French or Spanish: Which Language Is Easier for English Speakers to Learn?

Choosing a second language to learn can be a daunting task. For native English speakers, Spanish and French are two popular and accessible options. Both languages offer numerous benefits, from enhancing career prospects to broadening cultural horizons. But when it comes to ease of learning, which language comes out on top? This article delves into the nuances of both languages, comparing their similarities and differences to help you make an informed decision.

The Shared Linguistic Roots of French and Spanish

French and Spanish share many similarities due to their common origin as Romance languages, both descending from Latin. This shared heritage manifests in several ways:

Verb conjugation: Both languages have verb conjugation systems, with regular and irregular verbs.
Pronouns: French and Spanish both have subject pronouns, object pronouns, and possessive pronouns, and the usage of these pronouns often follows similar patterns.
Cognates: Many words in French and Spanish are cognates, meaning they have a common origin and similar meanings.
Numerals: Numbers in French and Spanish have similar patterns and structures, making it relatively straightforward to learn and use numbers in both languages.
Shared influences: French and Spanish have been influenced by other languages and cultures over the centuries.
Familiar sound patterns: Due to their shared linguistic heritage, French and Spanish may sound somewhat familiar to speakers of the other language.
Gendered nouns: Spanish and French use gender for nouns.

To some extent, learning one Romance language does give you an easier entry into the others. Linguists Alina Maria Ciobanu and Liviu P. Dinu of the University of Bucharest attempted to measure the mutual intelligibility of Romance languages, taking into account etymology, cognates, and orthographic distances (a measurement of how similar or dissimilar words are based on spelling, usage, and a host of other factors). Ethnologue also came up with lexical similarity coefficients for each of the Romance tongues, or quantifiable percentages that tell you how similar the languages are.

Points of Divergence: Key Differences Between French and Spanish

Despite their similarities, French and Spanish are two distinct languages, each with its own unique characteristics.

Vocabulary

In Spanish, EVERYTHING is translated, while French has more English words. For example, popcorn is "popcorn" in French, but "palomitas" (small doves) in Spanish. Football - excuse me, soccer - is "football" in French, but "fútbol" in Spanish.

Read also: French language learning guide

Pronouns of Address

Spanish has distinct pronouns of address for formal and informal situations ("usted" and "tú"), while French generally uses the same pronoun ("vous") with different levels of formality.

Culture and Idioms

Each language has its own set of idiomatic expressions and phrases that might not have direct equivalents in the other language.

False Friends

As seen above, false cognates, or false friends - traitor! In Spanish, “constipado(a)” means having a cold, while in French, it means constipated. “Volar” means “to fly” in Spanish, while “voler” means “to steal” in French. As you probably know, “hombre” means “man” in Spanish. For your birthday, would you prefer a “gâteau” (cake) or a “gato” (cat)? Be careful with this one! While it means “with” in Spanish, it’s a pretty insulting word in French.

Pronunciation

Spanish is phonetic - in other words, what you see is what you get - whereas French pronunciation is much less straightforward. With regard to Spanish, the speed at which Spaniards speak can be a real challenge to English speakers.

The Perception of Ease: Spanish vs. French

For many English speakers, Spanish is often considered slightly easier to learn than French. Babbel actually ranked the easiest languages for English speakers to learn though, and technically, Spanish is higher on that list than French (Spanish came in third, versus eighth for French).

Read also: Beginner's French Course

Vocabulary and Cognates

Spanish and English share many cognates (similar words), which can make vocabulary acquisition easier. A lot of French vocabulary is similar to that of German and English, which makes sense when you consider that France and Germany share a border. This goes both ways. Meanwhile, Spanish has a bit more of an Arabic influence that dates back to the Moorish invasion of the Iberian peninsula in 711.

Grammar

While each language presents its own challenges, my view is that Spanish grammar is more straightforward than French grammar. Similarly, Spanish spelling is much easier. Spanish grammar can be simpler in certain aspects. With Spanish, the subjunctive mood tends to be difficult for English speakers to wrap their minds around.

Beyond Technical Difficulty: Factors to Consider

Now, because one language might be slightly technically easier than the other, this shouldn’t be the only argument to choose a new language. But one has to be practical sometimes. "Easy" is subjective. The answers to the above will determine whether French or Spanish is easier to learn, for you.

Prevalence and Usefulness

As one of the most spoken languages in the world, Spanish is more widespread than French. Nearly 500 million people have Spanish as their native language, while fewer than 100 million are native French speakers.

Technically, there are about twice as many total Spanish speakers as French speakers in the world (543 million versus 267 million), but whether one is more useful to learn largely depends on where in the world you are. If you’re learning to boost your career prospects, Spanish and French are both very useful business languages to know. Whereas Spanish is more widely spoken (for now - the African continent’s rising population could boost global French-speaking numbers to over 700 million by 2050), French is also an important language in international diplomacy, travel, tourism and hospitality.

If you plan to work in Europe, French is a very useful language to have in the business world. It’s also highly valued in industries like fashion, gastronomy, education, research and art.

Personal Interests and Goals

Consider which culture resonates with you more. If you're interested in French literature, gastronomy, art, philosophy, or fashion, French might be appealing. If you're planning to travel or work in a specific region, consider the prevalence of each language.

Ultimately, your personal interest and motivation play a crucial role. If you’ve made your choice, you might wonder if you should learn European French or Québécois, Castilian Spanish or Latin Spanish, etc. That being said, the base is the same. For example, Québécois sounds very different to me - and very funny - because I grew up in France. But I always recommend students to study French in Québec rather than in Europe.

Being excited about a language and its culture will make you more engaged and enthusiastic about the language learning process, which will ultimately make it easier to study. Want to get in touch with your French heritage and speak like your ancestors used to?

Career Aspirations

As mentioned, the demand for both languages can vary depending on your field and location. First, you want to think about your future. Do you want to study abroad in France or intern abroad in Spain while in college? Are you considering taking a break from your studies with a gap year in Costa Rica? Do you want to work for the United Nations someday, where French is the required second language? Next, think about your interests.

Travel Plans

If you have travel plans, consider where you're likely to visit. And you don’t need to travel to the 21 Spanish-speaking countries to practice your español. Another way you can learn French and its culture is by traveling and studying French abroad.

Educational Opportunities

Is it better to learn French or Spanish in high school? The sooner you start immersing yourself in a new language, the sooner you will learn. Beginning your language learning journey in high school has great benefits as well. It can prepare you to study abroad during your college years or maybe during a gap year. Participate in a high school student exchange program.

Embarking on Your Language Learning Journey

If you pick a language just because it’s “easy”, you’ll lack real motivation and you may not do well while learning the language.

Don't worry about the difficulties and concentrate on the positives instead. Enjoy learning and relish being able to communicate with other people. Even if what you say isn't perfectly grammatically correct, the French, Spaniards (and Italians) all appreciate you making the effort to speak their languages, and will generally be very encouraging and helpful. In many areas outside the main cities, you will find that people have little or no English.

Tips for Getting Started

You don’t have to go headfirst into learning French or Spanish, take baby steps. Look for the Perfect High School Program Abroad NowExplore hundreds of meaningful programs with verified nonprofits worldwide. Join thousands of students making a real-world impact today.

Study up on the history and politics of French or Spanish speaking countries.
Look up language learning clubs you can join in your area.
Try a language learning app.

The Benefits of Learning Any Language

Obviously, there are a myriad of benefits to learning the French and Spanish languages. One of the best ways to challenge yourself and expand your worldview is by learning a second language. But we hear you-learning a second language can be difficult, frustrating, time-consuming, and confusing.

On a final note, you will find that when you have learnt one Romance language, it makes it much easier to learn another. Although there are differences between them, there are far more similarities, given their shared linguistic roots. For instance, although I have never studied Gallego (Galician), I can understand quite a bit when I hear it, and can read it fairly easily.

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