So you think English is hard?

@bijouxbroussard In my opinion, [u]colloquial[/u] English is very hard to learn, because there are so many idiomatic expressions you won't find in a dictionary.
Example: "Don't beat about the bush". – [i]Sorry what please[/i]??
Looking up "beat" and "bush" in a dictionary won't help at all. 😐

@bijouxbroussard It's true about the pronunciation like it has no set rules, but Hollywood makes things much easier. Lolz. Also English grammar is straightforward

@helenS Those are things that require memorization, phrasal verbs as well took me a good while to learn. But yeah, relatively simplified grammar helps greatly with all the rest.

@SW-User He's actually right. Modern standard Arabic that unites all Arabs and is taught in schools, written in books and newspapers and heard in the news is quite difficult to master for most Arab natives. The grammar is tricky as hell and the vocabulary is HUGE and extensive. Arab students often get the lowest grades in Arabic among all subjects. Lolz. As for the spoken dialects, you are right. They vary among countries and even among cities/towns within the same country but they are not official or formal. Still all you need as an Arab is a bit of exposure. I'm from Morocco and our dialect (darija) is one of the most difficult for other arabs to get bc of lack of exposure. Arabs who visit here can do well if they stay for 1 month or so. Interestingly we usually have no trouble understanding most of the other dialects

@latinbutterfly That’s similar to French.

@helenS Yes, I imagine any language with a different alphabet would be a challenge.

@helenS Yes, I have studied Russian. The alphabet did not phase me at all. I was a bit mystified by pronunciation, which may or may not correspond to spelling. "Zdravzdevuitye" for example is pronounced "ztrastitche". (American attempt at phonetic spelling.)

The big problem for an American is that it is almost impossible to find someone to practice speaking.