Languages of Europe

Scots is the Germanic language of Lowland Scotland, a sister of English that grew out of the same medieval roots. Here is how it differs from Scottish Gaelic and Scottish English, and why people still argue about whether it is a language.

Old English pronounced every letter, used the German ch sound and kept pure, open vowels. Here is how Beowulf sounded, letter by letter, and why the language now looks so foreign.

Deutsch comes from an old Germanic word for “the people”. Here is how that word gave us Deutsch, Dutch and tedesco, and why the French, Poles and Finns use completely different names.

German is harder than Dutch or Spanish but far easier than most people fear. Here is exactly what makes it tricky, what makes it easy, and how long it really takes.

Norwegian and Swedish sound remarkably alike, but Norwegian spelling looks Danish. Here is how close the two languages really are, word by word, and where they trip each other up.

Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Spanish and Italian top the list, and US diplomat training data shows why. Here is how they compare and which one suits you.

Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian and Polish top the list for English speakers. Here is what the US Foreign Service Institute’s training hours say, and why these languages take so long.

Low German (Plattdeutsch) and Frisian share a coastline and a lot of history, but they are separate languages. Here is how they differ, where each is spoken, and why the name East Frisian confuses everyone.

Luxembourgish started as a German dialect and became a national language. Here is how that happened and why the question still comes up.

Is Flemish its own language? Why does Belgium have three official languages? A clear guide to what people speak in Belgium.

Scandinavians can often talk in their own languages and still follow each other. But not equally well, and Norwegians have the easiest job.

Danish reads fine but sounds like one long swallowed word. Here are the sound changes that make spoken Danish so tricky.