me wrong lovely Hungarians. I have many Hungarian friends (especially from my University studies), and it just always makes me laugh when they speak. I mean it in a good way. I even told my Hungarian friends it is so funny when they speak. So it might be a good motive for you to learn these languages to get you into a better mood.
Russian & Ukrainian
Let’s now switch to Slavic languages that will be useful for you when travelling in Eastern Europe. The first language I recommend you to learn when it comes to Slavic languages is definitely Russian.
Russian is also widely spoken in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic. This is because locals had to learn Russian at school during the Communist regime back in the 1900s. That’s why you’ll still be able to communicate in Russian in these countries.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Russian or Ukrainian?
Russian is easier to learn than Ukrainian and you can also use Russian in other Eastern European countries. If you understand Russian, it will be easy for you to learn Ukrainian. Or you don’t even have to learn Ukrainian because so many people in Ukraine speak Russian. So if you speak Russian and want to visit Kijiv, you win it.
The Ukrainian language has many similarities with Russian. It also sounds a lot like the Russian language. That’s why I recommend you to choose this pair of languages if you want to learn some Slavic languages.
Slovak & Czech
Slovak and Czech languages are the most difficult to learn from this list (and in Europe). The good news is that once you speak one of them, you’ll automatically understand the second language.
For instance, I am a native Slovak speaker and can understand the Czech language perfectly without ever learning it. On the other hand, my boyfriend is Czech, so he speaks Czech, and I speak Slovak when we are together. And don’t worry, we haven’t had any misunderstandings yet throughout the 3 years we are together. So you see how similar these languages are.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Slovak or Czech?
The only advice I can give you here is to start with the Slovak language. Generally speaking, Slovak people understand the Czech better than the Czech understand Slovak. When it comes to the difficulty of learning these two languages, Slovak will be easier thanks to the pronunciation of words.
The drawback is that these languages are only spoken in two countries. The Czech language is only spoken in the Czech Republic (Prague). The Slovak language is only spoken in Slovakia (Bratislava). So I am not sure if you really want to learn them.
However, if you want to visit these countries, it is definitely worth trying. Just keep in mind. It is difficult to learn both of them. The pronunciation is also hard, especially with the Czech language.
Polish & Slovak
Last but not least, I have an interesting pair of languages for you. Slovak and Polish languages are also similar. They are not as similar as Czech and Slovak, but you can hear they have a lot in common.
When I came to Poland as a Slovak speaker, I could understand Polish people. Even though it is slightly difficult for me and I have to assume a lot of what they say, I can understand the context.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Polish or Slovak?
If you plan to learn these two languages, start with Polish. It is closer to the Russian language and slightly easier than Slovak. After, it will be easier to incorporate the Slovak language into your learning process.
These are the best languages to learn at the same time. I only focus on European languages in this article since this site focuses on European travel and European languages. Let me know in the comments below if you like to compare other languages spoken in Asia as well.
Language Families & Their Evolution
So now you know that these languages are easier to learn at the same time because they belong to the same language family. Let’s have a look at how all these languages families evolved and where they come from.
Evolution of Italic Language Family
Firstly, Latin spread from Rome across the modern parts of Italy. Then, it expanded to almost the entire Europe, North Africa, and some parts of the Middle East within the Roman Empire.
People spoke dialects of Latin in different parts of Europe, from which other languages evolved, such as Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian, and Portuguese. So, they were all created from spoken Latin. Today, we also call them as Romance languages.
Evolution of Slavic Languages
Slavic languages are believed to evolve from the so-called Proto-Baltic-Slavic languages spoken in Poland, Ukraine, and Baltic countries such as Serbia, North Macedonia, and Greece. The first documentation about Slavic languages came from the Byzantine Era when Slavic people came into contact with the Byzantine Empire, where people spoke mainly Greek.
The first Slavic texts were written in the Old Church Slavonic, when famous brothers from Thessaloniki (Greece), Cyril and Methodius, tried to spread Christianity to the Slavic-speaking regions. These two brothers translated Bible into the Slavic languages to spread the word about the religion. This was all happening in the area, what is today known as Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia.
More Tips On Language Learning
Now you know which languages are easy to learn together. Whether you choose some from the Italic, Germanic, or Slavic language family, I am sure you’ll love it. Don’t forget to have a clear reason for why you want to learn the language. And fall in love with the process of learning the languages. In case you still cannot decide which language you want to learn, read my article about the best language to learn to travel Europe. It will help you to decide for sure.
If you need ideas to learn these languages, check out my language resources to boost your learning process. You’ll get ideas for the best language learning apps for speaking, best language learning podcasts, language books, language magazines, and a lot more.
Check out my step-by-step guide for language learning as a beginner. It also explains to you how it is easier to learn one language at a time. After, you can incorporate a second language from the match above.
If you want to start learning a language for travel, check out my article that will teach you how to learn a language in 7 simple steps. If you need ideas for language resources, you can get some from my language blog.
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