to have the courtesy of learning a few simple sentences in their language, even if it is only good morning, please and thank you etc.

also should be noted they have different attitudes in business meetings such as how low you bow and the mandatory presentation of business cards. Or is that Japan ???

German - for all the same reasons everyone else has already stated

that said, my girls had the same choice & opted for German - they both hate it with a vengeance as a language, although do manage to pass (it's their 4th language though....)

dd1 & I have been trying to find Italian lessons locally - just for fun....

I am fluent in German, and it's been quite handy - if you are in Germany/Austria/Switz.

German is not a nice language to learn or speak. But in the short-term, it could be an advantage, since Germany will likely continue to offer the most employment opportunities in the EU.

But in a broader view, German is about the least-spoken language of the majors, and decreasing in importance. For the long-term, I'd recommend French (far more common than German), or as others have suggested, various dialects of Chinese, such as Mandarin.

I'm more convinced now that you should choose French - unless your child has expressed an interest in learning German.
Too many potential pitfalls at school age already, without making life even more stressful.

I have spent many years abroad and in a lot of different countries and in all the tourist areas the locals speak English and German, I learned French at school and have only ever used it once and that was in France.

I learnt French at school, had to use it when in Plymouth and a French frigate visited us - distinct lack of English on their part.

Text speak. Very widely followed but not fluent to most under 40.

French, I did this the other way round as was fluent in French at 18 and then learnt Spanish when my Mum bought a place in Spain when I was 17. It will be easier and is more widely spoken than German.

Its a long time till your 11 year old is 21 and looking for work. If the thought is that Germany is the current place with most economic activity that could change, excellent language skills should never go out of fashion.

Does it work the other way, I speak French, daily with my wife, and we need to start on Spanish. Will it be easier for us knowing French?

We do have the problem though of breaking rule 1 - 3 of any language. Practice Practice Practice. When we return home we wont really use it, and I fear I will therefore lose it as well. Its much harder to learn a language as you get older. So I am not sure if the course will be a good investment... but we will give it a go later in the year.

Going back on topic choose the language that your child prefers to learn... I agree with the poster that you will learn much more effectively if you are doing something you enjoy.....

Let us know what you decide


I would go for French as we both like visiting the country and half of Belgium speak it (where we live)... it is also spoken more in the world as well than German. But go for enjoyment of learning first IMHO
Jon

I would choose Chinese, not only for the language but also for the culture. The emphasis on self discipline, hard work, wisdom and respect for elders is a useful contrast to the western alternative of three years of partying with a gap year afterwards to get over the stress.

Makes sense, but the OP is limited to ONLY 2 choices....

Of those which one do you plump for?

Jon

Not an option

He's probably fluent already....bilingually, of course!!

Not an option

What he said!!

French then, it opens up more possibilities worldwide than German, unless your son is keen on engineering, science or manufacturing.

I ask myself whether the language choices offered are for the benefit of the pupils, or for the convenience of the teaching staff.

........or the relative expense of importing other language specialists..... it is, after all, a profit-making company (*ahem sorry private school*)

Yes, agree to do all that, but it doesn't involve the difficulties of having to learn the language per se.