Learning German for the Naturalisation Test

Learning German for the Naturalisation Test The Best way to Learn German to Become German ChaptersFederated StatesWhat Was the Stasi?The Rights of EU Nationals in GermanyThe German Jobs MarketHow Do You Become German?Conditions for NaturalisationAre you fluent in German? Did you study German in Germany? Did you fall in love with the Federal Republic of Germany and decide life in Germany as a citizen was for you?Before you dive into the various ways to become German, you should test your knowledge of Germany.Do you know that Germany is a federated state? Do you know what that means for everyday life?Do you know your German history? Do you know what the Stasi was?For those wanting to stay in Germany, do you know what you need to do?  What are the conditions for becoming German?Are you familiar with the German job market?There are so many questions you need to answer before you decide to become a German citizen.Whether you want to work in Germany, learn German, become an expat, or just learn more about German culture, we’ve a few things to tell you about naturalisation, r esidency permits, the German job market, and the rules you need to follow before you take your first German lessons.If you're thinking about learning German and want to live in Deutschland, you'll need to more than just the language. You'll need to know how the German government works. SönkeGerman Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ClaudiaGerman Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SefaGerman Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HilaryGerman Teacher 5.00 (16) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LisaGerman Teacher 5.00 (8) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ChrisGerman Teacher 5.00 (19) £39/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors WendyGerman Teacher 5.00 (2) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HowardGerman Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsFederated StatesGermany is a federated state comprised of 16 Länders that each have their own constitution, parliament, and government. There are 3 cities in Germany that are also Länders: Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg.What is a federal German state?It’s a type of state in which the territories have some autonomy while respecting the powers shared at a federal level.Each of the 16 federal states has a government and a statue of powers guaranteed by the federal constitution. However, these states have no power in terms of foreign politics or international rights.You could even live and work in Hamburg! (Source: pixabay.com)The 16 states of Länder are: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine- Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia.The German states have independent jurisdiction and total control over the police, municipal law, media, teaching, culture, and worship.  For those with a different language, each state can adopt a specific law but it mus tn’t go against the federal law.What Was the Stasi?Until 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, Germany was two countries:  The FRG and the GDR.The GDR was a totalitarian state maintained by the Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssichercheit) which came about in 1950 after the end of the war and were inspired by the methods of the KGB.The Stasi’s objectives were to guarantee the Communist Party’s control over the German population.  This resulted on keeping tabs on all of society whether in schools, factories, business, or shops.The goal was simple: know what everyone thought and what they were doing in order to eliminate all opposition. For the Stasi, everyone was a potential suspect and it wasn’t uncommon for Stasi agents to check post and tap phones.Just like the NSA in the US or the Investigatory Powers Act in the UK when it comes to email and web browsing, the Stasi infiltrated the private lives of Germans in order to collect as much information as possible on anyone they consider ed a potential threat.  The Stasi was made up of around 274,000 employees and 174,000 informants and accounted for 2.5% of the population.The scandal revealed by Edward Snowden concerning the NSA has brought similar practices to the fore but on an international scale.  The work done by spies in the Second World War is now done by computers and algorithms. SönkeGerman Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ClaudiaGerman Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SefaGerman Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HilaryGerman Teacher 5.00 (16) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LisaGerman Teacher 5.00 (8) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ChrisGerman Teacher 5.00 (19) £39/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors WendyGerman Teacher 5.00 (2) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HowardGerman Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Rights of EU Nationals in Germany Now that you’ve brushed up on your knowledge of Germany and its history, do you know what rights European Union nationals have in Germany?Do they have a different status? Are there ways to stay or work in Germany? Is there a particular procedure that needs to be followed?If you live in the European Union, you can enjoy freedom of movement. This means that you can freely travel to any country in the EU, including Germany.  You can also live and work either as an employee or a freelancer in Germany.For families and EU citizens who aren’t students, you can also move to Germany as long as you have health insurance and sufficient financial means to do so.  All EU citizens can enter and leave Germany as they please without a visa for a period of less than 3 months.  They can stay for 6 months if they’re looking for work.The German Jobs MarketGermany offers a number of interesting benefits for workers. With some of the highest salaries in the world, 35 hours per week with 30 days pai d holiday, Germany is one of the best countries for working.The unemployment rates outside of the biggest cities has been 7% since 2016. The unemployment rate is lower in east Germany (3% in some regions) with the exception of Berlin.While the construction industry isn’t in huge demand, the research industry is constantly looking for workers.Work for a German company! (Source: energepic.com)Lots of businesses are looking to foreign workers.  The most sought-after positions are for engineers, technicians, and exporters.  Germany voted to set their minimum wage at €8.50 an hour. There are many advantages to working in Germany.The first hurdle is often the German language since you’ll have to speak it. You can take private German tutorials or German classes to help you with this and show that you’d like to integrate into both German culture and the German workplace.How Do You Become German?Nationality through BirthA child born on German soil will automatically be a German natio nal as long as one of their parents is, too.  If both parents are German citizens, the child will also be a German national if one of their parents has lived in Germany for over 8 years.If, like Mercedes-Benz, you were born in Germany, you're automatically German. (Source: Neromare Design)Classic NaturalisationThere are a few conditions that must be met in order to become a German citizen:Request the necessary forms and provide the necessary supporting documents.Pay €255Have lived in Germany for 8 yearsBe a law-abiding citizen with no criminal recordBe financially able to support yourself and your family without any help from the stateKnow the German constitution and requirements of a German citizenYou must prove German language proficiency of at least B1 (why not spend some time in Berlin to do this?)You must pass a citizenship test which consists of 33 questions on German economics, politics, history (check out these 10 famous Germans), and society like “What is the role of th e opposition to the German parliament?”, “What is the average age in Germany?”, and When was the RFA created?”. Each candidate can take this test as many times as they like even though 98% of candidates pass it the first time.German classes are a good way to improve your language skills. (Source: pixabay.com)Dual NationalityIf you become German, you need to renounce your previous citizenship.  However, certain EU and Swiss nationals can keep their passports and gain dual nationality.  This can be done from 16 years old through the Foreign Office.Through MarriageSince 1970, it is no longer possible for a foreigner marrying a German national to gain German citizenship. However, they can benefit from the same right to naturalisation if they complete all the following requirements...Conditions for NaturalisationHere are a few examples of the conditions for naturalisation.My parents are German. Can I get a German passport?A German national can get a German passport but if your pa rents were previously German or are no longer alive (or are no longer German because they renounced their citizenship), it's not enough to get German nationality.  At least one of your parents must be German on the date of your birth.I was born in Germany but my parents weren’t German. Can I get a German passport?A child born in Germany must have at least 1 parent with a permanent residence permit.  This applies to children born after 1 January 2000.Can I become a naturalised German citizen without living there?This is possible in theory but it does require an absolute mastery of the German language which would probably require spending time in Germany or another German speaking country. You’ll also need to be able to support yourself as stated in the previous section.Every little helps when it comes to getting German citizenship. (Source: Public Domain Photography)How can you lose German nationality?If you acquire a new nationality (from outside the European Union or Switzerlan d), you’ll automatically lose your German nationality.  You can only keep it if you obtain permission from the German authorities before getting your new nationality.As you can see, becoming German is subject to certain conditions depending on whether you live in the European Union, whether your parents are German, or whether you were born in Germany.It’s important to make sure you’re aware of all the conditions, have all the necessary supporting documents, and, if you’re not a native German speaker, can speak German well.Going to a German university, doing an Erasmus year in one of Germany’s many student towns, and learning more about German culture through podcasts and media are all great ways to help you master the German language.You should also check out some of the best German writers!Find a private german tutor to help you master the language:Learn German in the UKLearn German onlineGerman courses London

2015

Learn Language Online French Links of the Week 8/21/2015 Megan L. Bon weekend! To kick off your French-learning fun, here are the best and most interesting Francophile links from around the web. 3 Fun and Common French Idioms With Animals Camille Chevalier-Karfis Idioms in other languages are endlessly intriguing, and these three French expressions are no exception. What do you think les poules aurant des dents (the hens have teeth) could mean? 6 Tips on How to Read in French Like a Boss Frédéric Bibard Learning to read in a second language is hard, but these tips from Talk in French break it down into easy steps. Plus, at the end of the article there are great suggestions for fun sites where you can practice the reading skills youve just learned. Introducing the Paris French Tech Ticket for foreign entrepreneurs Stephanie Williamson When you think about Paris do you think about technology? Its probably not the first thing that comes to mind. A new French government program could change your answer The 7 Best French Dictionary Apps Chloe Faux Your smartphone can be a great language learning resource! Follow this guide to find the best French dictionary apps so you can look up words on the go. 28 French Places That Are Straight Out of a Fairy Tale Marie Telling Fire up your imagination with these beautiful photos of places in France. Or better yet, make plans to visit them all! Got a tip on a great place to learn something new about French language or culture online? Let us know in the comments below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Staying on Track During the Holidays

Staying on Track During the Holidays Its December and your family has finally settled into the rhythm of the school-year. Homework time is firm, and work is getting done (most nights). Your child is getting to bed at a reasonable time, and waking up without too much difficulty in the morning. Finally! But just when you and your child have hit your stride, the winter holidays come around and you start to worry that the time off from school will send you and your child back to square one. While having a break from school gives your child an opportunity to recharge and spend quality time with family, it presents a real challenge for families of kids with ADHD. Fortunately, there are things you can do to avoid backsliding completely over the holidays: Modify Your Routine. Start by creating a modified routine that is custom tailored for the holiday break. Set a bedtime and morning wake-up schedule that is realistic for this time of year, and stick to it. Avoid deviating too far from regular sleep and wake times, since this will make it much harder to get back on track when the holidays are over. As always, be as consistent as possible. Consistency helps your child regulate their sleep, appetite, attention, energy level, and mood all of which contribute to making the holiday season enjoyable for you and your child! Schedule Fun Activities. While it may seem like the winter break should simply be fun by default, too much downtime can lead to meltdowns and the post-holiday blues. On top of this, the busyness of the season tends to detract from the quality family time that your child craves this time of year. So, plan a fun, special activity each day with your child. These dont have to be elaborate activities. In fact, its often the simple things that go a long way over winter break (e.g., watching a special movie together, driving around town to see holiday lights, going out for hot chocolate, baking cookies, going out for a pancake breakfast, etc.). Take a few minutes to sit down with your child and brainstorm activities that youd like to do together. Then schedule them at specific days and times during the break. Let your child decorate the list, and then post it someplace where you can see it each day. Keep Learning. Let your child know that breaks from school dont have to mean a break from learning. Kids with ADHD who struggle in school start to feel like learning is a chore, and something is they suffer through each day until they become adults. In reality, kids love to learn, they just dont like doing routine schoolwork or sitting too much during the day. So, help your child remember that learning can be fun. When youre planning activities for your child, or looking for ways to keep him or her busy while you get things done around thing house, aim for projects that combine learning and fun. There are some terrific websites out there with countless ideas to get you started: com, Coolmath.com or PBS.org. Limit Screen Time. Too much screen time over the holidays will make it harder for your child to adjust once school starts back up again, and can lead to meltdowns and arguments. Set a clear plan for screen time, and stick to it. If your child argues or melts down when screen time is over, then dont allow screen time the next day. Remember, iPads, phones, computers, and television are all privileges, and these privileges can be taken away if your child isnt able to handle them. Take care of yourself. Its easy to get caught up in the stress of the holidays, and as a parent of a child with ADHD, you have even more to manage than most families. At some point, youll find yourself wishing the holidays were over already and your child was back in school just so you can have a break. Try to find at least a few minutes each day when you can do something for yourself, even if its simply sitting and enjoying a good cup of coffee or taking a relaxing bath after the kids go to bed. These small activities can go a long way in giving you the energy and patience you need to enjoy your child and the holiday season. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

3 Ways To Work with an LSAT Tutor

3 Ways To Work with an LSAT Tutor LSAT Law School Blog There are many ways to have a great experience with an LSAT tutor. The key is to decide what role you want the tutor to play in your LSAT preparation. One sure-fire way to have a bad experience is to develop a certain set of expectations, not communicate those expectations to your tutor, and then become frustrated as the sessions come and go and you aren’t getting what you expected from the relationship. As you think about hiring an LSAT tutor, it can be a good idea to keep three tutor “archetypes” in mind. Obviously, your tutor might be a bit of a combination of these three archetypes, but if you read through the three descriptions below and identify better with one than the others, then you can communicate those expectations to your tutor (and choose the right tutor in the first place). Three Ways to Work with an LSAT Tutor Here are the three types of LSAT tutors that students typically seek: 1. Guide/Mentor Tutor Your tutor is with you every step of the way in your LSAT prep process. In your first meeting you craft a personal study plan with the tutor. Your tutor helps you stay on track with the study plan by assigning homework and checking in regularly. You and your tutor meet on a regular basis, at least once a week, to work on developing your skills. You modify your study plan periodically to reflect your growth as you progress through the study plan. This type of tutor works best for students who have lots of time before the LSAT and like have formal structure to their tutoring relationships. Note of caution â€" if you’re looking for this type of tutoring relationship, and the potential tutor you’re evaluating seems brilliant but really unstructured and doesn’t even talk about study planning when describing his or her approach, then this particular tutor probably isn’t the one for you. Another note of caution â€" you still “own” your LSAT prep. Don’t use a tutor as a crutch â€" you need to understand the core concepts tested on the LSAT on a deep level on your own, not just when the tutor explains them. 2. “On-Call” Tutor You create a study plan together. Then your tutor is available to answer specific questions for an hour every week or so. You do most of your studying on your own and design your own homework plans. You tutor serves more as a specialist, who you turn to in those few areas that are tougher for you, or to help you understand the really difficult problems. This tutor is ideal for the student who has already done a decent amount of self-study and is looking for specific guidance to break into the higher tier scores. 3. “Crash Course” Tutor Your tutor dives in and helps you on specific areas where you are weakest. There is no real formal study plan. Meetings with your tutor run more on a triage system, focuses on areas where you are missing “easy” points. This type of tutor is ideal when you have little time to prepare for the test and need to bolster your basic skills in one area quickly. This type of tutor may also work well for students who are solid in most areas of the LSAT, but are weak in one section, for example, a student that needs focused LSAT Logic Games tutoring. A note of caution on options 2 and 3 above â€" if you think an on-call or a crash course tutor makes sense for you, make sure you are realistic as you assess your progress as your test-date nears. Trying to work with a tutor at the last minute, weeks before your test, can be stressful. So, if you are going to use the “on-call” or “crash-course” approach with an LSAT tutor, plan your tutoring sessions far enough in advance. Summary LSAT tutoring can be expensive relative to self-study or LSAT classes, yet at the same time, private, customized help on the LSAT can help you achieve a score that you otherwise would not have achieved â€" if you use an LSAT tutor effectively and efficiently. Identifying which of the above three “tutor types” would work best for you can help you identify the right LSAT tutor and work with him or her in the right way. Good luck. About the Author Jayeeta Kundu is one of MyGuru’s most senior LSAT tutors. She’s been an in-person LSAT tutor in Chicago for the past several years while obtaining her law degree from the University of Chicago. Her undergraduate degree is in Physics and Economics from Reed College, and she holds a M.S. in Technology from MIT as well. She’s worked at several of the larger, well known national test prep companies, tutoring for the SAT, GRE, GMAT, and of course, the LSAT. She is also currently an cademic counselor at the University of Chicago law school. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

Fellow Parents, this Tutoring Site is Awesome!

Fellow Parents, this Tutoring Site is Awesome! In October the testimonials from parents and tutors surged. Here are four examples. Sagit, Organic Chemistry This site is awesome and I have told many fellow parents about it today actually! Tutor Sagit seems fantastic. I would love if many people contacted me, I am a great resource and even if my daughters dont need it, I have many friends who can use help for their kids too! Gabi G. of Encino, CA October 22nd, 2015 Calculus Tutor Amer of Gurnee, IL Amer met with my son for the first time today. He was finishing up with another student and his mother stated, your sons in good hands. She was absolutely correct. Amer was very patient with my son and inquired my sons needs as they moved through the session. By the end of session one, my son was much more confident about his abilities. Thank you Amer. Looking forward to his next session. Randy T. of Wadsworth, IL October 18th, 2015 Dr. Sai, Math and Java Dr. Sai is very knowledgeable, qualified and have patience to teach kids, we highly recommend. Murthy,  Irving, TX October 17th, 2015 Tutor Stewart, ADHD Stewart was great- he took the to explain everything to my son. He was very patient and knowledgeable. Mrs. Laura C.  of North Reading, MA   October 5th, 2015 Thank you Gabi, Randy, Murty and Laura for your words of appreciation. TutorZ is always happy to be of good service to you and will do its best in the future too.

Bilingual Program

Bilingual Program Bilingual Program What is the Bilingual.hu Program? We are a private, non-profit, tuition-based educational enterprise operating in Hungarian state educational institutions. As such, we are a public-private partnership that has been providing unique educational opportunities to hundreds of Hungarian families since 2001. What does Bilingual.hu teach? We operate our nationally accredited program in three primary schools and two kindergartens in Budapest and its environs. Our primary school program encompasses 1stthrough 8thgrade and involves nearly every subject in the curriculum, making it possible for teachers of diverse backgrounds to draw on their training and experience and deliver quality teaching tostudents aged 7 to 14.In our kindergarten program, children aged 3 to 7 are immersed in a bilingual environment using the one person, one language model. Within this context, we provide high-quality early childhood education in English through play and everyday situations as well asset activities, resulting in successful language acquisition from a very young age. What does Bilingual.hu offer that makes our program different? (1) We provide professional developmenttraining opportunities at multiple points throughout each school year, starting with in-depth orientation and training in August prior to starting the school year. We work with top teacher trainers, both from within Hungary and internationally. (2) We offer an innovative approach to teaching, including the interactive and communicative approach favored in EFL environments as well as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in our subject lessons at all grade levels and in the kindergarten. As such, we co-teach: teachers hold lessons jointly and alternate in the leading role, switching languages throughout the course of the lesson. Students thus study simultaneously in both English and Hungarian. We are also innovating in terms of technology in teaching, integrating various online learning platforms into our program and rolling out the use of tablets in our primary school classrooms. (3) Our program also offers the chance to work alongside highly experienced Hungarian teaching professionals, whose knowledge and expertise are part of our programs offerings to our staff members. We work very closely with our co-teachers, so we can learn a tremendous amount from them as we go along. (4) For all these reasons we believe Bilingual.hu offers unrivaled opportunities for development. We hope and believe that working in our program will allow for both rapid and broad professional development as well as the personal growth that comes out of taking on a challenge and becoming part of a tightly-knit teaching team and a truly unique learning environment. View our Brochure

The 11 Easiest Languages to Learn Depending on Your Native Language and Learning Style

The 11 Easiest Languages to Learn Depending on Your Native Language and Learning Style You Cant Argue with Science: The 11 Easiest Languages to Learn Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iâ€"I took the one that I didnt have to hike, struggle and bushwhack through.When it comes to learning a language to fluency, that could make all the difference.Lets face it, weve all got stuff to do.Theres no shame in hitting that easy button sometimes.We get itâ€"youve got a life.Were all parents, friends, neighbors, small business owners, full-time travelers or artists.But far too  many people never know the joys of a second language because they think they dont have time to learn, that learning is too hard or that they just cant do it.Were here to tell you definitively, thats just not the case.Now, if youre a native speaker of a European language and want to devote yourself to learning the intricacies of a language like  Pirahã, we support you wholeheartedly. But if youre looking for a language thats not gonna require 3-hour evening classes Monday through Friday for the next 10  years, well, we support you just a little more wholeheartedly.And t hats what were here to help with! What Makes a Language Easy to Learn?Theres no such thing as one language thats just plain easier than all the others, but there are a lot of languages that are way easier for you personally to learn.I travel all over the world and one thing Ive noticed is that all 7  billion of us seem to have strong opinions on our native languages.Two people in the same country (even the same city!) will tell you with equal  degrees of confidence that their language is super hard and super easy, that youll never learn it or that its a piece of cake. Theyll swear to you that English was a breeze to learn, or that its the hardest thing theyve ever done.What accounts for these huge differences in opinion? Two things:1. Theres no such thing as a universally easy language.2. The ease of a language depends on the learner.There are generally three major things that make a language easy or hard for any given learner:1. How closely its related to the languages you alread y know.2. How complex its system of sounds is.3. How complicated its grammar is.Some learners struggle more to understand the strange sounds they hear coming out of noses and throats and rounded lips, and others would take a good French nasal vowel over German noun declensions any day of the week. Whatever your learning style is, here are 3  kinds of  easy languages for you to get started with.Keep in mind that the more commonly studied languages on this list are available to learn with fun videos on FluentU, which is designed to make language acquisition as easy and intuitive as possible! FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like news, music videos, movie trailers and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons.You Cant Argue with Science: The 11 Easiest Languages to LearnLinguistic Neighbors: Languages Related to Your Native LanguageWanna see something cool?That  is my house. Dat  is mijn huis. Das ist mein Haus. Dit is my huis.It doesnt take long to crack the code and figure out that these four  lines say the same thing in closely related West Germanic languages  (English, Dutch, German, and Afrikaans, from top to bottom). Maybe some of the words for that are a bit more of a stretch, but how quickly do all the others fall into place when you look at them?This is what its like when you start learning a language related to your own. Youll see cognates, or words that have a common origin and similar meanings, like little hints buried in a foreign language sentence.Learning the languages most closely related to your own is like learning with linguistic training wheels. Here are a few examples of languages that are childs play for certain learners, depending on what languages they already know:1. DutchEnglishs first cousin, the only language more closely related to either one is Frisian. Dutch is full of English cognatesâ€"drinken (to drink), kat (cat), week (week), licht (light) and hundreds more. Once youve got the most basic fundamentals down, you  should be more than ready for basic conversations and childrens books.2. Haitian CreoleAre you a native French speaker, or have you held on to some high school French? Haitian Creole, one of the largest French creoles, is made up of a mostly French vocabulary mixed with indigenous flavors of the new world.3. TagalogThe Philippines is not only one of the fastest-growing destinations for young expatsâ€"its also a country where Spanish-speakers can learn the local tongue with ease. Everyday items are usually similar or exactly the same as the Spanish name.Dont see anything familiar here? Its okay. You dont have to already know a big world language like English, French or Spanish to get started on some easy language learning. Unless you only speak a language isolate like Korean or Basque, there are plenty of long lost linguistic cousins waiting for you to look them up and get in touch!Check resources like the Ethnologue to learn about your languages family tree and what other tongues are most closely related to it.Effortless Phonology: Languages with Painless PronunciationHave you ever overheard a foreign language like Arabic or Cantonese and wondered how all those sounds even make up a  real  language? To some extent, this is just because the speech sounds of unfamiliar languages often sound garbled and meaningless to foreigners.But in terms of phonology (the system of speech sounds in a language), not all languages are made equal: Some have dozens of different consonants and vowels, and some have only a few.Do French nasals or Arabic pharyngeals sound like linguistic nightmares? Dont panic.If learning all the new sounds of a foreign language is your biggest challenge, you should consider starting with a language like one of these:4. SpanishYou saw this one coming, right? Spanish is often the go-to language for Western  learners  because of its small inventory of speech sounds and user-friendly phonetic spelling system. In Spanish, a always sounds more or less like a (even with an accent mark), which we as learners really appreciate. Thanks, Spanish.5. JapaneseJapanese has historically gotten bad PR among language learners, but its pronunciation is actually remarkably simple. Of its 19 consonants, only a couple are rare among world languages, and its five vowels are remarkably similar to those in Spanish.6. ItalianIts got a few more vowels than its cousin down in Spain, but Italians big advantage is that most of its consonants and vowels are among the most common sounds found in world languages. That means most learners wont find many words they cant get their mouth around!To see whats out there for you beyond these three, you could start with this list of world languages ordered by number of phonemes (distinct speech sounds) to get an idea of which languages are more phonologically difficult than others.Keep in mind that most of the extremes (languages with very many or very few phonemes) are very old, very isolated languages th at might not be easy or practical to learn, but you can still use the tool to compare whether Greek or Russian is your best choice.Goodbye Grammar Book: Languages with Simple StructuresJust like some languages love to play with  diverse  and complicated sounds, some seem to have an endless love affair with rules and grammar.Ive always shied away from German for this reason.  Its four noun cases,  infinite list of adjective declensions and word order rules are enough to send me running to the nearest biergarten.Other languages, thankfully, arent quite so strict and demanding. You learn some vocabulary and a few basic usage rules, and youre good to go. Here are some of those languages:7. Mandarin ChineseThis is probably the first time youve seen Chinese on a list of easy languages, right? Thats a shame, because structurally speaking, its a cinch. Almost every word of Mandarin has one and just one meaning. It also  generally follows a subject-verb-object word order, common to most of t he worlds larger languages,  so no new tricky syntax for most learners.8. AfrikaansWe mentioned Dutch above, but Afrikaans is like a grammatically boiled-down version of its parent language. Whereas Dutch demands verb conjugations like those in Englishâ€"for instance, I am, you are, it isâ€"Afrikaans doesnt bother you with the details. In South Africa its ek  is  (I am), jy is  (you are),  sy  is  (she is). What could be easier?9. MalayThe language known regionally as Indonesian or Malaysian totals around 270 million total speakers, making it both one of the largest and fastest-growing world languages. Even better, it has no grammatical categories for gender, number or tense. Basically, you learn one form of a word, and you can use it just about whenever you want.10. EsperantoThis language was invented by some linguists who were also great global citizens, and even though its made up, its 2 million speakers, several hundred thousand Wikipedia articles, and organizations worldwide wo uld argue that it still counts.  Esperanto  was designed with you in mind: Minimal grammar, easy rules and as a bonus, lots of things that resemble many other world languages.I confess: I hate learning grammar. Its not just me, right? If youre a free-spirited language learner who cant be bothered with the details, then go for one of these simply structured languages.11. Bonus Easy Language: EnglishLearners across the globe seem to have extreme feelings towards Englishâ€"its the hardest or the easiest language theyve ever learned, they love it or they hate it. But as weve referenced here and there throughout this post, linguistically speaking, it falls somewhere around the fiftieth percentile.My mother tongue has some difficult sounds like interdental th, some phrasal verbs that admittedly make no sense  and a spelling system that makes even less sense. But in general, English doesnt have a lot of inflections, so theres no messy grammar and most, though not all, of its sounds  will b e familiar to speakers of other languages. But theres one other factor that makes English in many ways the easiest language of them all.Its absolutely everywhere. You cant avoid it. Open up your browser, turn on the television, travel to any major city across the globe, and youd need heavy duty earplugs to avoid hearing the Anglo takeover.Its often difficult to learn less widely-spoken languages like Danish, Turkish or Thai, but English decided a while back that its kind of done with national borders, which is good news for language learners. With the wealth of English language media on just YouTube and Wikipedia alone, you hardly need to look anywhere else.Even better: English speakers are absolutely everywhere, which means youve always got a conversation partner! You cant reasonably hope to bump into Hungarian speakers often enough to keep up your language skills outside Hungary, but with English, opportunities to practice are nearly infinite.So Whats the  Easiest Language to Lear n?By now, you can probably guess that theres no such thing.Some of the languages with the fewest speech sounds are the most remote and grammatically complex. Others entirely lack tenses or cases or inflections of any kind and are riddled with guttural sounds nearly impossible for speakers of most languages to pronounce.More than anything, it depends on your mother tongue and the languages you already know. And you also must take into account the sociological and international significance of a language: How much media is available in the language, and how many other speakers are there for you to reasonably practice with?The easiest language for a native Spanish speaker to learn will be totally different than the easiest language for a native Vietnamese speaker, and it can even differ vastly between two native English speakers from the same region but who have different learning styles.With the resources and some of the examples given in this post, you should be able to get started i dentifying your low-hanging linguistic fruits. No matter how busy you are or how difficult you think itll be, theres a language out there for everyone!What do you find challenging about learning a language? Is it the new sounds, the grammar rules, finding chances to practice or something else?Jakob is a full-time traveler, obsessive language learner, and dedicated language teacher. He writes about language, travel and the many places they meet on the road at his blog Globalect.