hi! so i’ve been debating between learning swedish or norwegian. i just want to know your opinion on which would (probably) be easier for me to learn? i’m aware about their similarities and differences but some of the sources i’ve read about it seem, vague? i’m not sure.
i speak english fluently and polish is technically my native tongue but it’s rusty, and i want to be able to speak and read it well (writing taking a little bit of a backseat), if context helps :)
Hi!! Thanks for reaching out and asking! First of all, I’m not an authority on this, just a native speaker of Norwegian who has talked to people learning Norwegian and Swedish through the years, so take my humble insight as you please! Secondly, I think focusing on which is easier to learn when picking a language might be less important than other factors, but I’ll get to that in a sec. First I’ll answer your original question :))
In terms of difficulty, Swedish and Norwegian are similar enough in structure of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary that saying one is easier to learn than the other is a bit redundant. It would be different if you for instance spoke Icelandic, then I would recommend Norwegian (lots of similar vocab in dialects!), but since the languages you already master are English and a non-Germanic language, I don’t think you need to worry too much about this as both are equally feasible for you to learn! :)
I will mention one thing though, which is that my tandem partners (French and Chinese speakers) say Norwegian pronunciation is difficult to master, and becomes even more confusing because of the diverse set of dialects you’ll hear on television. From the few people I’ve talked to that are learning Swedish, pronunciation or confusion from dialects hasn’t come up as an issue in passing conversation. However, Sweden does indeed have many different dialects as well. While I’m sure this is not an issue unique to Norwegian, Norwegian is perhaps more infamous for confusing dialects among learners than Swedish is. Most English speakers I’ve talked to has said that both Swedish and Norwegian have been easy enough, so it does depend indeed! I think, since you’re an English and Polish speaker, you won’t have much problem with the pronuncation of either language once you get into it.
It’s my experience when picking languages to learn that focusing on difficulty or ease is less important than your desire to actually learn them, as you will be spending much time with that language. If we were choosing between Cantonese and German, it might be a different matter of course, but since the margin of difficulty between Sweden and Norwegian is comparatively unnoticeable, I suggest choosing your favourite and sticking to that one! I know that’s not the answer you asked for, but there is no right answer to which language you should choose :’) Perhaps look into each country’s culture, watch movies in each language, learn about their literature (if you want to be able to read it someday), and think about which country you would like to travel to more.
TLDR; The difference in ease and difficulty is so small that it’s not something you’ll notice in your learning. Whichever language you’re more drawn to, you’ll enjoy it either way! Trust your gut and have fun with it!! good luck 💛
