how many languages do you speak?
Mar 25th, 2004, 04:58 AM
#81
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What a fun question!
Native language--American English (and can do fairly well with British English!
)
Can get by in German, but have forgotten as much as I knew (I can relate, Cindy--I'm angry with myself for not keeping that up)
Can understand a FEW Swiss German words but speaking it, forget it!
Native language--American English (and can do fairly well with British English!
)Can get by in German, but have forgotten as much as I knew (I can relate, Cindy--I'm angry with myself for not keeping that up)
Can understand a FEW Swiss German words but speaking it, forget it!
Mar 25th, 2004, 02:57 PM
#83
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Spanish- pretty well (conversant, but nobody would ever confuse me with a native speaker) I majored in Spanish in college, and was an exchange student in highschool, but that was a loooong time ago.
French and Italian- fair. I can read and understand a lot better than I can speak.
Czech- basic traveler's phrases
I love Pimsleur language courses!
My next projects-- Japanese and German.
Studying languages in preparation for a trip is one of the things I love about traveling.
French and Italian- fair. I can read and understand a lot better than I can speak.
Czech- basic traveler's phrases
I love Pimsleur language courses!
My next projects-- Japanese and German.
Studying languages in preparation for a trip is one of the things I love about traveling.
Mar 25th, 2004, 07:41 PM
#86
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I took German in High School and that was so long ago all the German I know anymore I've learned on Volkswagon commercials. I use the Spanish I learned in college from time to time and after two weeks in Spain, it comes back.
Mar 25th, 2004, 07:47 PM
#87
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I'm good at English. Apart from that, français, italiano, and Deutsch. I studied Russian for three years (beautiful, rich language), Arabic for three also (let's admit up front that was pretty much a waste of time - I can talk like a 2-year-old, if that), and Danish for a year. Oh, and before traveling to Turkey I studied that (impossible!) language for about 6 months and maybe was able to ask for a glass of water and a hotel room.
Mar 25th, 2004, 09:00 PM
#89
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I studied french through middle school and then high school and I am now taking a french class for college and realize I have forgotten everything.
This post is back from the dead.
It's funy how easy language is to forget when you don't use it.
This post is back from the dead.
It's funy how easy language is to forget when you don't use it.
Mar 25th, 2004, 09:59 PM
#90
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English is my first language and hope one day to master it.
I am able to survive in French speaking countries due to 5 years of middle and high school French. I was in love with my teacher so I actually studied. When I went to Martinique and Paris as a teenager I was quite competent. Unfortunately, due to lack of opportunity my skills are only rudimentary.
My Japanese is improving daily as I have amble opportunity to practice with having a wife who is Japanese and taking classes on a continual basis.
I know enough Spanish and Korean to get slapped.
I am able to survive in French speaking countries due to 5 years of middle and high school French. I was in love with my teacher so I actually studied. When I went to Martinique and Paris as a teenager I was quite competent. Unfortunately, due to lack of opportunity my skills are only rudimentary.
My Japanese is improving daily as I have amble opportunity to practice with having a wife who is Japanese and taking classes on a continual basis.
I know enough Spanish and Korean to get slapped.
May 4th, 2004, 03:51 AM
#91
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Interesting thread!
I speak four languages fluently, English, German, Italian and Finnish (mother tongue). Plus I speak decent French and Swedish and I get by with Spanish.
Of all the languages I've learned I found French the most difficult and I'm sad to see that I've forgotten most of it though studied it for seven years...
Everywhere where I travel I always try to use the local language and especially in Italy this is a real asset.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen aus Deutschland
I speak four languages fluently, English, German, Italian and Finnish (mother tongue). Plus I speak decent French and Swedish and I get by with Spanish.
Of all the languages I've learned I found French the most difficult and I'm sad to see that I've forgotten most of it though studied it for seven years...
Everywhere where I travel I always try to use the local language and especially in Italy this is a real asset.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen aus Deutschland
May 4th, 2004, 05:39 PM
#92
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Five and something...
Mother-tongue italian
Very good romanian (been taught it since I was 3, my father is romanian)
Fluent English
Good French and Spanish
basic German (studied it for 3 years at the language high school in Italy, I could keep up a simple conversation, but I almost forgot all of it unfortunately...)
I am fascinated by portuguese... wish I had the time to study it...
Mother-tongue italian
Very good romanian (been taught it since I was 3, my father is romanian)
Fluent English
Good French and Spanish
basic German (studied it for 3 years at the language high school in Italy, I could keep up a simple conversation, but I almost forgot all of it unfortunately...)
I am fascinated by portuguese... wish I had the time to study it...
May 4th, 2004, 07:05 PM
#96
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<<I have been speaking English since I'm 12 years...>>
lyb: If you don't mind a gentle correction (my daughter's studying for AP French Exam tonight and we're going over this), in English we say:
I've been speaking French since I was 12 years old.
In French, you say:
Je parle français depuis que j'ai douze ans.
The tenses are completely different in the two languages. In French, you stay in the present tense; in English, you switch to the past conditional followed by the simple past.
It's one of the big differences in the languages, the other being the French use of the future after certain prepositions.
lyb: If you don't mind a gentle correction (my daughter's studying for AP French Exam tonight and we're going over this), in English we say:
I've been speaking French since I was 12 years old.
In French, you say:
Je parle français depuis que j'ai douze ans.
The tenses are completely different in the two languages. In French, you stay in the present tense; in English, you switch to the past conditional followed by the simple past.
It's one of the big differences in the languages, the other being the French use of the future after certain prepositions.
May 4th, 2004, 07:25 PM
#97
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Interesting post,is nice to see that there are so many multilingual people around.
I speak 31/2 languages, however I noticed that if i dont use them often, I can be pretty rusty when I start speaking it..but after a couples of days, my mind is completely in the language that I am using.
I admire people that can go from one language to another, without even thinking..
I speak 31/2 languages, however I noticed that if i dont use them often, I can be pretty rusty when I start speaking it..but after a couples of days, my mind is completely in the language that I am using.
I admire people that can go from one language to another, without even thinking..
May 4th, 2004, 08:37 PM
#98
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StCirq,
Funny....I forgot to put the "old", I know it's supposed to be there. And as far as the exact "tense", honey, when I'm typing away here on this board, I type quickly, sometimes it may not be 100% exact...What can I say, even an English major, such as I was, can make a grammatical mistake when I'm typing away quickly and not doing any proofreading. But if I was able to help your daughter with her class, I'm happy to do so.
Funny....I forgot to put the "old", I know it's supposed to be there. And as far as the exact "tense", honey, when I'm typing away here on this board, I type quickly, sometimes it may not be 100% exact...What can I say, even an English major, such as I was, can make a grammatical mistake when I'm typing away quickly and not doing any proofreading. But if I was able to help your daughter with her class, I'm happy to do so.
May 6th, 2004, 09:08 AM
#100
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I was interested to learn how many of us speak--at least a smattering--of various languages.
I do speak German fairly well, the result of spending 5 years working for Dept. of Defense in Germany and of many summer sessions at Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik in Portland and at a couple of Goethe Institutes. My Spanish isn't as good, but I've been studying it on a haphazard basis (whenever I could find a class) for about 5 years.
At various times languages have come in handy at unexpected times. I've used German in southern Italy and Spanish in Milan. But my favorite experience happened in Florence in about 1965. My young and very pretty sister and I were being followed by a couple of mashers (Does anyone use that word nowadays?) and we didn't want them to know where our hotel was. We couldn't lose them, so we finally gave up and went to park the car in a parking lot by a church. The attendant was trying to tell us something in Italian. These two characters came up and tried to help us. They spoke some French, but we didn't. We spoke some Spanish, but they didn't. Finally, one of them told me in Latin (I'd taken 2 years in high school and one class in college, plus all those years of going to Mass in Latin) that we had to move the car by 7:00, when the parking lot turned into a market. I loved that, especially since I considered Latin a church language and these guys were just a couple of pesky wolves.
I do speak German fairly well, the result of spending 5 years working for Dept. of Defense in Germany and of many summer sessions at Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik in Portland and at a couple of Goethe Institutes. My Spanish isn't as good, but I've been studying it on a haphazard basis (whenever I could find a class) for about 5 years.
At various times languages have come in handy at unexpected times. I've used German in southern Italy and Spanish in Milan. But my favorite experience happened in Florence in about 1965. My young and very pretty sister and I were being followed by a couple of mashers (Does anyone use that word nowadays?) and we didn't want them to know where our hotel was. We couldn't lose them, so we finally gave up and went to park the car in a parking lot by a church. The attendant was trying to tell us something in Italian. These two characters came up and tried to help us. They spoke some French, but we didn't. We spoke some Spanish, but they didn't. Finally, one of them told me in Latin (I'd taken 2 years in high school and one class in college, plus all those years of going to Mass in Latin) that we had to move the car by 7:00, when the parking lot turned into a market. I loved that, especially since I considered Latin a church language and these guys were just a couple of pesky wolves.
