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-   -   spain or germany (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/spain-or-germany-463893/)

quebec Jul 31st, 2004 07:20 PM

spain or germany
 
I am thinking of studying Spanish or German in Europe for a comple of months: Freibug, Germany with the Goethe Institute or Salamanca, Spain through their Uni. What do folks think?

hsv Jul 31st, 2004 11:12 PM

Great idea!

There is a saying that the number of languages you speak indicates how many times you are human or something to that extent. :-)

Regards
hsv

DAX Jul 31st, 2004 11:15 PM

I studied German for several years but I wished I had picked Spanish simply because most german speakers can speak very good English so there's almost no need. I was surprised to find how little English the Spaniards speak.
People who have studied both languages in depth tend to say that Spanish is a lot easier (probably a cinch if you are from Quebec).

travelerone Aug 1st, 2004 09:18 AM

Both Freiburg, Germany & Salamanca Spain are excellent locations for studying the respective languages. I have been in both cities.
From my personal experiences (I have studied German & Spanish), I have found many Germans conversant in English, whereas native Spanish speakers do not speak/understand much english.
Thus I would recommend studying Spanish as a more useful language for native english speakers.

quebec Aug 3rd, 2004 04:41 AM

Thanks for the replys. Does anyone know if Salamaca is an expensive city to live in? I would be living with a family but was curious about average day to day costs, especially with the bad exchange rate with the U.S. Thanks

artlover Aug 3rd, 2004 03:43 PM

You can be sure it will be a lot less than Germany. I've lived in Germany and have been to Spain and would pick Spain in a heartbeat!


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