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Do you speak english???

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Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 06:20 AM
  #1  
kate
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Do you speak english???

How hard is it to comunicate in europe? I'm going for the first time in marcch and april and want to know how hard is it?
 
Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 06:33 AM
  #2  
Vita
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It depends on where you are going. You will generally have more luck with English in the cities and highly touristed areas. It's always nice to make an effort to learn some key words though, and it may help you out. Get a good phrase book, and learn how to say things like hello, good mourning, good evening, please, and thank you if nothing else.
 
Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 07:20 AM
  #3  
x
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Did you really mean to write "GOOD MOURNING"? Seems so inappropriate to say that to mourners.
 
Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 01:47 PM
  #4  
Philip
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I've had very few problems with communicating. If the people I was speaking with weren't familiar with English, there was always someone around who knew it. Younger people are especially good with English because it is being taught in school and they are picking it up from imported American movies and tv. As one of the previous posters said, learn a few basic phrases and carry a phrase dictionary and you will be fine.<BR><BR>(One time I cut my finger in a little town in The Netherlands. I went into a drugstore where nobody spoke English. So I just held up my finger, mimed spraying it and then wrapping a bandage on it and the clerk understood perfectly that I needed salve and a bandage.)
 
Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 02:20 PM
  #5  
Kay
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Ditto, never had much of a problem, but went to a drug store for medicine in Rome and pharmacist spoke no English. I took what he gave me back and asked the hotel staff if I had the right thing and they assured me I did. No problem.
 
Old Jan 20th, 2002 | 08:41 PM
  #6  
Chuck
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I've never been to eastern Europe, but for most of the western Europe countries a high percentage of people speak English. I spent a good bit of time in Holland and never had trouble there. Even in France it wasn't so bad.<BR><BR>One thing to remember, though is that most europeans are accustomed to British, rather than English, so a term like "band-aid" may not be understood. I believe the European term for that is "plaster". Learn a LOT of synonyms.
 

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