Isn't French more important than Spanish?

Question

1. There are more French-speaking countries than Spanish-speaking countries.

2. Learning French can help you in studies and improve them.

3. Learning French is a major "Fashion" language.

4. Learning French is good for international business corporations.

5. French is the 11th most spoken language in the world.

6. The number of French speakers (both native and non-natives) are starting to grow.

French IS more important than Spanish. Or at least, the same amount of importance that Spanish has. Viva le Francais!

Answer 1

I don't know if "important" is the right word.  If you're living and working in the U.S., you'd probably be better served learning Spanish, as it's the fastest-growing language here.  Just look at the labels on products you buy and signs in stores and ATM machines.  It's all English/Spanish.

BTW, French is a great language.  I studied it for ten years in school.  But the reasons you gave for it being "important" are kind of lame.  

Answer 2

Actually, some of the French are afraid that it will soon be a dead language like Latin.

And it can't be more "important." A language is a language, just for communication. French is just your personal preference.

Answer 3

I don't know the American situation, because I'm Italian.

In Italy, at school, you can choose the language to study, now, but before, all people studied English and French, or only French sometimes!

It's very strange.

In Italy French is yet more important than Spanish, because almost everyone know something in this language. Spanish is known as a language very simple and similar to the ours and then, a lot of people doesn't want to study it.

But here we don't need it so much like in U.S.A:  

Answer 4

Both are very important (but much of their importance is dependant on where you live)

I should know since I speak both fluently + with family members, friends and collegues

Answer 5

It depends on where you live.

Answer 6

Although French is spoken in more countries it is blown out of the water by the number of Spanish speaking people in the world!

Half the population of the United States are native Spanish speakers and most Americans speak it as a second language.

French is a stale old language that France has tried to keep from evolving into a modern language and so like latin it will eventually fall into disuse!!

Try speaking spanish and get a word slightly wrong and the spanish will help you pronounce it properly.

mispronounce one word in ten sentences in French and they shrug their shoulders and pretend they did not understand any of it!!

The French attitude is the very thing that stops french being what you claim for it!!

Answer 7

Most of the "French speaking" countries have French as an official language but it is not the first language of most of the inhabitants. In almost all of the Spanish speaking countries, Spanish IS the first language of all or most of the inhabitants.

Spanish is the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world and therefore MUST rank as more important than French.

Answer 8

1) it depends on where you live;

2) in my opinion there is no "important language" or, at least, you cannot say French is more important than Spanish and viceversa;

3) Do you know how many people in the world speak Spanish? A lot of people!

4)In all South America, as well as in Spain and Mexico of course,  Spanish is the official language ( except for Brasil);

5) Spanish is very important for tourism

...and much more.

Bye!

Answer 9

1. There are more French speaking countries than Spanish speaking countries. However: the countries that speak "french" really most of the population does not speak it on a daily basis, the size of the countires (most of them are Pacific islands, or African nations that don't have much international sway) are smaller geographically and culturally. Also, Spanish is related more to the other Romance languages and even to Arabic and English which helps it be more functional and understandable than French.

2. Learning any language can help your studies improve.

3. Have you ever heard of Madrid? Or Milan? Or London? Or New York? All of these places also export fashion and trends. This is beside the point that fashion really doesn't have an "important" impact on the world other than pop culture. Meanwhile Spanish literature has influenced art and literature of the entire Western Hemisphere.

4. Actually learning Spanish is more useful since the combined economies of Spanish speaking countries (including the US) dwarf that of France's rather stagnant economy.

5. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, by native speakers after Mandarin Chinese. This number doesn't even include those who use it as a second language.

6. This case could be made for any language.

Spanish is more important than French.

QUE VIVA ESPAÑA! haha, i'm biased though, I've lived there and like the Spaniards more than the French :)

Answer 10

There is no "important" language.  Learning a second language should be 1) connected to you on a personal level ( like your family was French immigrants) or 2) You are fascinated by the language, people or culture.  That way you will actually want to learn it.  

Answer 11

1. Spanish: spoken by at least 5% of the population in 23 countries (in 22 of them, all but the US, it's the primary language; French in 6

2. Learning ANY LANGUAGE can help you in studies and improve them; any Romance language is equally helpfully in understanding worlds of Latin origin

3. Learning French is a major "Fashion" language. Wow, that's important

4. Learning Spanish gives International companies 5 times as many potential customers as French

5. Spanish -  #3, 322,300,000 (2005); #19 - French - 64,860,000 (2005)

6. Native Spanish speakers are growing a lot faster than native French speakers and Spanish is still the most common second language learned in US high schools.

Answer 12

No offense, but it really depends on where you live. Also:

1. There might be more French countries, but the populations of countries matter more than the amounts of countries.

2. This is totally true, but learning ANY language helps people read/write better.

3. This is true. French is important if you are interested in fashion as a business.

4. Learning French is good for international business corporations, but Spanish is better. Spanish speaking populations are expanding faster than French, and they have a larger total speaking population than French speakers already.

5. Most spoken languages in world:

1 Chinese

2 Spanish

3 English

4 Bengali

5 Hindi/Urdu

6 Arabic

7 Portuguese

8 Russian

9 Japanese

10 German

11 French

So I guess Spanish is *more important* than French, but Chinese is even MORE important!  Although, it depends on what you are using it for that gives it importance... so nothing is MORE important without context.

5. See above. French is the 11th most spoken language in the world.

6. The number of French speakers is starting to grow, but most major languages also have expanding numbers of speakers. Spanish definately is becoming more commonly spoken.

Anyways, I'm not dissing French, it definately is an important language to know. I just take offense at saying one thing is more important without giving it any context. Also, Spanish is vastly more useful in the area I live (California) and in my daily life.