My brain is always pretty bored and jumps from language to language, so I learn a bit of Language A, then Language B, then switch back and forth. French has shorter chapters on the app I learn it with, Busuu, and I already know a good amount of Spanish (which I study in school) and Portuguese. However, while Italian might cause me to mix up Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, it's easier to pronounce. It also, however, has longer lessons on Busuu.
French is spoken in many countries, though, and I'm also LGBTQ if that makes any difference, since some people study languages from countries that don't support/respect the group they're part of.
39 Comments
HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works · 47 pts · 12d
Beware that if you learn french, you might have to engage with french people though.
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 11d
Selon moi, je trouve que les Québécois sont plus amicaux que les Français en apprenant la langue, tant qu'on ne dit pas «parking» 😂
nullify3112@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11d
amicaux, ça s’accorde quand c’est le verbe être. Signé: un français.
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11d
L'autocorrect n'est pas mon ami 😂
may_be@thelemmy.club · 3 pts · 12d
Haha, trueee
shittydwarf@piefed.ca · 44 pts · 12d
If it matters to you at all French will be vastly more practical and useful in the real world
nymnympseudonym@piefed.social · 14 pts · 12d
Yes for French directly -- lots of Africa, the Caribbean, and ofc solidarity with Canada 🇨🇦
BUT! -- consider that, knowing Italian, you get a pretty good grip on Spanish as well. And there are ~6x more native Spanish speakers than native French speakers
may_be@thelemmy.club · 7 pts · 12d
That makes sense.
mushroommunk@lemmy.today · 5 pts · 12d
That really depends on location and what you want to do. I want to go tour Italy one day, learning French instead of Italian would be silly.
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 11d
I'm fluent in English and Spanish and know French well enough to converse with native speakers.
French is a lot more globally applicable. Outside of France it can be used in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and basically anywhere France has stuck their dick. Italian is mostly limited to Italy and parts of NYC (/s). Italian will put you closer to Spanish than French if that's something you seek.
For comparison, per Wikipedia, French is the 6th most commonly spoken language worldwide while Italian sits at 32nd. That said, learning a new language can only ever benefit you so you can't go wrong either way
(Mais surtout, je vais te recommander le français simplement parce que c'est celui* que j'ai appris et aime)
dingus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11d
French is also used in quite a few African countries as well iirc!
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 11d
Yep, there's a lot
Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 11d
(celui* que j'ai appris 🙂)
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11d
Merci
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de · 17 pts · 12d
French will be more useful, Italian probably easier.
may_be@thelemmy.club · 3 pts · 12d
True, true. Merci !
Shimitar@downonthestreet.eu · 10 pts · 11d
Italian of course!
Why? Because I am Italian
Seriously, french is much more useful. But Italian is much more fun!
nymnympseudonym@piefed.social · 1 pts · 11d
"They say Italian blood runs the hottest"
Shimitar@downonthestreet.eu · 2 pts · 11d
Still 36.7°C I guess....
Anyway, it's wine not blood! (And I prefer beer, alcoholfree)
ParadeGrotesque@lemmy.wtf · 8 pts · 11d
My Spanish teacher used to say:
if you speak Spanish and French you already know 80% of Italian.
If you speak Italian, Spanish and French, you already speak Portuguese.
And I have found this to be mostly true. Native French speaker, good Spanish: I can read 80% of any Italian text I come across.
Oh, and don't forget Romanian is also very close.
Sergio@piefed.social · 6 pts · 12d
For speaking the language, that's a consideration. But if you're listening or reading, I've found they tend to strengthen one another.
I suggest the following:
paraplu@piefed.social · 3 pts · 12d
My experience starting with Spanish, and then trying French was that it still warded off most of the difficulty others in my class had.
There were loose patterns for grammatical gender for others to follow, but it mirrored Spanish well enough that it was ignorable. The next big thing that tripped classmates up was the subjunctive. French didn't seem to use it as often, but the concepts largely translated.
There were a few false friends, but it seemed rare. Hearing spelling may be harder in French, there are a lot of homophones or near homophones.
All that to say, French should still largely be a quick win (in as much a language ever can be).
Sergio@piefed.social · 2 pts · 11d
I still have a big problem understanding spoken French, especially if it's by one native speaker to another. And I've discovered that my French accent is literally laughable. In contrast, I find Italian much easier to understand and speak.
Cheesus@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 11d
Subjunctive is used very frequently in French actually, especially in day-to-day conversation.
“Il faut qu’on y aille” “Ça se trouve qu’on puisse…” Etc.
It’s a little challenging, but once you wrap your head around it, it becomes natural.
paraplu@piefed.social · 1 pts · 10d
Oh I didn't mean to imply French didn't use it. Just that it seemed to come up in a slightly more narrow set of circumstances. That could've been a misunderstanding though.
yenahmik@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 12d
Italian is essentially a cross between Spanish and French. If you know both, you're basically 80% of the way to knowing Italian.
Given how much more practical French is, I'd say learn it first, then learn Italian later.
queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 11d
I think Italian is more fun. Incidental: Italian with Grammar by Mark Twain has always stuck with me. I think it's a pretty good read.
I also frequently mix up my Spanish and Italian.
As for the LGBTQ-ness of it, I think they're both fine choices. If I know anything as an American, it's that France and Italy are two of the gayest countries in Europe, the gayest continent.
may_be@thelemmy.club · 3 pts · 11d
Even my heritage country of Norway is pretty damn gay and that's in Europe, so yeah.
kettuli@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 12d
Whichever brings you more happiness.
floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 11d
Les misérables vs La bella vita 😎 /s
gastroglizzy@piefed.social · 3 pts · 12d
Learn whichever one you're more likely to actually use or practice. I learned French in high school and college to the point I could listen to French news and (mostly) follow along and read simple fiction books.
As soon as I left that environment where it was constantly practiced and reinforced, my comprehension slowly decreased. With no one to speak it with and being unwilling to dedicate practice time to it, over the course of nearly two decades, I've forgotten nearly all of it.
Twanquility@feddit.dk · 3 pts · 12d
Which are you most likely to visit & / stay in?
Which 'culture' appeals the most to you?
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 3 pts · 11d
If it's just for fun learn Italian, it's a nicer language. If it's for practical reasons go crazy and learn something completely different like Arabic or Mandarin.
clanker_victim_555@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11d
Why not Uzbeck?
https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/3pqarl/why_not_uzbek/
may_be@thelemmy.club · 0 pts · 11d
Pffft
akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 12d
Eggymatrix@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 12d
French has more real world application, and in former french colonies it is still spoken a lot. Italian is closer to latin, which for someone already speaking spanish or portoghese might be interesting. I would not worry about mixing up, that might happen but is not really a bad issue, mostly a conversation item in my experience.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 12d
From my perspective, they're about equal. As someone who doesn't know either, I would tackle Italian first. Both (as well as Spanish) are based on Latin, so learning one should help you learn the other. I think there are more French speakers in the world, though, but since Italian and Spanish are (or at least seem) closer, learning Italian might also help with Spanish learning. With regards to LGBTQ+, I think France is a bit more liberal than Italy, but I'm really not sure.
I know next to no French OR Italian. I dabble in Japanese, Spanish, and German (in addition to English and bad English), but I only know ~50 words in each. A bit less in German. I am by no means multilingual, but I will greet people in four or five different languages just to be a smartass.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 11d
Italy has better food and lovers