Hi,
Just wondering about other english speakers experiences with the local languages while travelling through Europe?
How do they cope and how many people in countries like france, germany, and italy speak english?
Thanks

english is the main language of europe. it is spoken by non-native english speaking europeans as common ground (e.g. a frenchman visiting poland will usually speak english). it is easy to get around europe with just english.

that said, it's nice to speak a bit of the local languages in order to:

-connect better with locals
-smooth over situations where english might not be well understood
-teach yourself something new

but practically speaking, english IS the language of europe. not saying that everyone speaks it but it is generally accepted as the standard when dealing with or interacting with foreigners.

Turn it around a bit: it will be assumed that, if you are obviously unable to speak the language of the country you're in, you're more likely than not either to be a monoglot Anglophone they just have to cope with, or to have some understanding of English rather than another language.

That's not to say there's no need to try to speak something of the local language, still less that there's no need to try to meet the locals halfway, linguistically speaking.

Do NOT assume that you can just launch into English and there'll be no problems.

I found that if I start out in local language, that they usually take pity on me pretty quickly and try to use their English. You don't need much: hello, please, thank you, numbers 1 to 10, I don't understand. If you keep your eyes open, you can learn to "read" exit, entrance, restrooms.

Carry a phrasebook (and use it to learn "hello," "goodbye," "please," "thank you.&quot If you can't make yourself understood by reading the phrase aloud, simply point to it and the native can point to the answer. I have done this in Denmark, Romania...

Hi trip, I traveled to Italy last year,and hit big citys ,small towns, and also went to my parents towns where they were born, population less than 800,and I found it is very helpful to learn a few phrases,just the basic stuff. The further from the cities the harder it is to communicate,I always learn please thank you and excuse me,and of cause how much,I was told by my family who many still live in Italy they feel it is very lazy if traveling and you don't take a few minutes to learn a little. my personal experience was when you spoke Italian the people were much more friendly.Then if you have an Italian sur name you hit the lotto, on my visit we were given free deserts ,lace and small gifts when shopping.They seemed like they wanted to know all about us?I found the more you participate the more you get in return.I also took a book with phrases etc. the problem with books when they respond your lost again.I would let the people I am speaki

Hi trip, I traveled to Italy last year,and hit big citys ,small towns, and also went to my parents towns where they were born, population less than 800,and I found it is very helpful to learn a few phrases,just the basic stuff. The further from the cities the harder it is to communicate,I always learn please thank you and excuse me,and of cause how much,I was told by my family who many still live in Italy they feel it is very lazy if traveling and you don't take a few minutes to learn a little. my personal experience was when you spoke Italian the people were much more friendly.Then if you have an Italian sur name you hit the lotto, on my visit we were given free deserts ,lace and small gifts when shopping.They seemed like they wanted to know all about us?I found the more you participate the more you get in return.I also took a book with phrases etc. the problem with books when they respond your lost again.Good luck.

I took an Italian for the traveler class at our local college and it really helped me. It was just polite to be able to say some basic things and most Italians were eager to try to speak English with us when they heard we were Americanos. Have a good trip!

Hi t,

In large cities in Europe, nearly all of the people with whom you will come in contact speak some English or will find someone who does.

In addition, a pad and pencil is very useful.

I was able to have a tire replaced in a small town in France without using a word of English and only a smattering of French.

I agree with the other comments that it is helpful to have a few phrases, although I speak some other languages, when I go somewhere where I do not I always learn the phrase for "do you speak English" as well as the please, thank you, excuse me, etc in the local language. It helps break the ice and looks as if you are making some effort.
That said, you will find little difficulty in the main cities, but more challenges elsewhere. Small dictionaries can be useful particularly if you have food dislikes and in some places menus do not have translations.

Like mentionned before, you will generally find someone speaking a least a bit of english in cities, but don't expect this to happen very often in the countryside (people may have learnt some english at school but have no use of it in real life and after several years ...).
Also don't neglect the borders' areas factors, for instance while 70% of the kids have english as a second language in Paris, they are only 20% in Alsace (where 80% of the people speak decent german beside french). Same with most bordering regions; the 2nd language is the neighbours' one. How many peole speak more than 2 languages where you live ?

Somewhat unrelated, but there was a great little product that they showcased in the 2006 CompuWorld that listened to one speak in english and then translated it (verbally) with surprisingly high accuracy in five/six languages. Cost something like $1000. Obviously I am not recommending it or anything but can you imagine if one plans to be abroad for extended periods of time or frequently enough, and can take a nifty little device that does the talking or helps you learn it all? Forgot the manufacturer but I thought it was very cool.

"it is easy to get around Europe with just English".

I'm not sure I agree with that. I think it may depend on where you go and what you do. And the age of the people with whom you are trying to communicate.

In all of Europe folk under 25 are likely to speak some English, because as walkin says, it is becoming the lingua franca of the EU. In Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark many more middle aged people speak English than in the Southern European countries.

As an example - you can go into a supermarket in Spain and struggle to understand, and if it's a young checkout person (schoolkid or uni student) they will immediately switch to English. You'll have to keep trying if it's a middle aged matron. And in most places where tourists are expected to pitch up, anywhere on the continent, someone will speak English.

But go into a small shop or eatery just a little way off the tourist track in Madrid, or Rome or Venice or Paris, or almost anywhere in a small country place, and this will not be true.

As for making travel arrangements - even at the main bus and train stations, don't count on all the counter staff speaking English. The young ones will, the older ones might not.

I've traveled pretty extensively in Europe and don't speak anything more than a very few phrases in any language, and am unable to understand even basics when spoken to me. That said, I've never had a major problem with the language barrier. France and Italy have been no problem, even in smaller towns. Germany has provided a few more problems. We stayed in a nice smallish hotel in a smaller town where no one spoke a WORD of English. Yet on arrival they managed to show us a couple rooms to choose from (we had prepaid) and in the morning at breakfast there was money on our table. It seems we must have picked a room that was cheaper than what we had paid for (we liked the one with a shower rather than the huge bathtub). But then I've really good at Charades, too!

By the way, want to go where there seems to be no barrier at all with English? It's Scandanavia, where even all the American and British TV shows are played in English with their own language subtitles. I can't remember running into anyone during six weeks in the Scandinavian countries who didn't have a good working grasp of English.

Anymore most school kids learn English in school. Also, in this day of CNN, people say they learned english by watching it.

I know greetings and pleasantries in several languages. But beyond that I just try to be organized so I am not in the situation of having to ask for information from strangers. I do not expect people to speak English, except perhaps at the hotel front desk or a tourist bureau.

<<<Also, in this day of CNN, people say they learned english by watching it.<<
How many people do you think get (and even more watch) CNN in continental Europe ? (the english speaking TV/radio - when used - is more often BBC)

Anyone who believes that everyone in Europe speaks English, or even lots of languages, should go to the website for the EU (www.europa.eu) and find the Eurobarometer study on learning languages.

Half of all Europeans speak only their "mother tongue"!

Only 34% of European speak English as a 2nd language.

While 51% of Germans can speak English, only 34% of French and 29% of Italians can.

After English, German is the most common 2nd language. On the western European continent, more people speak German as a first OR second language than speak English (as a 2nd language; few speak it as a 1st language). But German language use is less evenly distributed.

The most likely to speak English are professionals engaged in international business, who you are unlikely to meet, or those people working in tourism in areas frequented by international tourists.

I recently spent a week in an area in the Black Forest that is popular with German tourist but little known to Americans. Only one person spoke English to me in the entire week. Then I went to the middle Rhine, an area popular with Americans, and it seemed like everyone spoke English (actually, the 30ish couple from whom I rented a room in Boppard never spoke English to me).

Despite the fact that not everyone in Europe speaks English, it is still the "common" language in Europe. English is spoken as a 2nd language by about as many people as speak all other languages put together as 2nd languages. About 3/4 of all bi- and multi-lingual European speak English.

Recently, on the middle Rhine, I watched in amusement as a K-D boat master arranged a charter with the director of a Chinese tour group - in English. When he finished I looked at him and said, "English". He replied that that was the only language they both knew.

When I was at a cafe in Paris a couple of months ago, two gentlemen sitting at the next table were conversing in french and english. I don't think either of them were American..I didn't ask for a passport, but I just don't think either of them were. They were going back and forth between english and french. I was thinking that perhaps one of them spoke better english than french and when the french got difficult they would swith to english, which perhaps both of them could speak better. I just found it to be interesting.

My friend and I had to go to an electronics store..she blew her phone charger out...long story..but anyway, the proprietor was a very sweet man who was apologizing for his lack of english and my french is NOT good enough to try to explain anything very complicated, so I was very grateful when a young man who had entered the store behind us, stepped up and helped us. He was french, young, and spoke pretty good english. The one work we DID understand and it wasnt' french, was KAPUT!!!!! in reference to her phone charger. LOL