Should I Learn French or Spanish?

Should I learn French or Spanish? If you don’t know which language you should learn, you are in the right place. In this article I’m going to help you make the right decision.

So, which language is better? The answer is: none. It all depends on you. There is no “better” language.

I’m not going to tell you which language will be perfect for you, because I can’t answer this question for you. I can only provide you with some information that will help you make the right decision.

Usefulness

Let’s start with usefulness. Both Spanish and French are very useful languages.

However, when it comes to global importance, Spanish is slightly more important and useful. Why? Because it’s an official or de facto official language of almost every country in Central and South America. And of course it’s an official or de facto official language of Mexico and Spain.

What about French?

French is useful in some parts of Canada, of course in France and a few other European countries (such as Belgium or Switzerland) and in Africa. Well, you probably aren’t going to visit Burkina Faso, Guinea or Benin…

Difficulty

Both Spanish and French are Romance languages and they are similar. Each of these languages have easy aspects and difficult aspects. For most people Spanish pronunciation is easier than French pronunciation, but French grammar is for some people easier than Spanish grammar. It all depends on you.

You should keep in mind that if you speak English, both of these languages are very similar to English in terms of vocabulary. Many English words are of French or Spanish origin so you can easily guess the meaning of many Spanish or French words.

Both?

If you don’t know which language you want to learn, you can consider learning two languages at once. But only for a week or two (treat it as a test-drive). And then pick one.

Don’t learn two languages at the same time, because it’s easier to learn one language and then learn another one than try to learn both at the same time.

So, should I learn French or Spanish?

My answer is: I can’t make this decision for you. In my opinion Spanish is more useful, but my opinion is biased because I just love this language and the cultures of Spanish speaking countries. For you, it can be totally different. Think about it, analyze pros and cons, pick one language and start learning! If you are interested in other language, you should also read "Which Language Should I Learn?".

If you are looking for some tips on how to learn Spanish or French even within a few months, you should visit Learn a New Language and get a free e-book and lessons on how to do it.

So, what is your decision?