As an English speaker with about nine years of studies in German, and more in French and Spanish, I would say that the advantages of the Germanic roots of English are really only helpful in about the first year of study. As the level of complexity increases, the similarities between English and German are reduced. On the other hand with the Latin based languages, the opposite occurs: once the basic vocabulary is mastered, the majority of new words seem to have the same roots. These differences are levelled off again, I suppose, once a really advanced level is reached when new expressions are idioms, slang or technical vocabulary.