ElTerprise: I know spanish and french are both romance languages and they told us in school that is easier to learn spanish when you know french. That's all i know. Interesting that they false information about it in school. Not that i'm overly surprised but nonetheless...
Phrase and verb structure is similar, and noun gender is something both languages have in common (although spanish verb tenses are a nightmare of irregular verbs but I diggress) so in that regard, it's definitely easier because you're already familiar with such concepts.
What I'm saying is that, if you go into french thinking, "I already know a romance language, this'll be a cinch", your anus will end up looking, as we say down here, like a duck's trough.
Do german nouns have gender? I can't remember. I can't even remember how to ask for a plate of fries with mayo from the street vendor, which was all the german I knew.