Learning a foreign language has become imperative in a world where competition is immense in the field of education and employment. Without a doubt, an additional language provides an edge over the competitors and offers better opportunities in the arena of learning and jobs. German and Spanish are two languages that are the most popular all across the world. Both being pluricentric, the languages offer a plethora of opportunities to work and study abroad. Both Germany and Spain are situated in Europe and are beautifully backed by their respective history and cultural heritage.
Among the five easiest European languages to learn, both German and Spanish give competition to each other. But the ultimate dilemma is: which language should I learn? If you speak English, you won’t face many difficulties in learning either of the languages. But getting to know the languages is important before you learn them.
The answer to this dilemma lies in the points of difference between the two languages listed below:
Difficulty level
Languages are often judges as per their level of difficulty. Both German and Spanish are among the most spoken languages in Europe; but are they easy? Let’s find out.
- Alphabet
The Spanish alphabet is very much similar to English, whereas in German there are certain additions. In German there is an umlaut, indicating a different vowel quality. Also, the letter ß is used to indicate the double‘s’, also known as “esszet”. So when we talk about the alphabet as the point of difference, Spanish wins the case.
- Vocabulary
Both German and Spanish have their own beauty when it comes to the vocabulary. If you are a fluent English speaker, here are the facts about Spanish and German vocabulary that you must know:
Spanish and English originate from the Indo European family of languages, making them similar in the case of alphabets, syntax, and words. Many of the Spanish words are similar to those in English. You can easily build your Spanish word bank as you lean similar words with a slight difference.
German and English belong to the same language family and hence share nearly 60 per cent of their vocabulary. Also, the verb conjugations appear in almost every sentence that you speak or write in German, which are easy to get a hold of.
- Pronunciation
When it comes to the pronunciation, the German language is a lot kinder. In Spanish, a lot of words are pronounced different from the way they’re written and spelled. German on the other hand is not that difficult to decipher, as the words are pronounced as they’re written. But you need to pronounce those German words correctly so that you don’t land in trouble! So in this case, the bout goes to German.
- Grammar
The grammar of the two languages is what makes all the difference. Spanish grammar is easy to learn and much simpler. The language of romance doesn’t include tenses, which solve the whole problem that could otherwise arise while forming a sentence. The German language has three gender forms instead of two, and also makes use of compound nouns, which add to the fun of learning the language.
Learning period
If you take up classes at a German language institute in Delhi, the whole learning process takes up to 750 hours. On the other hand, mastering Spanish takes about 600 hours. So undoubtedly the difficulty level of German is higher than that of Spanish, which makes the latter easier to learn.
Scope
Though Spanish is easier to learn than German, the scope of the two languages is what makes all the difference. Germany is home to a lot of universities that offer a world-class education. The degrees offered by these universities are applicable all over the world and they open doors to a wide range of opportunities in higher education and high profile jobs. If you are proficient in German, you stand a good chance to pursue your dream of acquiring education abroad.
Spain also has a good rank as per the QS world ranking systems, but the top rankings go to those in Germany, making the language having a better scope in the field of education.
Conclusion
Both German Spanish take the spots of the most sought-after languages that offer freedom and money. They, however, come with their own set of difficulties, which we can’t ignore, but embrace to make language learning an easy and fun process. So now that you have an overview of both the languages, it is time that you make a choice.