The language-learning website Voxy has recently put together this handy infographic breaking down which are the hardest languages for English speakers to learn.
The information used to create this infographic comes from multiple sources, including the Foreign Service Institute of the US Department of State, the infographic breaks down the amount of time it generally takes English speakers to pick up foreign languages.
According to their data, most western European languages are classified as easy to learn – with English speakers estimated to achieve proficiency in around 600 class hours (or 24 weeks).
Russian, Hindi, Thai, Polish and Greek, on the other hand, take around 44 weeks to learn, while the hardest languages, which include Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Arabic, can take more than a year and a half to reach proficiency in.
But even though it can be hard work, science has shown that learning a second language at any age slows down mental decline, and scientists have also worked out exactly how it changes your brain. People who are bilingual also go on to overall be more successful.
What are the Hardest Languages to Learn?
