Determine whether you should learn Spanish or German in this detailed language comparison.
So, you want to learn German or Spanish. Congrats! Learning a new language is always a smart choice that will put you ahead in life socially, professionally, and cognitively. You’ve decided to stick with a commonly spoken language – but how do you choose between German and Spanish? Picking the wrong one could seriously limit your future opportunities or give you a major headache while trying to make progress. Here’s everything you need to understand before deciding which language is the best fit for you.
Similarities Between German and Spanish Languages
German and Spanish both share the same alphabet as English, the Indo-European or Latin alphabet. Of course, German and Spanish both have a few new letters and letter combinations added into their alphabets, but you should still be able to pick up a German or Spanish text and pronounce most of the words from the beginning of your linguistic journey.
Both German and Spanish are gendered languages. Certain nouns use a masculine form of the word “the,” while others use the feminine form. In fact, German actually has three different genders total (masculine, feminine, and neuter). If that sounds a little complicated, it is one of the harder aspects of German and Spanish for English speakers to learn. This simply means that whichever language you learn, you’ll have to memorize both vocab and which form of “the” you’ll use with each new word.
Another minor grammatical point: both German and Spanish use reflexive verbs. It’s okay if you don’t know what that means yet — you’ll learn! Basically, some verbs will require you to add on an extra pronoun, which just takes a lot of practice to internalize. In Spanish, these reflexive pronouns are “me,” “se,” and “te.” German simplifies these verbs just a little by using the same pronoun every time, “sich.”
German and Spanish both share a lot of vocab and verbs with English
Okay, take a deep breath. I know that sounded like a lot, but here’s the good news: English is such an inclusive language that has pulled in vocab from so many different languages that whether you end up choosing German or Spanish, you’ll recognize lots of familiar-looking words. If that’s a deciding factor for you, then you might want to go with German: it shares roughly 60% of its core vocabulary with English!
Differences Between Spanish and German Languages
Spanish and German come from different roots: Spanish is a Romance language that pulls mostly from Latin, whereas German is — ready for it? –Germanic. This makes it a distant cousin of English. In that way, German is a little easier to learn than Spanish. On the flip side, German grammar is sometimes more complicated than Spanish. Here are a few examples:
- German has three genders; Spanish only has two
- There are four different noun cases to keep track of in German
- All German nouns are capitalized
- The language is famous for impossibly long words made by combining smaller words together
- To make a word plural, you might add ‘s,’ ‘n,’ or even ‘r’ to the end
- German word order is very flexible, yet very logical
It’s a lot to keep track of. On the flip side, Spanish has its own challenges. The biggest frustration is simply the verbs: Spanish uses lots of tenses and conjugations that don’t show up in English, making it hard to choose the right verb form on the spot. Spanish also flips the order of nouns and adjectives, like saying, “the truck red” instead of “the red truck.” Not a huge deal, but it does make you slow down and think while speaking until you’ve had enough practice to build up a strong intuition for the language.
If all that went right over your head, don’t worry too much about the grammatical details upfront. All you need to know right now is that both languages have some patterns in common with English, and other patterns that may frustrate and confuse you until you’ve spent enough time studying and practicing them. You’ll spend a good bit of time on grammar either way.
Now, let’s say the sound of the language really matters to you. Spend some time listening to lots of audio recordings so you get a feel for which language you prefer. Spanish flows off of the tongue and is considered melodic, while German is more throaty and “harsh” sounding. For the romantic personalities, go with Spanish.
Which Language Is Easier To Learn: Spanish or German?
For most fluent English speakers, Spanish is easier to get started with, due to its more straightforward grammatical structure and many recognizable words.
German is more difficult at the beginning because of its convoluted grammar rules, but once learners get the hang of it, they’re good to go.
Most language learners can become proficient in Spanish in about 600 hours of study. It takes much longer to reach the same level of German; you’re looking at 800+ hours of dedicated study, which is significant.
If you already speak a Romance language, such as Italian or French, then Spanish might be easier for you to pick up. But remember that German shares a lot of common ground with English, so it’s not exactly rocket science, either. If you already speak another Germanic language, such as Dutch or Swedish, then German should be a breeze.
Either way, you’re looking at an initial learning curve while memorizing core vocabulary and figuring out the basics of the grammar rules. After that, becoming proficient in either language is definitely doable, especially compared to more complex languages, like Japanese or Arabic.
Reasons To Learn Spanish
If you live in one a region where Spanish is commonly spoken (such as near the Mexican border), then learning Spanish will have obvious real-world benefit. It’s nice to feel like you understand the people around you while you’re out and about. Knowing Spanish will open new relational doors for you and make it easier to help others in your community.
Spanish is also widely spoken worldwide. Whether you plan on backpacking across Europe or checking out Central or South America, you’ll get plenty of use out of your Spanish skills. Cancún, Barcelona, Machu Picchu — you’ll literally never run out of exotic destinations within the Spanish-speaking world.
And once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll be able to figure out new dialects fairly easily, as they’re all closely related. Maybe you’ll end up learning the Mexican accent if that’s the community you live near, but that won’t stop you from understanding the beautiful accents of Argentina and Spain.
Spanish is in demand in the business world, as it is the world’s second most spoken native language, behind Mandarin Chinese. If you speak proficient Spanish, you’ll be joining a community of over 600 million Spanish speakers.
That means it should be fairly easy to find fluent speakers you can practice with, which is a huge win. Spanish resources are also readily available, from Spanish radio and television to high-quality learning apps.
Reasons To Learn German
German is highly desired in the business world, too, as Germany is one of the most influential powers in the European Union. This makes German useful for business, finance, and politics. Plus, it has a rich history. There’s tons of interesting German literature to explore.
However, almost half of the world’s German speakers live in Germany, so your German-speaking partners will be fairly concentrated in this region of the world. If you’re wanting to connect to an in-person community, consider your likelihood of traveling to Germany. Another option: evaluate whether there are any Amish or Mennonite communities in your area. Their language, Pennsylvania Dutch, is an offshoot of German. For people in the Midwest, German might be more practical than you’d think.
Even though Spanish is high in demand in many economic and social spheres, German might give you more of an edge, as fewer people are learning it around the world. If you want to stand out, German might be your best bet.
Final Thoughts
So which language makes more sense to study: Spanish or German? Honestly, they’re both pretty common and useful languages, and neither one should be too hard to pick up. It really comes down to your personal interests and goals. Think through which language you’ll use the most, which one will open more doors for you, and which one you’ll actually enjoy.
For practical people living in an area with a strong Latino presence, Spanish might make the most sense to pursue. It’s also a good fit if you’re drawn to its romantic sound or if you’re intimidated by the long words that are so common in German.
But for business-minded professionals wanting a job skill that sets them apart, knowing a slightly less common language like German could be a strategic move. And if you’re dedicated enough to push through the initial learning curve, German shares a lot of similarities with English.
Whichever language you choose, make the process easier on yourself by choosing the best language learning app for you. Keep the learning process doable and exciting, and you’ll be conversational in no time!
👉 Check out our guides to the best apps for learning German and Spanish
It just depends on your goals. If you will be spending time in Latin America or need Spanish for work, definitely learn Spanish. If, however, you want to connect with your German heritage or travel to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, then learn German.
Generally speaking, Spanish is easier to learn than German. Because German uses four different cases and three different noun genders, it can take a little more time to master. Spanish will still require a lot of work to learn, too, so either way, plan on a big time commitment and a lot of practice.
