“Now, Gary, repeat after me: Quiero una margarita, por favor,” my Spanish tutor instructs. I cringe at the butchered Spanglish my estuary accent produces. It sounds like Del Boy Trotter ordering a cocktail: “Key—yeah—row oon margari’a, pour far four.”
It’s 2023, I’m 41, living in Argentina and battling the frustration and powerlessness of learning a new language at this age. I long for my elastic 11-year-old brain instead of this husked-out mush. Once again, I find myself wishing I had been taught Spanish instead of French at school.
Not to disparage French—it’s a beautiful language, and I studied it through my first year of university. I even worked in Nice for three summers. But Spanish would have truly set me up for life, and that’s even more true for today’s students. Yet we are still teaching far more of our youngest students French than Spanish. It’s outdated.
Partly, it’s a simple numbers game. Spanish is the world’s second-most-spoken first language, with 484 million speakers. French ranks 22nd, with just 74 million native speakers. Spanish also far surpasses French in total speakers overall.
Logically, we should teach French to about half as many students of compulsory schooling age as we do Spanish, which would roughly match the global proportion of speakers for each language. We are nowhere near those numbers yet—meaning we are failing to adequately prepare our students for the realities of the modern world.
However, the numbers alone haven’t convinced all those responsible for Britain’s education system to change the curriculum at more than a glacial pace. As of 2025, French was offered in about 70% of England’s primary schools, compared to just 26% for Spanish, with a similar though less pronounced gap in Wales. French is the most offered language at Key Stage 3 in England and Wales, and in Scotland at levels S1 and S2, covering ages 11–14. It also dominates at GCSE level in England: last year, 90% of schools offered French for GCSE, while 76% offered Spanish. In Wales, the split is 79% to 54%. Scotland offers French and Spanish about equally to that age group.
The interesting trend lies in what students are choosing. In August last year, Spanish became the most popular language GCSE in England for the first time, with over 136,000 entries. French was just behind with just under 133,000 entries. In Scotland, Spanish overtook French for the same age group in 2024. This suggests pupils are ahead of education professionals in their thinking—a trend we should rapidly accelerate. Imagine how much higher that Spanish entry rate could have been if at least an equal number of schools offered Spanish as French.
Prominent language-learning experts agree that the younger you start, the better. Developmental psychology lecturer Dr. Eleonore Smalle recently told the UN that learning a new language becomes harder from around age 12. Before then, children learn language unconsciously: through passive exposure without awareness of what they’re learning, but it sticks.
We should inform young people of the pros and cons of learning each language and be frank with them about the utility of Spanish. It goes beyond the numbers. In terms of employability, cultural cachet, and future exciting post-Brexit travel opportunities as potential “digital nomads,” Spanish will serve Britain’s students better than French.
If someone had told me that by learning Spanish early I could remote-work my way across Latin America and learn to salsa with handsome men in nightclubs, I would have had an exciting incentive. Although I worked as a freelance journalist in Argentina and then Medellín, Colombia, for a few years, I constantly struggled with my embarrassing Spanglish.
While British students are notoriously reluctant about foreign language learning, the rising confidence of Latino culture might persuade them. In Medellín, the sounds of local artists Karol G and Maluma echo across its hilly comunas. On Sunday, Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-la…A language artist is set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Hispanic music overall is having a moment, as seen in the popularity of today’s boldest creative artist, Rosalía. Learning Spanish has never been cooler.
Does a bit of alcohol really make us better at languages? – podcast
By still mostly defaulting to French, schools cling to a past that values France’s proximity and former prestige. Of course, it isn’t an either/or choice. There are still solid reasons to speak French; it is (along with English) the language of the Olympics and the UN, and, most importantly, Céline Dion’s mother tongue.
But working-class families like mine holiday in Benidorm or Lanzarote, not in luxurious Cannes or Monaco, or on the expensive boulevards of Paris. We are more likely to become holiday reps in Magaluf than ski instructors in the Alps. Emerging digital nomad hubs are in affordable Spanish-speaking cities like Medellín or vibrant ones like Buenos Aires.
Modern foreign-language learning has declined in recent years; it’s crucial that our students are offered the chance to study, and the information they need to choose their language wisely if they are to become global citizens.
Two years after nervously ordering that margarita in Spanglish, I can now ask to peruse a wine list (malbec, malbec, or malbec?) in almost-correct Spanish. I still sound a bit rough around the edges, but I’m understood in 20 different countries. Qué rico.
Gary Nunn is a journalist and author.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Spanish vs French for Kids
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What makes Spanish so popular and cool
A Spanish is spoken by over 500 million people worldwide its the key to vibrant cultures music and travel in many countries and its often considered one of the easier languages for English speakers to start learning
Q If Spanish is so useful why do schools still offer French
A French is also a major global language spoken on five continents Schools offer it because it has deep historical diplomatic and cultural importance and learning any second language provides huge cognitive and academic benefits
Q Isnt French harder to learn than Spanish
A For English speakers Spanish pronunciation and spelling can be more straightforward at first French has some tricky sounds and spelling rules However the difficulty often depends on the individual learner
Q What are the practical benefits of learning French
A French is an official language of international institutions like the UN NATO and the Olympics It can be valuable for careers in diplomacy international law luxury goods aviation and culinary arts and its the gateway to cultures across Europe Canada Africa and the Caribbean
Advanced Practical Questions
Q Are we doing kids a disservice by steering them toward French instead of Spanish
A Not necessarily The primary goal is bilingualism The skills gained from learning any languagelike improved memory problemsolving and cultural awarenesstransfer to learning others later A strong foundation in French can make learning Spanish Italian or Portuguese easier in the future
Q From a career standpoint which language is more valuable
A It depends entirely on the career path Spanish has immense utility in the Americas healthcare and service industries in the US French is highly valuable in international relations certain NGO work and industries with strong ties to Europe and Francophone Africa Bilingualism in either is a significant asset
Q What about cultural access Doesnt Spanish offer more
A Both offer immense cultural riches Spanish unlocks a vast world of literature film music and history from Spain to Latin America French provides direct access to iconic philosophy art cinema fashion and culinary traditions as well as the diverse cultures of over 25 Francophone African nations
