<p>Well, speaking as an ESL instructor, English is one of the easiest languages to get started with (there are no cases and no gender issues), BUT mastering English vocabulary and idioms is a herculean task. Because of the multiple languages that streamed into the creation of English (old Celtic, Latin, German, Skandinavian, Church Latin, Norman French, Central French…) we sometimes have 3-4 words for every word in another language. It can take ages to master the vocabulary and idiomatic phrasing of an average 16-year-old American kid…but people do it. My hat is off to them.</p>