French tends to be easier for beginners, though it gets harder as you get into its intermediate and advanced layers. German has a tougher on-ramp for beginners, but gets easier as you go along.
If your main goal is to use the language in Europe, you might find that German is slightly more useful than French, while the French language might be more helpful when traveling around the world.
If you are an English speaker, learning French requires 575-600 hours of study (or 23-24 weeks full- time). It is the same for other European Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish etc) and the Germanic ones (Danish, Swedish, Dutch/Afrikaans Norwegian – not German).
Both of these languages have plenty of words that'll make you say, “Oh! That's… pretty much the same”. Beyond that, if you speak another Romance language, French will come easier.
French and German are different enough that you won't get them confused, but not so different that you can't apply your learning back and forth. Learning both languages will give you new insights into the English language.
Reasons To Learn German As Opposed To French
Although there are fewer fluent German speakers the world over, German is the most influential economy making up the European Union, so being able to speak German in a business or financial career makes plenty of sense.
There are 267 million French speakers in the world, compared to 155 million German speakers. In terms of career opportunities, French and German are both very in-demand as business languages.
1. French (Français) French is the most popular foreign language in India, and the reasons to learn French are apparent. With over 30 Francophone countries around the globe, It is spoken by roughly 300 million French speakers globally.
Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.
Depending on your goals, native language, study method and time, and motivation, within 6 months to 3 years you should be able to speak French at a good level. It will take longer if you're following a secondary school curriculum or want to totally master French for a career in something like interpreting.
The amount of time it takes to learn French depends on many different factors. However, if we had to give a general estimate, we would say that it usually takes around 6 to 12 months to reach a basic level of proficiency (with regular studies!), and 1 to 2 years of consistent work to become fluent.
If you want a short answer, yes, you can become fluent in French in one year (or even less), especially if you follow the 10 steps included in the next section. However, your success will depend on a series of aspects you need to take into account.
According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!
In short, Spanish is more straightforward than German and French. I feel French is slightly more complicated than German and French though it is based on my personal experience. Don't be surprised if you hear the opposite. Difficulty level – Spanish – 6/10, German – 7/10, French – 7.5/10.
According to estimates by UNESCO, Portuguese is the fastest-growing European language after English. It is also the language that has, according to UNESCO, the highest potential for growth as an international language in southern Africa and South America.
German is the language that pays the most in the US. But if you are in a country like China or Korea, English can help you get the highest paying job. In India, it is Mandarin that can help a person get the salary of their choice.
German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe
For centuries the language served as a lingua franca (a common language which unifies different peoples) in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and eastern Europe.
French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture. A knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature in the original French, as well as films and songs.
Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French.
Studies say that yes, you can. Listening to a language while asleep can help supercharge your vocabulary. Learn easily with the power of pleasant repetition. With the Learn German While Sleeping audiobook, you'll absorb over 430 German words and phrases effortlessly.