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 live in a major Germany city and deal with people everyday who don’t speak English. It’s typically only taught in the Gymnasium (grammar school). The standard of English is very high in those who have learnt, but a significant percentage (maybe even a majority) speak no English at all.

I think it's hard to predict which language(s) you will need as an adult. Long term predictions of language needs aren't always accurate either.

I would pick German because it is sufficiently different from French that he will get something different out of doing it. German's grammar and literature sheds light on English and Scandinavian languages and is a better stepping stone for learning Slavic languages like Russian as the grammar is more similar.

I found Spanish very easy to pick up as an adult because I have French. I'm now learning Russian and would be lost without knowing about cases from doing German.

Picking French and German gives him a better shot at any new language he might need than French and Spanish

Worldwide Spanish is more widely spoken, but within Europe German is the second most widely spoken mother tongue (after Russian). German has over 100 Million native speakers and is an official language in 7 countries. 1/10 of the world's books are published in German. German is clearly not a dying language. :-) And due to the strength of the German economy, German is more important than these numbers would suggest.

While many Germans speak basic English, a far smaller number can negotiate business deals in English. Besides, when learning a language you should never just learn the grammar and the words, but also gain an understanding of the culture the language is spoken in. Without cultural understanding your business deal will not happen.

More schools offer Spanish, which might lateron put your son at an advantage if he learns German.

No guilt over boarding at all!!! However it seems very common that when a parent speaks a language that child gets a huge amount of help. It’s like having private lessons. We couldn’t have helped if DD had been at home so it’s made no difference. However, some children have to learn it all themselves wherever they go to school. Spoon feeding parents seem the norm in MFL though.

German is a dying language

I would say that for work/business German is far mor useful than Spanish. Think of all the German engineering and science companies. Also the banks and law firms- speaking german is much more useful. In addition German universities offer a very good and free education!