travelgourmet

Denmark is a good choice - everyone speaks English and pretty much every major company is an English-language workplace. Switzerland or the Netherlands might work too.

<i>Seriously how can you get along in another country in only english?</I>

It really isn't that hard.

Whathello

'Seriously how can you get along in another country in only english?

It really isn't that hard.'

Sigh. Like in 19th century I guess - the english on one side, the local on the other, don't mix, don't even try.

pfff.

annhig

Hello I'm British & I live in the UK however I'd like to move to another European country where they speak English. Which European countries besides the UK can I live in if I only speak English??>>

I'm struggling to understand how someone who has to ask this question is going to get on anywhere, english speaking or not.

<<We're having a Brexit poll because of the pressure the Tory party were suffering from UKIP. And UKIP threatened Tory seats because of widespread fears about uncontrollable, tax-subsidised, EU immigration>>.

@ Flanner - exactly. DC wanted to buy off his dissident anti-europeans and now it's come back to bite him in the Boris. Even my mum [a dyed in the wool daily Mail reader] can see through their arguments, and she's busy trying to persuade her friends to vote to keep us in. I agree that thinking of moving anywhere in Europe with this being up in the air is madness.

travelgourmet

<i>Sigh. Like in 19th century I guess - the english on one side, the local on the other, don't mix, don't even try.

pfff.</i>

Or, like in the 21st century I guess - people from different nationalities and cultures meeting around a common language. My company has an office in Switzerland that has something like 300 people and, IIRC, 50 different nationalities. Amazingly, it seems to work and none of the Swiss employees seem terribly hung up over working with non-Swiss people. Indeed, I have had several tell me how much they value working in a diverse workplace.

It comes down to how much one values diversity and inclusion. There are certainly some cultures that are more close-minded and less inclusive, but that doesn't mean every place is or should be like that. Certainly, in the business world, being less diverse is correlated to lesser performance.

PatrickLondon

The one qualifier I would add to flanner's estimation of the potential situation is that I doubt if the barriers would go up in Ireland overnight. There's a rather more extended set of historical reasons why since 1922 we've had a common travel area and the various other special arrangements between the UK and the Republic.

>>and now it's come back to bite him in the Boris.<<

How true that is, on so many levels......

hetismij2

Nothing wrong with English being the universal in the work place, but you should learn the local language if you are intending to stay in a country for more than 6 months to a year.
It really pees me off to listen to Brits living in Spain for decades who can't even manage a single word of Spanish, but happily sit around and criticise all the immigrants to the U who never learn English.
There will always be third world immigrant women who never learn the language of their new country, simply because they don't get the opportunity to, usually due to their menfolk, and illiteracy, but there is no excuse for an educated person not to learn the language of the country in which they reside.

Whathello

Hi Travel,

Working in an intenrational company and living in a country are 2 different things.

All my colleagues I know (UK, Polish, German, Italian, Brazilian, etc) all speak at least some french, and all the locals (french) speak at least english (and most of them a third language - since I'm Belgian I added a 4th - we all speak english at work, but it is interesting to speak some local language, unless you spend all your time at work or with your expat friends.

I would avoid speaking at home to a guy who doesn't want to learn french, and I'm not alone. But if you want to live in your world in a foreign country - ok for me.

almcd

Scotland is a possibility, but there are sections there, like Glasgow, where English is often unrecognisable.

crefloors

I wonder if this OP is for real.

You could try Denmark. Lots of English spoken there.

My niece was in school there some years ago and was required to take Danish. She was very frustrated because ever Danish student she met spoke perfect English and had not patience for her attempts to try to use her Danish. They couldn't be bothered and immediately would switch to English, so if you are for real, Denmark might suit you.

travelgourmet

<i>Working in an intenrational company and living in a country are 2 different things.</i>

I lived in Denmark (with a brief detour to Switzerland) for nearly 6 years. It isn't just about woking in an international company.

<i>They couldn't be bothered and immediately would switch to English, so if you are for real, Denmark might suit you.</i>

I had an employee in Denmark that flat-out said something along the lines of, "I don't understand why we still speak Danish. Nobody else speaks it and we should just switch to English."

Neutralview

I was expecting replies from people telling me "you need to learn their language" or " you need to adopt to their culture" or whatever but I just wanna live in a country where they speak English since English is my mother tongue/native language. I feel much more comfortable at expressing myself in English then in a foreign language.

I could'nt see myself living in a country speaking a foreign language 24/7. I'm not interested in speaking/learning a foreign language. I just wanna live in a country where I feel like I belong & where they speak my language.

I live in Britain but I dislike the British & I know they dislike me. I also hate the British lifestyle & lots of things about "Britain" I dont like. I could elaborate but therse so may small things its too long to list. Even thought I'm English/"British" I dont feel "British" at all I was born in the wrong country.

Anyway the only countries in Europe where they speak English fluently are: Denmark,Norway,Sweden,Holland & Iceland if I'm not mistaken?? But I dont think you can live in either of those countries even if they speak English cause you need to lean their language.

LIke another poster said if you think about it all the paperwork,electricy/water bills,directions,road signs,food labels,websites will all be in their language & NOT in English. SO for those who are saying you can live in those countries if you only speak Enlgish are wrong arent they??

travelgourmet

<i>LIke another poster said if you think about it all the paperwork,electricy/water bills,directions,road signs,food labels,websites will all be in their language & NOT in English. SO for those who are saying you can live in those countries if you only speak Enlgish are wrong arent they??</i>

1) For documents, you can always use Google Translate or have a friend translate for you.

2) In Scandinavian countries, many websites have an English language version. My bank in Denmark, for example, had a complete English language online banking site, where I could do anything someone could do on the Danish site.

3) Road signs are typically designed to be discernable without knowing the language.

Neutralview

According to this article https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nat...-speak-english it shows the Netherlands are the most fluent in English as 90% of them speak English
However the reality is different I've been to Holland & most stuff were in Dutch & most people spoke Dutch ( the news forecast on tv, the cashier at Mcdonalds, the women at the petrol station,etc...)

Also the reason I wouldnt wanna live in a country where English isnt the official language is the obivous language barrier. For example what happens when you go to the doctor or have to call an ambulance & explain yourself, you'd have to do it in a foreign language not in English they could misdiagnose you.

I'm not close minded or lazy to learn a new language, I was forced to move abroad by my parents at the age of 10 & lived in France until I was 24 years old!! And I never fitted in, "I didnt feel myself" speaking French & felt uncomfortable I always felt like I a foreigner & didnt belong there.

You can learn the language however what happens if you have an argument with someone the fact is you'll always lose an argument cause you wont know how to swear/curse in their language ( i'm not saying you should go to a country trying to start an argument but it happens). You'll need to express yourself in a foreign language not in your native language

The truth is if English is your mothertongue the words that first come to your mind when you think or speak will be English words not foreign words so you'll need to translate all the words in your mind before speaking. The language barrier is a BIG problem.

If English was the official language in Europe there wouldnt be any language barrier would there?? I read an article where a German MP suggested English ot be the official language in ALL European countries & I agree its a good idea. Look at the USA theres people of all different nationalities & they all speak English

@Whathello Are you French or Belgian?? The main reason why I'm looking to live in a country where they speak English is casue I've experienced the language barrier living in France for over 10 years. Having to speak French 24/7 it doesnt feel natural for an Englishman. Also even if you take classes to learn the language they dont teach you "swear words" incase you get into an argument/fight with a local. And qnother big problem is talking to French girls.
Say you wanna say "one night stand", "friends with benefits", "revenge sex", "meaningless sex", "casual sex" or "f*** buddies" how do you say these terms in French?? I've tryed to translate it on google translate however it doesnt meake any sense in French lmao so theres no way to say it?? I'd very interested in your reply & whether you can translate it??

hetismij2

I am British, I live in the Netherlands and have done for over 30 years.
It depends very much on what work you do, and where you live in the country whether you need to learn Dutch. Not all documents are translated into English, not every company has English as a working language, not every doctor/dentist/medical professional/civil servant you meet will have excellent English.
You have to register with the local council, you have to exchange your driving licence after a certain period of time, so you will have to deal with local government people, who may or may not speak English.

You hate the British yet you don't want to learn another language. The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries are far more like Britain than you perhaps would care to know.

Without learning the local language you will be restricted in your friendships - often only to other Britons as the locals tire of having to communicate with you in a foreign language.
Have you bee to any of these countries and seen what they are like?

Perhaps you need to consider emigrating to somewhere outside Europe to a country which speaks English but has a non-European culture.

IMDonehere

Carry a google translator. Of course, it makes absurd and hilarious mistakes, but then doesn't everyone?

hetismij2

Are you surprised that the DUtch news in in Dutch? That people in shops speak Dutch? It is exactly the same in any country - people speak their own language. You need to loo to move to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, some African countries, Caribbean countries, maybe Cyprus or Malta if you want to stick with Europe. Or Costa geriatrica in Spain, full of English only ex-pats.

Seriously you need to consider where you can get employment, and work at learning another language if you want to settle in any of the countries you have listed. When you start to speak the language of the country you make friends with locals, and you will learn some of the less than delightful phrases you are looking to know. I can swear just as well in Dutch as I can in English.

bilboburgler

To be fair the OP does not hate the British

"I live in Britain but I dislike the British & I know they dislike me" and "even though I'm English/"British"

dislike is far nicer than hate.

BTW England is a little odd as it doesn't have an official language. Makes you think.

Neutral

It might be useful to start listing the things you do like about life so we can see if there are countries that would more naturally fit your style. I always feel it is better to move towards something rather than away from something.

NewbE

Neutralview, heaven help me but I find myself agreeing with some of your points.

First off, I don't think you have to defend your personal preference to anyone. You don't feel comfortable in any language other than English? Then that's how it is.

I agree with you, in part, because my parents were immigrants to the US. My dad was never comfortable in English, despite speaking it and reading it very well and living in the US for over 40 years. He was obviously decent at languages--try living in a language other than your own!--but perhaps one needs to be brilliant at them to speak idiomatically, make jokes, curse, and feel at home.

I grew up speaking two languages interchangeably, but my ability to live comfortably with Russian atrophied as I was surrounded by English at school. I can still speak it, but cursing, joking, and so on, well, I can hang, as they say, but not with ease.

Neutralview, perhaps you should look into emigrating to the US or Canada.

However, keep in mind that English is not actually the official language of the US--we don't have one, technically.

HelenaFatima

You are very wellcome in Portugal!

We have a large amount of British people living here, mostly in Algarve, and people from other countries that usualy speak English besides their mother language, living mostly in Alentejo. Portuguese don't speak (write) very good English, but if you can understand this I'm writting, then you are ok here (as I don't have any degree in English and never lived abroad). However here in Portugal we learn English at school (for at least 5 years). Nowadays kids are starting with english lessons in kindergarden. We are, I think (not sure) the only country in Europe where tv programs (talk-shows, movies, series, etc) are in the original language (with subtitles in Portuguese) except Disney and that kind of channels for kids. Besides, Portugal is known for Port Wine, and owners are mostly English (name of main cellars: Sandeman, Kopke, Offley, Burmester, etc). These families still live in Portugal (Posto and Douro).

That said...

If you need a job, think better before coming here. We have a high rate of unemployment! And yes, we are a poor Country.

Last but not least: if (for some reason) you intend to come to Portugal, do not even try to learn our language. At least at first. It is really difficult! But that never stopped us for living elsewhere, as we are all over the world.

Wish you well!

nytraveler

It seems to me that if you really want to live in a country where most people speak English and business/government is conducted in english you really should be looking at Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Not sure you would be comfortable in the US since there are places where pockets of people do speak other languages. For instance, we live on the upper west side of NY and we often get ads/mailings in Spanish since not far north of us a lot of people speak primarily spanish.

However, how do you know you will be "comfortable" in those places or welcomed or whatever your problem is. but at least you could communicate with everyone - although there will be idioms that are different in each one that you will have to learn.

As for what you seem to what - which is that every country in europe operate in english - well that ain't happening. The whole world is not going to change just for you. Also - you never responded to my suggestion of Ireland - where they do speak English and presumably you would be allowed to live without having to apply for immigration.

Separately, you seem to have been unhappy and felt unwelcome wherever you go. Have you gone to any of these places to see if you feel any more comfortable there - without whatever problems there are that bother you in the UK?

After all, the simple fact is that we all carry our attitudes and opinions around with us - and if you are just basically unhappy perhaps you should think about doing things that make you more happy - rather than uprooting your whole life. You say nothing about career, family, friends, etc that you would be giving up - perhaps you need some help learning to make connections where you are.