The Student Room Group

Spanish or French easier to learn?

Scroll to see replies

Original post by placenta medicae talpae
If I were given £1 for every time I heard that myth ... :biggrin:
Similar to the above, when we say, I suppose he'll be there by now, we're not really using the future tense.


Myth? What is it, or is it "it's not used in English" what it is lol


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
Original post by scribbledoutname
Sorry, my bad! :colondollar:
Wow, interesting subjects and degree choice. I want to do a social science or humanities degree and then do an MA in human rights or international relations.

Yup, hearing is learning, it will help me get used to the accent, the speed etc right? Thanks so much x


That would be cool, I much preferred the fact that I didn't just do an international relations degree and so I got to study something else! (Especially because the UN requires you to have a postgrad so you might as well do the undergrad degree in something else!). So do you think you will continue learning whichever language past A Level and into degree? I think a language is really useful for NGO jobs!

Yes exactly that!! Also it is a bit early now but once you start getting into it you can try and find english programmes with subtitles or dubbed (I used to watch CSI in French) and it really does help! Especially if its episodes of stuff you have already watched!:smile:
Reply 82
Original post by scribbledoutname
I'm going to be taking four AS levels and want to take a GCSE in spanish or french. Which is easiest to learn/easiest at GCSE?

Thanks


I've studied French to AS level and I'm currently doing degree-level Spanish. Personally I found Spanish much, much easier as it seems to have fewer inconsistencies, so once you learn the rules you can apply them without worrying too much about exceptions.

Neither is too difficult though if you have very good English - something I noticed about the people who struggled most with foreign languages is that their grasp on the English language wasn't as good.

Good luck though, learning either can be really rewarding :smile:
Reply 83
Original post by scribbledoutname
Any particular reasons why? Thank you for commenting :smile: x


You need to learn fewer words and sentences consist of fewer words. Verb conjugation is also easier
Reply 84
For me, Spanish is much easier because it's more phonetic.
Original post by WillowSummers
Maybe, depending on how linguistically minded you are. But then, I learnt Latin whilst doing two other language Aas levels, so it's possible to do that.


I might actually think about doing that, like start with one, progress and then start another. I can't believe I never thought of doing it before... I think German really put me off so much that I forgot there were other languages! :redface:

Original post by WillowSummers
Yes, I do find it attractive. Hence me dating a girl who speaks both Italian and German - we cover the major European languages between us.


Oh my, sorry for sounding like a weirdo, but that is so sweet!!

I find it attractive as well :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 86
I speak almost fluent French after taking part in a bilingual form thing at school for yr7-9. After taking a gcse in French early, I used to do I.b French, but we had to change so now we are doing a-level (which I really don't like compared to I.b- too much like GCSE; GCSE is just a memory test in my opinion).
I do Spanish GCSE (this is my second year of doing it- I started in yr9) (the same as everyone else) while doing a-level French and I personally prefer French.
This maybe because
A) I don't really like my Spanish teacher
Or
B) because I have done French for longer, and am better at it

However I think it depends on what type of learner you are. Dyslexic people seem to prefer Spanish because it's really phonetic, but one language is not easier than the other.
Wow I just looked back at that- I really wasn't helpful at all haha(;
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by cocobubbles
That would be cool, I much preferred the fact that I didn't just do an international relations degree and so I got to study something else! (Especially because the UN requires you to have a postgrad so you might as well do the undergrad degree in something else!). So do you think you will continue learning whichever language past A Level and into degree? I think a language is really useful for NGO jobs!

Yes exactly that!! Also it is a bit early now but once you start getting into it you can try and find english programmes with subtitles or dubbed (I used to watch CSI in French) and it really does help! Especially if its episodes of stuff you have already watched!:smile:


Yup! And the degree will be useful for other careers if there's a change of mind. Law and French must be rigorous and looked at brilliantly by any employer!

Lol, I don't know if I will learn it past A level but I sort of hope that I love a language enough to be able to do that. I really do want to love and explore a language as it opens up doors, as well as abling you to see and hear the difference in people's culture, how their language is so different to ours and everything else. And seeing as I'm not brilliant at maths, and science doesn't really appeal to me much, I want to find another type of subject I love, other than things like history, politics etc. Wish me luck though! I aspire to be like you. :wink:

That's a brilliant idea. I didn't used to know how to speak Hindi, but watching Indian movies with subtitles since I was little has made me fluent in the language, and my mom coming from a country which speaks a similar sort of language has helped as well. x
Original post by abc:)
I've studied French to AS level and I'm currently doing degree-level Spanish. Personally I found Spanish much, much easier as it seems to have fewer inconsistencies, so once you learn the rules you can apply them without worrying too much about exceptions.

Neither is too difficult though if you have very good English - something I noticed about the people who struggled most with foreign languages is that their grasp on the English language wasn't as good.

Good luck though, learning either can be really rewarding :smile:


Congrats to you for taking Spanish at degree level! Must have done incredible at A level. Thank you for the advice! :smile:
Original post by muffingg
You need to learn fewer words and sentences consist of fewer words. Verb conjugation is also easier


That's probably why French speak slower than Spanish! :biggrin:
Original post by ellen_l
I speak almost fluent French after taking part in a bilingual form thing at school for yr7-9. After taking a gcse in French early, I used to do I.b French, but we had to change so now we are doing a-level (which I really don't like compared to I.b- too much like GCSE; GCSE is just a memory test in my opinion).
I do Spanish GCSE (this is my second year of doing it- I started in yr9) (the same as everyone else) while doing a-level French and I personally prefer French.
This maybe because
A) I don't really like my Spanish teacher
Or
B) because I have done French for longer, and am better at it

However I think it depends on what type of learner you are. Dyslexic people seem to prefer Spanish because it's really phonetic, but one language is not easier than the other.
Wow I just looked back at that- I really wasn't helpful at all haha(;


Not to worry! All comments are valid, I'm absorbing everything in :smile:

If I prefer Spanish to French, it might be because it's phonetic.
I'd say Spanish is quite a bit easier in terms of grammar (e.g. sentence structure and tenses) and the pronunciation is also a lot easier. But I've done Spanish for longer, so it could just be that. It also depends on which you enjoy most; if you enjoy one more than the other you'll probably want to perfect that more and work on it harder. :smile:

EDIT: I just saw someone talking about how the French speak slower than the Spanish and that's true. That's a good thing; Spanish just rush through like the wind's taking them, but with French they're a bit more relaxed and let you understand things more. But if you're speaking yourself, Spanish is easier. Listening's just probably easier in French.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 92
Spanish is usually much easier for native English speakers to learn if you are starting from scratch with both. Also Spanish is more widely-spoken.

I started learning French at 4 and Spanish at 13 and my Spanish took no time in outrunning my French ability.

Another bonus is the Spanish are much more lenient. French people will often pretend not to understand you at all if you make one small mistake or mispronounce something whilst in my experience Spanish speakers are more helpful and understanding of those who try to speak their language.

I recommend Livemocha for free, easy lessons in either, and you can often meet people there to Skype or email with to improve your language skills too (same as Interpal).
Yay my reps are back, I can start repping people! Though it'll take me days to rep everyone I want to :biggrin:



Original post by Dougieowner
I'd say Spanish is quite a bit easier in terms of grammar (e.g. sentence structure and tenses) and the pronunciation is also a lot easier. But I've done Spanish for longer, so it could just be that. It also depends on which you enjoy most; if you enjoy one more than the other you'll probably want to perfect that more and work on it harder. :smile:

EDIT: I just saw someone talking about how the French speak slower than the Spanish and that's true. That's a good thing; Spanish just rush through like the wind's taking them, but with French they're a bit more relaxed and let you understand things more. But if you're speaking yourself, Spanish is easier. Listening's just probably easier in French.


Yes I said that and that was because I was listening to a radio station for both languages. Man, my eardrums were vibrating like mad when I was listening to Spanish, HAHA! Quite beautiful though :smile:

Original post by Naminam
Spanish is usually much easier for native English speakers to learn if you are starting from scratch with both. Also Spanish is more widely-spoken.

I started learning French at 4 and Spanish at 13 and my Spanish took no time in outrunning my French ability.

Another bonus is the Spanish are much more lenient. French people will often pretend not to understand you at all if you make one small mistake or mispronounce something whilst in my experience Spanish speakers are more helpful and understanding of those who try to speak their language.

I recommend Livemocha for free, easy lessons in either, and you can often meet people there to Skype or email with to improve your language skills too (same as Interpal).


Ah so I take it you like Spanish more? :tongue: I read this thing about French on BBC where if you pronounce this word (which I can't remember) a little differently than you are supposed to, it changes the whole meaning to "you have a beautiful bottom!"

Thank you for the recommendations!
Everyone is being so helpful. :love:
Original post by scribbledoutname
Yup! And the degree will be useful for other careers if there's a change of mind. Law and French must be rigorous and looked at brilliantly by any employer!

Lol, I don't know if I will learn it past A level but I sort of hope that I love a language enough to be able to do that. I really do want to love and explore a language as it opens up doors, as well as abling you to see and hear the difference in people's culture, how their language is so different to ours and everything else. And seeing as I'm not brilliant at maths, and science doesn't really appeal to me much, I want to find another type of subject I love, other than things like history, politics etc. Wish me luck though! I aspire to be like you. :wink:

That's a brilliant idea. I didn't used to know how to speak Hindi, but watching Indian movies with subtitles since I was little has made me fluent in the language, and my mom coming from a country which speaks a similar sort of language has helped as well. x


Oh that is such a lovely thing to say thank you!:colondollar: But lets wait and make sure I get a job first right haha?!?! I completely agree with you though, and I think that is the problem with language teaching here, because the teachers themselves aren't passionate which makes the students hate it (and plus a lot of teachers are just crap!) I absolutely hated French up until after my GCSEs and I didn't particularly like it through A Level but that was because I don't think my school was great at language teaching. But if you have the motivation (and it seems like you do) then it will be so much easier, and you can take time at home to really do some self-study on actual interesting aspects! I know exactly what you mean about learning other cultures and languages, I think it is fantastic!

And that is amazing that you know Hindi, I'm so jealous!! I am slightly terrified of languages with other alphabets but I would love to learn Greek :biggrin: A lot of the Asian languages sound lovely: I had a Punjabi friend and I loved it when her parents used to ring and she would switch, it sounded amazing!

Also because of the length of this essay someone will probably have said it already, but you must be talking about 'beaucoup' in French which if said wrong sounds like 'beau cul' which is beautiful bottom haha!!
Reply 95
Original post by scribbledoutname

Ah so I take it you like Spanish more? :tongue: I read this thing about French on BBC where if you pronounce this word (which I can't remember) a little differently than you are supposed to, it changes the whole meaning to "you have a beautiful bottom!"


I wouldn't say I like Spanish more, French is a beautiful language and is useful to learn, but Spanish seems easier for English speakers, Spanish speakers seem more accommodating towards learners and it's a more widely-spoken language so it does have a lot of plus points.
Original post by cocobubbles
Oh that is such a lovely thing to say thank you!:colondollar: But lets wait and make sure I get a job first right haha?!?! I completely agree with you though, and I think that is the problem with language teaching here, because the teachers themselves aren't passionate which makes the students hate it (and plus a lot of teachers are just crap!) I absolutely hated French up until after my GCSEs and I didn't particularly like it through A Level but that was because I don't think my school was great at language teaching. But if you have the motivation (and it seems like you do) then it will be so much easier, and you can take time at home to really do some self-study on actual interesting aspects! I know exactly what you mean about learning other cultures and languages, I think it is fantastic!

And that is amazing that you know Hindi, I'm so jealous!! I am slightly terrified of languages with other alphabets but I would love to learn Greek :biggrin: A lot of the Asian languages sound lovely: I had a Punjabi friend and I loved it when her parents used to ring and she would switch, it sounded amazing!

Also because of the length of this essay someone will probably have said it already, but you must be talking about 'beaucoup' in French which if said wrong sounds like 'beau cul' which is beautiful bottom haha!!


Haha, hopefully you will. :yy: I agree, some teachers aren't passionate enough and make it seem like a chore!

Aha! That's because it is terrifying; working with an alphabet that looks nothing like the one you know!

LMAO, I laughed at that last paragraph a lot. It is exactly that! Haha!!

So do you plan (or have you already been) on going to France for a few months or something?
Original post by Naminam
I wouldn't say I like Spanish more, French is a beautiful language and is useful to learn, but Spanish seems easier for English speakers, Spanish speakers seem more accommodating towards learners and it's a more widely-spoken language so it does have a lot of plus points.


Oh ok haha
Original post by paniking_and_not_revising
I personally found Spanish easier to pick up but did better in French because I studied it for 9 years.

Yea I did both at GCSE.

And I found the Spanish accent, sentence structure and grammar easier?

Further on though Spanish can get harder since there are more tenses than in French but you will only work with a few simple tenses at GCSE and I can't remember if we ever went through any of the compound tenses.


You only have to use present and past tense in your exams...do which ever one suits you more, the gcse syllabus isn't too hard to get through :smile:
Spanish is much easier to pronounce, and probably slightly easier when learning grammar and vocabulary also.

Having said that, personally I find French easier, but as I'm half French I'm somewhat biased.

Italian is harder as there are neuter nouns (as opposed to just masculine and feminine). And Polish is just rock solid as you don't only have to conjugate verbs but also nouns and adjectives.

Source of reference :
I have studied French as far as 1st year of BA at uni. Plus, as I say, I'm half French.
I have an A level in Spanish
I have a GCSE in Italian
I have studied Polish in Polish school as a child, and also did a beginner's Polish course at uni

Quick Reply

Latest