paseoDifficulty, honestly
Is English hard to learn?
English is everywhere, which is not the same as easy. Spelling, rhythm, and phrasal verbs are the usual hard parts. A first conversation does not wait for all of them.
Familiar, then unreliable
If your language borrowed from Latin or French, a lot of English vocabulary will look familiar. If it did not, less of it will. Either way, the spelling is a poor guide to the sound: though, through, and tough do not rhyme.
Is English easy to learn? Recognizing a word on a sign often is. Saying a new sentence while someone waits is the harder part. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute scale measures how long English speakers take to learn other languages. It does not give a number for learning English itself.
How long it takes
There is no honest single hour-count. A speaker of Dutch or Spanish often reaches a simple conversation sooner than a speaker of Arabic or Japanese, because more of the sound and the vocabulary overlaps. That is a tendency, not a promise.
A greeting can happen this week. Ordering coffee can happen this month. Comfort in a wandering chat takes longer, and it arrives sooner if you talk a little every day instead of waiting until the spelling makes sense.
Hey, how’s it going?
A greeting you can use today.
I’d like a coffee, please.
An order you can use this month.
What actually feels hard
Phrasal verbs: pick up, pick on, pick out. Articles, if your language does not use them. The rhythm of a stressed syllable. Understanding someone who is not slowing down.
How hard is it to learn English is partly a choice of method. Spelling drills make it feel academic. A daily conversation makes it feel like a skill. Stay with one variety, repeat phrases you will say again, and ask for a slower turn when you need it.
Could you say that again?
Can you repeat that?