Italian versus Spanish? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**zylah** · 09-09-2004, 01:31 AM

Ok, so course guides are out and i can either learn spanish or Italian, They're 8 week courses, so its only the basics, but as i plan to go to both places i don't know which to choose.
Any suggestions?

**kingcrazylegs** · 09-09-2004, 06:54 AM

Though I much prefer Italian as a language (its my favorite actually

)...If I was you I'd go with Spanish ~ it's much more useful as more people speak it than Italian.

**U2fan** · 09-09-2004, 07:35 AM

I second the Spanish vote.

**omisan** · 09-09-2004, 09:41 AM

Spanish.. and you can use it as a basis to learn Italian later!

Qwardian · 07-30-2005, 08:15 PM

According to Mr X they are the same language anyways!

Frank from Boston · 07-31-2005, 12:56 PM

How many languages is it realistically possible to learn? Anyone on here know like 4 or 5 fluently?

And to answer your question, learning one will definately help you with the other so I think you should just learn both.

Frank from Boston · 07-31-2005, 12:58 PM

Oh, by the way are you doing an excursion program or just taking classes?

Magnifico · 07-31-2005, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frank from Boston@Jul 31 2005, 07:55 PM
How many languages is it realistically possible to learn?* Anyone on here know like 4 or 5 fluently?

And to answer your question, learning one will definately help you with the other so I think you should just learn both.

I have a friend at Stanford who met twins who know something like 12 languages between the two of them (some that they share, like Latin and French, and some less common ones like Finnish and Euskara {Basque}). As for Italian vs. Spanish, there are more places where you can go and use Spanish than Italian, so I'd start with that and work your way into Italian later.

**expatben** · 12-20-2005, 04:52 AM

Spanish its nicer in my opinion and you'd be amazed how many countries speak Spanish as a second langauge. In fact in the Italian island of Sardinia the street signs are in Italian and Spanish.

**TheJake** · 12-20-2005, 05:48 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_langu...native_speakers

i want to start checkin off the top ten!

**bluepea** · 12-20-2005, 06:50 AM

I'm with the Spanish vote. Would be great for an excursion to most South American countries also. You could also do Italian next as others have said.

**florencia9699** · 12-20-2005, 07:25 AM

Well my first language is Spanish, and my 3rd is Italian (my second obviously being English) so, Spanish is great cause its one language spoken in different continents, on the othe hand, though I love Italian, it is only spoken in Italy... so I say go for Spanish and it will be easier to study Italian later!

**Joker** · 12-20-2005, 08:21 AM

Espanol esta muy facil. :D Seriously, take a Spanish course. The majority of Latin America speaks it (though not the Catalun dialect officially taught in schools. Each country has its variations in dialect.)

I personally speak a decent amount of Kitchen Spanish

so it may not always be gramatically correct but tis close enough for govn't work.

I will say this: I started a college-level Italian class in September and I found it to be VERY confusing with Spanish...