For learning Telugu language it is necessary to know alphabets in Telugu. You have to know alphabets in Telugu to learn writing in Telugu language. Telugu alphabets are the building blocks of Telugu language. There are 60 characters in Telugu alphabets. Telugu alphabets are made up of Telugu vowels and Telugu consonants. The Telugu alphabets contain 19 vowels and 41 consonants. Telugu vs German gives a comparison between Telugu and German alphabets.
Telugu script is also known as Telugu writing system or Telugu orthography. The set of visible signs used to represent units of Telugu language in a systematic way is called Telugu Script. The Telugu language uses Telugu Script i.e. Telugu alphabets are derived from Telugu Script script. The script decides the writing direction of the any language, hence the writing direction of Telugu is Left-To-Right, Horizontal. Learn Telugu Greetings where you will find some interesting phrases.
Is Telugu hard to learn? The answer to this question is that it depends on one's native language. One should start learning Telugu language with Telugu alphabets and Telugu phonology.
Time taken to learn any language that is mentioned here is the approximate time required to learn specific language for the person who is proficient in English. You can also go through all Indian Languages and find if Telugu is one of the language of India.