German or Spanish in Y9?

I did German in 2 yrs for A LEVEL and got the same grade as french which I had done since year 7 (B). It is a very logical and easy language, but if you have to only choose the one Spanish has the edge with number of speakers.

Most of my friend's DD take Spanish, then French, just a few take German. My DD will take Spanish in Y9 as well.

Spanish unless the German teacher is very very good.

Sorry, my point being in my last sentence is learn the hard stuff at school when all the difficult grammar is drilled into you and pick up the "easier" languages later on.

I think a lot of it comes down to the teacher. DS has chosen German after some deliberation because he doesn't like the Spanish teacher. DH chose his college at university on the reputation of the German tutor. I had a brilliant French teacher for only (sadly) 2 years at school but during that time my French flourished.

I only think German might be a struggle to take up in Year 9 if you haven't studied any languages already and/or find them difficult and if your DS is planning to take up another in Year 9 it sounds as if he might have quite a flair for them. Fwiw, DH, who speaks 2 additional languages fluently, never learnt Spanish at school but speaks it very well just from travel, work, general annoying ability.

Spanish is much more likely to be useful, and is also a lot easier. I think it would be much more of a struggle to take GCSE German after only 3 years - don't most schools start it in Yr 7?
NB the German accent is not easy. An English person speaking German sounds great to English ears, but has a very strong English accent to a German.

Oh, and I find that I can understand Portuguese as well if it's written down ( not spoken)
Having said that I can understand quite a bit of spoken German despite not actually speaking it myself

Think about where they speak German ( Germany, Austria)
Where do they speak Spanish ( Spain, South America)
I imagine a lot more people speak Spanish than German!!
I speak French and Spanish but DH is actually German, I seem to get to use my language skills much more than he does but that could be something to do with where we go n holiday!
I would also say that most of the Germans I have met speak excellent English but I couldn't say the same about French and Spanish people.
I think the most important thing is though which one does he fancy?

If he might want to do a language at A level, worth checking whether his school offers both languages at A level.

I assume he will have been learning French as his first foreign language. Spanish is more similar to French, which could lead to your son getting confused between the two if he doesn't find languages that easy.

Motivation is key when learning any language, so if your son has a strong preference for one language over another I would definitely go with that.

Adding on to what everyone else has said, get him to watch some cartoons. in both languages and listen to the sounds

Good point, Mistress: an inspiring teacher trumps everything else!!

DS chose Spanish after a lot of deliberating between the 2, at parents evening we found the Spanish teacher a lot more enthusiastic than the German teacher which I think was the deciding factor for DS

I'd say Spanish as (I know this sounds awful) but Germans usually speak good English so it's easier to get away with communication in English with native German speakers.

Afaik (but correct me if I'm wrong) Spanish speaking countries don't learn English as much.

For holidays and international travel Spanish is more useful. I found it fairly easy to pick up after doing French for years. German seems very alien to me.

But you should also consider factors like teachers and class sizes.

You know what I wish I had considered long before I got past A-level study?

1. Which country/countries would I enjoy living in or visiting?
2. Which people have a culture or national character which means I'd enjoy spending time with them?

If you hope to use a language much, you'll be spending plenty of time with the people who speak it. Do you like their sense of humour and outlook on life?

People differ, obviously, but there is some basis to the national stereotypes. Well, I got lucky with one language and unlucky with the other!

1805 assuming your DS has no clear preference.

1. Try and find out what the reputation of the language teachers for those options are to make the lessons interesting and if the DCs can actually speak some of the language after their GCSE teaching, not just recite phrases parrot fashion. (Most may go for Spanish but that may reflect their experience from their first school)
2. if he has no strong affinity or aptitude for speaking French, likes structure and logic and may be tending towards sciences then German could be a better fit.

People who like logic and maths tend to get on well with German. It is a highly structured language with lots of rules. But as others said, an easy accent so you can sound native and lots of shared nouns.

Has he learnt some French? How did he feel about the accent? Similar issues for English people and Spanish accents.

I've used my German throughout my adult life in business and travel. It is the second language for many European countries. But Spanish enormously useful worldwide too.

DS1 is doing German at GCSE and hopes to go on to do A Level. He really enjoys it, he absolutely hated French so I was surprised he wanted to carry on with a language.