Is Spanish an easy laguage to learn or would French be better?

Question

Rosetta Stone has been teaching me Spanish but I was wondering if there was an easier language than Spanish.

• Just fixed some grammar. Remember this is a learning site and we must use proper grammar so that those learning English can learn well. - renaerules Mar 23, 2011
• French and Spanish are both influenced by Latin, so the vocabularies are similar. One will help the other, no doubt. - Jasmine101 Feb 11, 2012

Answer 1

I would say Spanish is easier overall. It is not too hard to pick up and learn how to read and speak. The grammar is much easier than many languages (such as English).

Answer 2

This is a very interesting question...I am quite fluent in both languages presently and I have been speaking both for over 35 years. I had the opportunity to begin speaking French as a small child. (5 yrs old) I didn't begin learning Spanish until I was a preteen. (11 yrs old)...personally I think of the two languages, Spanish is much easier when it comes to pronunciation and phonetics but it has many more tenses that are utilized and important to know when it comes to conversation. French, on the other hand, has conversational tenses and literary tenses. This means that you can master converstional French and not have to know all the literary, archaic and esoteric parts of the language that are not used frequently in every day speech. Eventhough, I started out speaking French and French is a very euphonic language. To my ear, Spanish is more lyrical, resonant and vocal. In addition, there are far more opportunities to use Spanish than French in today's changing world. Since Hispanics are now the fastest growing population in the USA and Spanish is running neck in neck with English as the most frequently spoken language in the Occident (Mandarin Chinese is the most common in the Orient). One has a greater advantage if Spanish is mastered, as well as a great joy communicating with a large portion of the world that one would not normally be capable of conversing with.

• Great response :) I completely agree :) voting :) - FELIZ77 Mar 23, 2011
• Yes, The passé composé being a good example of a conversational verb tense and the passé simple a literary one - FELIZ77 Mar 23, 2011
• Comprehensive answer ... thanks - Mndeen75 Feb 11, 2012
• Speaking both these languages very badly, I think you've summed it up beautifully. Spanish grammar is harder, that is for sure! - annierats Feb 11, 2012
• really interesting and enlightening - patch Feb 11, 2012

Answer 3

Esperanto is the easiest language but I wouldn't bother learning it, not enough people speak it but plenty of people I want to talk to speak Spanish.

• Vi malgxojigas min (you make me sad). Every language offers something useful to the learner. - freeze10108 Feb 12, 2012

Answer 4

Go for French! They have lots more fun little accent marks to go all over the place, so it's a lot more entertaining. You know, like doing fun little puzzles all the time.

Jean était retournée à la banque.

J'etais le seul à ne jamais boire d'alcool. Cela doit être vrai.

• lol this sure will help me on my french test tomorrow! - lovely_lovel Mar 23, 2011
• Lol'@Lovely - FELIZ77 Mar 23, 2011
• And then there are the puzzles of matching up the pronunciation and the spelling. - samdie Feb 11, 2012
• And they are so charmingly understanding when you get it wrong.. On the other hand, it's relativley easier to understand, if harder to write.. - annierats Feb 11, 2012
• And you would be regarded as very odd indeed iff you don't drink wine! - annierats Feb 11, 2012

Answer 5

No way French is much harder than Spanish!! (I'm learning both of them) French has very hard pronouncing rules, but Spanish has very easy words which can be pronounced with no problems.

• Estoy de acuerdo / je suis d'accord - FELIZ77 Mar 23, 2011

Answer 6

I have been learning both Spanish and French over a period of many years and from my experience Spanish is easier overall, and especially for pronounciation since it is more phonetic than all of the other latin-based lromance languages: Spanish French, Portuguese Italian,and Romanian I have had experience using the first 3 and learning the first 4.

Additionally, I have found the attitude of Spanish natives and those from South and Central America to be generally much warmer: that is, much more friendly and willing to help you and correct you than the French. To the best of my knowledge Spanish is spoken world wide in more countries of the world than French and the signs are that this trend is continiuing.

Ultimately, it is very much an individual matter as to which you find easier: Spanish or French. You also need to take into account how much opportunity you will have for travelling to countries to practise with native speakers.

However, learning any language requieres a lot of hard work and persverence whatever choice you make so consider carefully which of the two you prefer the sound of .........................you will be hearing it for a many years to come .

Update: In many ways Spanish is easier than French, as for example, in the pronounciation of words but not, I believe, when it comes to grammar. Each language has at least one tense or mood that is not currently used.

In French the passe simple or past historic is, If I remember rightly is only used in literature or written French works, but the passé composé is commonly used in speech. Students would still do well to be aware of this tense.

In Spanish the future subjunctive mood is not seen much except in literature and has been replaced by the present subjunctive.

Answer 7

Learn Czech!

• I vote for you, but I don't think I want to go there.. - annierats Feb 11, 2012

Answer 8

In my travels, those that speak spanish are generally warm and inviting to visitors who attempt to speak their language, or are studying it.

When I was in France, I attempted to use basic French phrases and was mocked repeatedly by the locals for bad pronunciation and for sounding "like an American".

In my opinion, Spanish is much more enjoyable to learn, and therefore easier. (If I enjoy doing something, I'm much more likely to keep practicing it and therefore get better!)

Spanish > English >>> French.

• Yes, the French do have that arrogant snob factor, don't they. What a poor decision Disney made by having a park in France, eh? - Spenco Feb 11, 2012
• As a tourist, French is most useful when you want the French waiters to switch to English :-). - Jasmine101 Feb 11, 2012
• Cute, Jasmine. - samdie Feb 11, 2012
• Parlez-vous anglais s'il vous plaît - "Do you speak English, please" - a useful sentence and the only one I know in French :P - inridk Feb 11, 2012

Answer 9

I studied French in the University but recently I'm studing Spanish and really I'm enjoying it. For me Spanish is easier than French in terms of pronounciation, but harder in terms of verb tenses and conjugation, but this was at the beginings, but later I got used easily with verb tenses.

Also I found Spanish native-speakers talking too fast -comparing to French- such that I usually got lost with them while trying to analyse the conversation. Again, this should be minimized with more practice.

PS. Don't try Arabic (even it's my mother language) beacuse it's very hard for latin students (according to some Spanish friends who are trying to do so!)

• Well, except for the pronunciation, writing system, grammar and relative lack of cognates, Arabic isn't so hard. - samdie Feb 11, 2012
• Go for Swedish samdie, it's a doddle! - annierats Feb 11, 2012
• You have a point samdie ... - Mndeen75 Feb 11, 2012

Answer 10

Thank you

Answer 11

Spanish!

Answer 12

For a small fee I'll help you learn Swedish, a beautiful language, easy to pronounce and with verbs so easy you'll just never ever want to tackle the subjunctive again! Moreover, the locals will be so stunned that you have tried to learn theri language that you will be invited into any home you wish to go ( please remember to bring a bottle as the price of alcohol is somewhat high). Välkomna till Sverige!

• Jag fershtuur interr Svenska...my apologies Annie, I know how to say it but not write it. Seriously - do you think I could do it? I hear that the grammar is quite close to English (that would be such a relief) - patch Feb 11, 2012

Answer 13

You might consider reasons, other than ease of learning, to learn one language over another. Do you have a dream to visit some area of the world some day, for travel or work? If so, where is that you dream of visiting? Do you live somewhere where there is a large Hispanic population? Do you have a family heritage that would motivate you to learn one over the other? If none of these are a reason to choose, then I would stick with Spanish.

Spanish is the second most natively spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese. Spanish is the second most studied language in the world, after English.

P.S. I have studied both Spanish and French, and can understand native speakers in either language. So after you learn one, you can start the other!!

Answer 14

Spanish is easy at times, hard just about as many times, and deceiving at others. Particularly at false cognates.

Answer 15

French is harder than Spanish. But it will be easier if you learn Spanish first.

• I agree! - NikkiRivera Feb 11, 2012