how can i decide what language to learn? (thelemmy.club)

submitted 3 days ago by nonBInary@thelemmy.club to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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i genuinely have no idea if i should study italian or french. on one hand, french is probably more useful, especially since i live in the u.s. and could communicate with people from french-speaking canada. french also seems to have more speakers. however, i also have an italian study book and it seems easier to get the hang of for me than french, especially since i can't yet differentiate what people are saying and the way things are spelled in french.

i genuinely love both languages but i don't know which one i should learn, even if i'm the only one who can decide this. i have a study book for italian and busuu as a language learning app but i don't have a french book yet. should i learn italian first and then go with french? learn italian and pick up bits of french along the way?

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[-] razorcandy@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago

If your goal was fluency, immigration, or finding employment, I would suggest learning the language of the countries where you would most like to go and which you have the most opportunity to practice in person. It sounds like you want to learn recreationally though, in which case I would say choose the one that excites you more, as you’re more likely to continue learning that way. You can also start by learning the very basics of both and see which you find more engaging before committing to studying one more intensively.

this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025

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