Difficulties and ease of Spanish

As with all languages, learning Spanish presents some simpler aspects and others that may not be so simple. What are these pros and cons when it comes to "facing" our language?

The first pro may seem obvious, but let's emphasize it: it does not appear in the rankings of the most difficult languages in the world.

However, there may be people who tell us that Spanish has a large number of tenses, irregular forms, verb inflections, and a problematic subjunctive mood that does not exist in other languages, such as English. That said, it must be taken into account that Spanish has fewer irregular forms than other Romance languages, such as French.

As for the simplicity or ease regarding syntax, opinions are divided. The fact is that compared to other languages governed by more rigid patterns, Spanish is very flexible regarding the order that words can take within the same sentence.

Another "difficulty" would be the one associated with the letter ñ. We Spanish speakers are practically the only ones who use it, and its spelling—that of an 'n' with a strange stroke—can unsettle some students. However, its pronunciation is very easy and resembles a combination of 'n' and 'y'.

We should also cite a reason that points to the enormous variety that Spanish has. The language is spoken in 21 countries, and even within Spain, there is considerable diversity between one region and another—not to mention between the Spanish of South America and that spoken in Spain. But this extra-linguistic reason actually facilitates learning because Spanish is the official language in 22 countries. Additionally, there are other countries, such as the United States, Brazil, Italy, and the Philippines, where, without being the official language, it is spoken by millions of people. Therefore, against the usual difficulty supposed in learning Spanish due to its marked diversity, we must weigh the convenience and ease of being able to choose a destination to study or practice Spanish. Apart from Spain or the South American countries where it is the official language, we can practice it in numerous spots across the globe: from the Philippines to Equatorial Guinea, passing through the Argentine Antarctica, among many others. Spanish is studied practically all over the world, and there are Cervantes Institutes on every continent.

In reality, returning to its ease of learning, according to a study conducted by the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State in 2014—based on the amount of time it takes a native North American speaker to speak and read another language—Spanish is an easy language to learn and is closely related to English. Although it may seem even more surprising, according to surveys, the Japanese also consider Spanish to be the easiest language to learn. Apparently, the cause lies in the phonetic similarity between both languages.

What did you think? You are already seeing that Spanish is so versatile that even what seem like difficulties turn into advantages.