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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Spanish or German?
Spanish or German?
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Amna 107
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Spanish or German?
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Hi friends,
I don�t know if it is ok to mention this topic or no as it has nothing to do with English as a second language. I hope it is fine as I really need to hear your opinions as there are many German and Spanish speakers here.
I am really thinking of learning a new language, and I finally decided to learn German or Spanish. Actually, I thought I would learn German because someone told me it is an easy language to learn. I watched some online videos that teach German, and I found that German is not that difficult. I found that many German words are similar to the English words even though the pronunciation are different. As Arabic is my first language, I don�t think that the pronunciation of the words is that difficult because we have similar sounds in the Arabic language.
However, after I read many comparisons between German and Spanish, I think I am confused. Most people say that Spanish is easier that German, and German is very complicated, especially the grammar. In addition, after finding that the countries that speak Spanish are far more that the countries that speak German, I think Spanish language will benefit me more.
I did not go across the Spanish language, and I want you to tell me please if the Spanish language has many similarities with English or no? And what do you think, is Spanish easier that German? |
15 May 2009
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Nezabudka
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Can �t tell anything about Spanish, but GERMAN GRAMMAR is awful!!!! It �s something unbelievable!!!!! German is my second languAGE AFTER ENGLISH...Now I simply speak it like in English - without any grammar etc. Because it �s impossible!!!
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15 May 2009
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Amna 107
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Hi Nezabudka,
thanks for your reply, but what do you mean by "Now I simply speak it like in English - without any grammar etc". I mean when we speak English, we can �t seperate it from the grammar because it is part of it. How do you speak German without any grammar? Is it undestandable if you speak German without caring about the grammar?
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15 May 2009
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rosammd
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Hello Amna, as you can see I am Spanish, and apart from English I have also studied a little bit of German. German grammar rules were difficult to me, and this is the reason why I haven �t studied it more...
On the other hand, we cannot compare English to Spanish or vice versa because in comparison to Spanish, English grammar is very easy. I think the most difficult thing you would face when studying Spanish would be tenses, but it is not imposible to learn. You may take it as a challenge! I encourage you to learn Spanish from here! If I can help, let me know!
Whatever choice you take I hope you enjoy it! |
15 May 2009
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Amna 107
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Hi rosammd,
Well, I think I will try to learn Spanish, and I hope that I will be able to do so. The problem is that I don �t know Spanish people here in the UAE. If there are people who can talk to me in Spanish, I would learn easier. That is why I think Spanish or German will be quite difficult to learn. Nonetheless, I am enthusiastic to learn a new language, and it may be Spanish! |
16 May 2009
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Vickiii
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Hi Amna,
I went to live in a spanish speaking country for a year. I had no spanish at all when I arrived. There were many many many similarities between the two language.
Spanish is a latin language - English hasa latin layer.
This resulted in me being able to speak about more technical things a lot easier than I could speak about the weather!
I think that whith a bit of application Spanish is very achievable. The similarities in words means that it is a lot easier to read and write. The pronounciation is very different though - but it only has five vowel sounds - which is awesome!
The verbs and tenses are the only thing that is troublesome. They change pronounciation of verbs everytime you change who you are talking about and then change it again when you change tense. This means there is something like 15 different ways to say need.
Once you get your head around that - it starts working for you.
Well for me anyway.
In the famous words of shultz - in regards to German "Iknow NOSHINK!"
HAve fun with your learning
Vicki
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16 May 2009
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Kita19
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Hello Amna!
It �s the first time in my life that I hear that German is an easy language 
I have a degree in English and German and unfortunately German is not that easy (at least for Portuguese learners!). However, I think German is a very beautiful language and each day more useful worldwide.
The grammar is indeed a bit complicated, it has declinations (I don �t know if Arabic has them too - if yes, then maybe it �s easier for you), which means that the same word changes its ending depending on its function in the sentence.
I am Portuguese and Spanish is a very similar language to Portuguese, so of course for me it would be easier to lear Spanish.  But, even leaving that out, I would definitely say that Spanish is easier than German. And, as you have said, there are more countries where Spanish is spoken. I agree that the verbs/tenses would be the most difficult in Spanish - also in Portuguese they are the most difficult thing for foreigners. English is much more easier in that aspect...
I hope I could help you.
Kita |
16 May 2009
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wolfy
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As arabic is your first language you �ll probably find German a little easier. �
German actually shares many similarities with informal English.
Spanish as mentioned is a latin language and shares many roots with formal English (thx to the French 1066 etc...).
If you want to learn spanish get yourself a south american teacher. �The accent here in Chile is much easier to handle once you �ve mastered the "j". �
People here tell me the Bolivians and Peruvians speak the best spanish any thoughts?
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16 May 2009
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Amna 107
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Hi Vicki,
I am glad to hear that there are many similarities between English and Spanish because this will make it much easier for me to learn Spanish. I am sure that I will find challenges in any language that I will decide to learn. Thanks a lot. |
16 May 2009
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crisholm
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Hi! I �m really enthralled about your question!
My first language was Estonian (....) but I learnt Spanish where I lived and English at an early age at school. Then I had some French, and finally I went into German...
What can I say? German grammar is awful just at the beginning, during the first three years, when you have to think of five rules before opening your mouth. I remember an (English) teacher who said she just avoided the issue by being sloppy and making an unidentifiable noise at the end instead of declensions. But after that, it gets fun, just as English grammar (if you are willing to consider fun loads of details, exceptions etc.)
Well, you �ve got two things to handle in both languages which you do not have in English: a) gender (a bit more complicated in German, as it has neutrals) and b) conjugation (fairly easy in German, but as heavy going in Spanish as it can be in French).
It really depends on how proficient you are willing to be. German is much closer to English and I guess easier to achieve for you in the long run; Spanish is really much more distant both in grammar and vocabulary, but it would open up a whole world of connections to romanesque languages - why not give it a try?
Or do both? They are so different that they �re very unlikely to get mixed in the process!
Good luck and write back if you need help!
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16 May 2009
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Amna 107
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Well, I am confused again!!!
The person who told me that German is an easy language also said that it shares many similarities with Arabic! That �s why I thought it would be easier for me. But the fact that German shares some similarities with Arabic doesn �t make it easier, I guess!!
Actually, I was watching a video about teaching German, and the woman said that the word "woche" which is a �week�, for example, would be difficult for English speakers, but this is not the case for me because I can pronounce this word easily as it is similar to Arabic.
I am not really worried about the vocabulary in German because I love to learn new vocabulary. But grammar is something I am not very good at, even in Arabic! |
16 May 2009
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