The English language is more similar to French or German?

[sioned]

What exactly is German about English?...Germanic should be used instead, /...

[Ruggery]

What exactly is German about English?...Germanic should be used instead, /...

I was referring to proximity, it also includes linguistic loans, for example I know that the English language is a simple Germanic language, unlike German, which has more rules and simple words have more letters.

[Ruggery]

Very large numbers of French loanwords entered English, but its grammar and syntax remain Germanic, though there is some dispute as to whether it should be classified as North Germanic or West Germanic, or perhaps somewhere between the two, as one might expect, given its geographical position. More specifically, it is a branch of North Sea Germanic, which also includes Frisian. As for vocabulary, native Anglo-Saxon words are used for all the most basic concepts and elements of syntax, and it's easy to construct a sentence using just Germanic words. Furthermore, spoken English uses them far more often than written English.

How close is German to an English speaker, is it easier for an English speaker to understand German than French?

[Wulfhere]

How close is German to an English speaker, is it easier for an English speaker to understand German than French?

If they have no familiarity with them, an English speaker would find it impossible to understand either German or French, when spoken, with the exception of a small number of phrases and words. German, especially, has some very simple cognate phrases that sometimes jump out at English speakers when listening to it (e.g. What is that? Was ist das?), though in general, English speakers find German to be a very unpleasant language to listen to.

[Africanwidow]

German.. Although, the French influence is notable it shares more with German in basic vocabulary and syntax. Familiarity is a tough one but I think in the end German will sound more recognisable based off the rythm. To deconstruct it to something like Anglish it's more useful to compare it to Frisian or Dutch since those are the only languages with Ingvaeonic elements.

[Ruggery]

If they have no familiarity with them, an English speaker would find it impossible to understand either German or French, when spoken, with the exception of a small number of phrases and words. German, especially, has some very simple cognate phrases that sometimes jump out at English speakers when listening to it (e.g. What is that? Was ist das?), though in general, English speakers find German to be a very unpleasant language to listen to.

And which European languages ​​are easier for English speakers to learn?

[Wulfhere]

And which European languages ​​are easier for English speakers to learn?

I don't know which ones are easier, but when schools in the UK teach a second language, they teach French first.

[Arianit]

Moved to Berlin at 18 years old and as a native English speaker - the majority of English words shared etymological origin to German and was almost instantly intelligible with this concept in mind.

Closer to German for sure.

[zebruh]

German

[Ruggery]

I don't know which ones are easier, but when schools in the UK teach a second language, they teach French first.

No German?