Is Albanian Hard To Learn? 4 Epic Truths!

Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/sq/is-albanian-hard-to-learn/

Pondering on the question, “is Albanian hard to learn, or is it one of the easiest Indo-European languages to learn?” To be honest, there’s no such thing as easy to complex languages out there. All of us are unique, and there are several factors to consider that may affect one’s ability to acquire a new language. These factors may include the learner’s biases, preferences, emotions, native language, exposure to the language, and learning resources. With this being said, learning Albanian and speaking it like a near-native is entirely possible, and this is what we will prove in today’s post!

Albanian is the official language of Albania, but it is not the only existing language spoken by the locals. While it is true that many can converse with you in English, it would still be wise if you start arming yourself with basic knowledge of their language. Fortunately, you only need about 44 weeks or at least 1100 hours to learn Albanian and speak it like a pro. But before you consider enrolling in Albanian classes, there are a few things that you must know about its complexities. Read on below to find out more.

Is Albanian Hard To Learn?

Learning a totally new language from scratch is never easy. However, your passion and dedication to learning Albanian can undoubtedly make the whole process a lot easier for you. Based on the FSI ranking, Albanian is on a level 3 category. In order for you to express your thoughts with structural accuracy, it is a must for you to expose yourself to this language for at least 44 weeks. When we say exposure, we literally mean it holistically- conversing with the locals and training your ear with the Albanian language sounds through media.

If we compare Albanian with languages like Japanese or Korean, Albanian remains far easier to master. With this, we can say that the difficulty or ease of learning the language sits in between. Despite that, it is worth noting that the difficulty level of learning the language set by FSI (Foreign Service Institute) was based on the average time that English speakers took to learn the basics of the language effectively.

What Should I Know About The Albanian Language?

Did you know that around 7.5 million people worldwide use Albanian as their primary language? In addition, over 6 million individuals living in the Balkans use Albanian as their native language. Albanian is also the official language used in Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania. Beyond that, it is also considered a minority language in places like Romania, Croatia, Serbia, and Italy. Furthermore, people in New Zealand, some parts of Australia, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria speak Albanian.

In this section, we will walk you through the four truths that you must know about Albanian before you decide to study this language. While not many resources are available online for Albanian, you should consider learning using Simya Solutions’ Ling App. Learn more about it here to start your journey on the right foot.

Albanian Language’s Vocabulary

Like English, the Albanian language also has experienced several changes throughout its history because of the multiple changes in foreign rule. These changes have resulted in several loan words from various languages, including Bulgarian, Macedonian, French, Romanian, Slovenian, Slavic, Turks, Latin, and Greek.

It is also believed that the Albanian language uses almost 90% of loan words from multiple languages. On the other hand, other professionals concluded that only Romance and Latin are two languages that have the most impact on the Albanian vocabulary. In line with that, we can say that around 60% of the words existing in the Albanian vocabulary come from Latin.

On the other hand, the Albanian language is only one of the several languages that use multiple loan words. Loan words somehow helped others better understand and quickly learn the language, including the one with lots of similar-sounding words.

Albanian Language’s Grammar Structure

Some of you would think that the grammatical structure in the Albanian language is more complex than in English. However, that is far from the truth. Surprisingly, Albanian and English almost follow the same grammatical structure, making learning easier if you are a native English speaker. On top of that, Albanian grammar sounds and looks similar to the Balkan languages, including Greek. Individuals who use these languages may find learning the Albanian language easier than English as their native language.

Albanian Language’s Stress Structure

The Albanian language has a much simpler rule in stress than English. All compound or simple words are pronounced with the stress on the last syllable. Here is an example to help you better understand the difference between the stress structure of the Albanian and English languages:

In English, the term progress has two pronunciations — PROgress and proGRESS. On the other hand, the word progress is pronounced proGRESS in the Albanian language. Another example is recorded, pronounced either REcord or reCORD in English. But in Albanian, it is pronounced as reCORD.

Albanian Language’s Pronunciation

There are basically two dialects in the Albanian language, the Tosk and Gheg. The Gheg dialect consists of approximately 19 vowels. Conversely, there are 29 consonants and 7 vowels in the Tosk dialects. Listed below is an example of Albanian consonants comprised of 7 Albanian vowels that are pronounced and sound almost similar to the English language.

The vowels in the Albanian language are way easier to pronounce than those in the English language. For instance, the Albanian vowels are pronounced using a single sound. On the other hand, some vowels in the English alphabet are pronounced and sound differently. For instance, the Albanian vowel “I” is always pronounced as “I” in feed. On the other hand, the English vowel “I” can be pronounced as “I” in “Vice” or “I” in “Tip.” This is one of the reasons many Albanians find it challenging to learn the English language.

Learn Albanian With Ling App!

And there we have it! As we reach this part of the post, we hope that you can learn more about the Albanian language and its difficulty level. As we have stressed above, your desire to actually master it plays an integral role in how quickly you start speaking it. If you are interested in progressing every day in Albanian, there’s nothing more that we can recommend than using the Ling App.

The Ling App is a revolutionary language learning platform with all the available resources to learn Albanian and 60+ other foreign languages. It is equipped with interactive features that are guaranteed to develop your confidence and skills in any language. From games, A.I. chatbot to challenging quizzes, learning with Master Ling is the best decision you’ll ever make. So, what are you waiting for? Experience a new way to learn by downloading the Ling App today!