My brain is always pretty bored and jumps from language to language, so I learn a bit of Language A, then Language B, then switch back and forth. French has shorter chapters on the app I learn it with, Busuu, and I already know a good amount of Spanish (which I study in school) and Portuguese. However, while Italian might cause me to mix up Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, it’s easier to pronounce. It also, however, has longer lessons on Busuu.
French is spoken in many countries, though, and I’m also LGBTQ if that makes any difference, since some people study languages from countries that don’t support/respect the group they’re part of.
For speaking the language, that’s a consideration. But if you’re listening or reading, I’ve found they tend to strengthen one another.
I suggest the following:
My experience starting with Spanish, and then trying French was that it still warded off most of the difficulty others in my class had.
There were loose patterns for grammatical gender for others to follow, but it mirrored Spanish well enough that it was ignorable. The next big thing that tripped classmates up was the subjunctive. French didn’t seem to use it as often, but the concepts largely translated.
There were a few false friends, but it seemed rare. Hearing spelling may be harder in French, there are a lot of homophones or near homophones.
All that to say, French should still largely be a quick win (in as much a language ever can be).
I still have a big problem understanding spoken French, especially if it’s by one native speaker to another. And I’ve discovered that my French accent is literally laughable. In contrast, I find Italian much easier to understand and speak.
Subjunctive is used very frequently in French actually, especially in day-to-day conversation.
“Il faut qu’on y aille” “Ça se trouve qu’on puisse…” Etc.
It’s a little challenging, but once you wrap your head around it, it becomes natural.