Which one is better?

1. 75

   FranyaBlueposted 13 years ago

   I have the chance to study either French or Spanish next term but I can't decide which one to go for.
   
   Which one would be more useful to have?
   Is one easier to learn than the other?
   
   I just can't seem to decide on it. I'm hoping that some other opinions will help push me one way or the other.
   
   Thanks

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   1. 57

      Mark Knowlesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I would say that neither of them are worth wasting your time on - if - as it would appear - you are studying them for the sake of doing so.
      
      If you are going to do one any way - I would say French is more useful, as the Spanish spoken outside of Spain is quite different to Spanish Spanish.

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      1. 75

         FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Learning something new is never a waste of time...
         
         I have noticed that about Spanish, even some of the Spanish spoken within Spain is different to Spanish Spanish, like Catalan.

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         1. 57

            Mark Knowlesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            It is if you could have used the time more productively.
            
            You already said you learned French and Spanish back in high school and cannot remember any of it.
            
            Never seen the point in learning something one does not have desire to do so and it sounds like you don't have an interest in either language so - why bother if you are just going to forget it in a few years time?

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            1. 75

               FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Well they were part of my weekly timetable but I don't remember much from school really...always bunking off.
               
               My uni is offering free language classes....I figured that while I am paying them way too much anyway I might as well get as much out of them as possible.

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   2. 82

      vox vocisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      To learn foreign languages is always an advantage. I speak three other languages and I know a little bit of Spanish. To be honest, when I come to the highest level with German, I will start with both Spanish and French. I think Spanish is easier, but I do not know how it should be from your perspective. Anyway, choose the one you believe you could use more in the future. Otherwise, you will forget it once you stop using it. Whatever you decide, it is a great thing. Go for it!!!

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2. 92

   Jayne Lancerposted 13 years ago

   It depends where you think you might be going in life. Spanish is widely spoken in South America, French in Africa.
   Of course, being from London, neither France nor Spain are too far away.
   I've heard that Spanish is easier to learn; I found French extremely difficult.

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   1. 75

      FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks. Well I doubt I will really need either for anything but you never know. It would just be nice to learn one of them. If I had a specific need for one then it would make choosing much easier. Just having such trouble deciding on one and sticking with it.
      
      Can you now speak French or did you give up?

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      1. 92

         Jayne Lancerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I've forgotten most of what I did learn, but some basic knowledge is useful in Fashion, which is my line of work.
         I know a couple of people who are good in languages, and they learned mostly in the country the language is spoken. They also say that it's good to first learn French, then go on to Spanish, Italian etc, or to learn German before Dutch and the Scandinavian languages.

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         1. 75

            FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah, I see it would be logical to start with the harder one and go on from there.
            
            My sister speaks a bit of French and my dad can speak French and Spanish....maybe I should go with French as I will probably have more chances to practice it, then if I want to do Spanish I can do it later on.

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            1. 50

               margratgeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Deleted
               1. 75

                  FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks I didn't think that Spanish was harder than French. I think I will have to look into this a bit more before I decide.

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3. 50

   Katapalli. Venkatposted 13 years ago

   hai how r u?

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4. 66

   arthritickneeposted 13 years ago

   I like a language to be "useful". Spanish is probably the easiest language for english speakers to learn and gives you great travel options. In the Americas, everywhere south from Mexico with the exception of Brasil and French Guyana (plus the Carribean)speaks Spanish. This makes it supremely "useful" for travellers.
   When wanting to start a new language, French and Spanish were the top two on my list and Spanish won as i personally was more interested in south America than Africa.

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   1. 75

      FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I learnt French and Spanish back in high school, but I don't remember a thing now.
      
      This is a tough choice for me, I think I will have to speak to some of the teachers at my uni and see what they say.

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5. 57

   cherryrainbowsposted 13 years ago

   I think a foreign language is something that needs to be spoken daily or you will lose it.  I studied Mandarin (Chinese) and another student told me that she studied Chinese for years however, she forgot it because she never spoke it daily through her life.  Some Chinese students who do not speak their own language regularly but do speak it and understand it fluently, have told me that I say the words better than them. Funny... I don't speak it daily but I try to keep practicing it and listening to the tapes so I won't lose it totally, its such a waste.  Knowing another language is awesome!!!
   
   I think its always there and maybe it will be easier to recall when other prompts are present????

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6. 60

   sagebrush_mamaposted 13 years ago

   If you have the option of using it practically while you study, I'd lean toward the one that you would be able to use in your learning time.  With relatives who speak French, that might be the better option.  I don't know French, so I can't speak to the ease or difficulty in learning it. 
   
   I found Spanish to make sense to me, as an academic subject, and when I had to use it every day, struggled with the ingrained academics of conjugating verbs mentally before speaking.  My kids learned from friends, and spoke very naturally...I would ask them for help.  Still, I think Spanish is quite easy to learn, and if you do well with grammar and rules in English, it's just a matter of applying yourself to learning those of Spanish.  Just my perspective, hope it helps.

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7. 63

   Wayne Orvisburgposted 13 years ago

   If you live in the U.S., it seems there are a lot of jobs out there that require you speak Spanish. If you wanted to live in FL, TX, CA, or some state with a lot of Spanish speaking people.

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   1. 75

      FranyaBlueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure I'll ever live over there...but you never know!

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8. 60

   Originposted 13 years ago

   Spanish is easier to learn, I used to know it a bit.. I wouldn't say I was exactly fluent in it, but I could understand people when they talked in Spanish. I haven't spoke the language in a very long time though, I took classes back in school when I was about.. 10-12 years old .. which was a very long time ago.

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9. 63

   Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

   I would go for Greek myself

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10. 59

    DavitosanXposted 13 years ago

    I speak spanish, and I have studied both english and french. From my point of view, french is harder than spanish for an english-speaking person, because it includes all the difficulties found in spanish and adds a few of its own. Pronunciation in french is all messed up too.

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11. 93

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    Spanish is WAY easier to learn!!

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12. 72

    Maximum Aposted 13 years ago

    which one are you more interested to learn? which culture can you relate to more? or find more interesting? since a language is always grounded on the culture.

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13. 0

    BRIAN SLATERposted 13 years ago

    If you have no choice but to study just one, then definately choose French. I studied spanish and when i went to spain no one could understand a word and as they spoke near perfect English I just gave up trying. In spanish schools English is the main language spoken.

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14. 81

    Rafiniposted 13 years ago

    The choice, for me, would depend on where you live and whether or not you intend to travel during your lifetime.
    
    In the US, Spanish is much more valuable even if the Classroom Spanish is different than what's spoken on the streets, at least it can give you a head start in communicating.
    
    If you intend to be a chef, or to travel to Europe, I'd say French.
    
    
    (II learned both in middle school and found Spanish easier due to spelling words exactly as they sound and speaking words exactly as they're spelled)

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15. 58

    My Languageposted 13 years ago

    Learning languages has benefits for all learning. It produces new ways of thinking and enhances cognitive and conceptual development. So I couldn't disagree more with Mark Knowles.
    
    Spanish is a bit easier than French but because they're related languages, you can start with either and it will help you to learn the other.
    
    But then again, learning any language helps to learn any other, even if they are unrelated. The brain learns to learn language.

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