Second language - Spanish or German?

[clarrylove]

My Y7 DS needs to choose what second language to study and we are in a bit of a dilemma. He seems to be quite good and French and has done tasters of Latin (discounted) and Spanish (which he enjoyed). He hasn't really done any German yet.

Help us decide people!

I studied languages myself, French and German, so I could help him if he chose German but don't v want to force my preferences on him. He seems to think Spanish will be easier.

Any thoughts?

I took Spanish. I have no knowledge of German at all, but did find Spanish very easy, very logical language in my opinion, very few irregular verbs etc, so once the basics are understood it should be plain sailing. I also did Latin and think that helped.

Spanish. Much more widely spoken. And easier than German I think.

Spanish, easier than French and the two have many similarities. German is a dying language.

You don’t always study a language based on the number of people who speak it. Sometimes you study it for the literature and the culture. When choosing a second language, my DD took these factors into account. She did MFL at degree level and liking the country of the language you study factored quite highly in her early deliberations at school.

I have no idea whether Spsnish is easier than German, but I would look at the GCSE results the school gets in the languages. This might indicate good teaching. DD chose Italian partly because the teacher was outstanding. That can make a huge difference!

DH is German and occasionally does business in Germany and he says that generally English is used and to be honest when we go there it’s very very unusual to find people who don’t speak English, even in the older generations.
We also spend a lot of time in Spain ( I speak reasonable Spanish) and we find fewer people speak English there outside tourist resorts and most business in still conducted in Spanish.
Also, outside Germany and Austria apart from a few bits of Africa German isn’t the native language, whereas most of Latin American speaks Spanish.
I’m biased because I love Spanish as a language but despite speaking it well as well as French I do find German quite hard.
I would just let your dc decide

If he speaks French well and has done some Latin then Spanish should be an easy route for him. My DS was fairly fluent in Spanish after a year probably because he was already fluent in French (and we were living somewhere where they teach languages properly).

However, German could be an interesting challenge for him. Another of my DC, also fluent in French, is learning German at school and not finding it particularly challenging. Just because a language is not widely spoken does not mean it should not be studied. My DH speaks 4 language fluently and enjoys German the most. If your goes onto A level and further study, German literature is brilliant imo.

I am German and work for a German financial institution in London and we pay for language courses and actively search for German speakers as there is too much communication with HO in Frankfurt which is not in English. So I wouldn't say German is a dying language.

When he like Latin German may be easy as the grammar is a lot more structured. German is also a very phonetical language. You more or less speak/write it as you read it.

I personally wouldn't go with "what can I use in 20 years" or "where will I work later in life". I wouldn't have thought of living in the UK when I was 12.

Could he have another taster or speak to the German teacher? Choosing one doesn't mean he can never learn the other later in life if he needs it.

Assuming 2nd in addition to French - German - it's much easier studying languages which are distinct to the same level at the same time.

I've studied both Spanish and German but at university only German. Spanish is an easier language to learn and study. German is a bit harder, but but too much. He's only young and should study a language which interests him.

As a PP mentioned, there are lots of financial institutions which pay very well for those that speak German. I think this is more the case than in Spain because the German economy is bigger than Spain.

I speak decent French. When I tried to pick up Spanish, I found it really hard, because it was annoyingly enough like French that it felt like I ought to already be able to do it, but different enough that I couldn't. For that reason alone, if I'd had the choice, I would have picked German.

That said - speaking Spanish would have come in very handy over the years, so I wonder if Spanish and German would be the best combo.

Spanish is way more helpful. I did German unfortunately.

No contest; Spanish.

Used all over the world, easy to learn, sounds lovely.

Germany is one of the few places in the world where pretty much everyone speaks English and everything (public transport information and so on) is available easily in English. And German is really not used anywhere else in the world.

Although given the chance; Mandarin!

If he's into engineering or aviation I'd go for German. My DP uses it on an everyday basis :)

German is a bit harder at the beginning but easier at A-level. If he likes logic and structure then German is often popular. Outside the hospitality industry in big cities, English doesn't come easily so having some German goes down really well.

But tbh, either could be useful, or not, so whichever he wants.

MrsTerryPratchett - not where I am from. Yes to tourist destinations and major cities and some university towns.

But anywhere rural or small - forget it. I was working for years on a project with colleagues from New York and Asia and they often stayed 2-3 weeks and went out of Frankfurt at the weekends and really struggled. And even in Frankfurt I often had to translate menus.

Yes, all children do learn English in school but not a lot need it after A-Level unless you work for an international firm or in tourism. I had an accident last year and ended up in A&E and the nurse and orthopedic were relieved that I was German as my info sheet only showed my UK address.

Lol at German being a dying language.

German and Spanish are both sought after languages.

What was it he didn’t like about Latin?

Spanish is more widely spoken. I speak several languages, including Spanish and German. Spanish is definitely much easier than German - German grammar in particular is quite hard. Spanish, as PP said, is very straightforward, both in spelling and grammar - pretty much no exceptions, as long as you learn the rules you're fine. On top of that I find Spanish more practical- I've barely had to use my German, whereas Spanish comes in handy on holiday -people Spanish speaking are less likely to know English than Germans. Also if he knows French and some Latin he should pick it up easier.

Another vote for Spanish here.

I would choose French and Spanish over German, I speak all three and never use German, despite working with Germany a lot, as they all speak English (and my German is now a bit rusty).

Conversely, I have had the opportunity to speak Spanish and French on holiday, so they have stayed more current and I enjoy the sound of them more. Like others' said, it's also down to personal preference!

He'll always be able to pay the rent if he's fluent in German. Very high demand language in the city.

Germany Switzerland Austria popular investment destinations.

Otherwise- just let him choose what's more interesting to him.

German’s not a dying language, what utter bollocks. It’s only “dying” in the sense that fewer and fewer people seem to be taking it at GCSE and A-Level.
It’s still a major EU language (although we’re leaving the EU so...)

This thread pops up a fair amount on here and you always get a relatively even split, with the same arguments given.

We had to chose yesterday. ds2 went for German and french simply because DS1 went for spanish and french and neither of us speak spanish and so have found it hard to help him. I did german A level and watch lots of German TV so will be able to assist and check homework etc.

Don’t know how my DD managed at boarding school then, plus neither parent speaking or knowing any MFL at all?!!

What a huge advantage he’s got. German was a no brainier really! Perhaps you can assist with his German degree? I came to the conclusion that’s what happens these days.

Blimey bubbles I'm assuming you have some sort of hidden guilt there about the boarding school?

I don't think its the worlds biggest crime for a parent to want to be able to help a child with SEN with his homework . If I can assist my children to learn and understand then I will do.

DS just graduating in straight German and he's getting lots of interest from financial, law and publishing firms. Good life over there.