Closely Related:
* German: While German grammar is more complex, there are many shared vocabulary words and cognates.
* Dutch: Shares a significant amount of vocabulary with English, and its grammar is simpler than German.
* Frisian: A language spoken in the Netherlands, it's the closest relative to English.
Somewhat Related:
* Swedish, Norwegian, Danish: These Scandinavian languages are not as closely related as the Germanic languages, but they still share some similarities in vocabulary and sentence structure.
* Yiddish: This Germanic language, spoken by Jewish communities, has a significant amount of loanwords from Hebrew and other languages.
Other Languages with Influences:
* French: Due to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, English has borrowed many French words, particularly in areas like law, government, and food.
* Latin: As the base language of many Romance languages, Latin has also influenced English vocabulary.
* Greek: English has borrowed many Greek words, especially in science and philosophy.
Important Note: The level of similarity is subjective and depends on what aspects of language are being considered (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation). For example, German has a more complex grammar than English but shares more vocabulary.
If you want to learn a language similar to English, Dutch and German are excellent choices due to their close relationship.