beef Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 We spent 5 years at school learning French and 2 learning German and sadly I remember pretty much nothing. The only language I could be described to as fluent in is lol-speak and that's not even a real language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 (edited) Sadly I'm only fluent in my first language of English. I am not bad with Welsh. I've been learning for a good 6 or 7 years or so and can hold a decent but fairly basic conversation. I learned French in school for 3 years and German for 2 years and a bit of German in college and later on my own. So I have a smattering of those two but I have forgotten most of it. I am currently trying to revive my French using the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/ The BBC site actually has some pretty cool resources. I'd like to use it to refresh my German as well eventually and also to start learning Spanish from scratch. Edited August 9, 2010 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNinthWord Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 My first language is English. I studied French up until A-level, and did a French module last year at uni, but I wouldn't say I'm fluent. I can hold a conversation pretty well, and I can read it and get the gist of what's going on, even if I don't understand every word. I tried reading Les Mis once in the library, but only got a few pages in before my head hurt. Also spent a couple of years studying Mandarin Chinese; one year at college in lunchtime classes, and then an extra module in my first year at uni. Sadly I've forgotten most of it, except counting, saying hello, goodbye, thank you, my name, etc. I'd love to teach myself more Mandarin, and then Spanish and German, but I feel like I don't have the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreader Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 I'm an English speaker of course. I can manage reading the odd Spanish book and I do understand Spanish if the speaker does not speak too fast. I learnt Spanish in school and have been trying to expand this in Uni. I was supposed to have learnt French as well but that didn't turn out that well. I can pick out some French when reading but don't ask me to pronounce the words. I was in Paris last week and all the signs etc seemed comprehensible to me. I'd call what I know as get by tourist French. I have a friend who has been accidently speaking in Italian to me since my teens. I think it is rubbing off. Sometimes I understand whole conversations now. Some how when another friend of hers from Italy came to visit we managed a chat. This Italian visitor spoke no English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Besides my maternal language, I speak English(obviously) and German(sort of paternal language). I've also studied Russian for 7 years, so I can understand everything I'm told, but haven't spoken it a while, so a conversation would be a bit difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Shade I would love to be able to speak Russian! I think it sounds wonderful, as all eastern European languages do. The alphabet is a bit scary though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNinthWord Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Shade I would love to be able to speak Russian! I think it sounds wonderful, as all eastern European languages do. The alphabet is a bit scary though At least Russian has an alphabet! I found the hardest thing with Mandarin is that there is no alphabet. If you don't know the symbol, you can't pronounce the word. This is why I preferred French; a lot of words are Frenchified English so I could have an educated guess at what they meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Besides Finnish and English, I've studied Swedish and German in school. I'm still okayish in Swedish (my understanding is a lot better than my own producing of sentences) but I'm losing my vocabulary gradually because I don't have any classes in Swedish anymore. I did German in high school, a little over 10 years ago and I must say I don't think I would be able to hold a conversation. I do understand what people are saying some of the time which I think is pure luck. I also studied Danish for one month back in 2006 but it's all lost now, but I do recognise spoken words here and there, partly because they are samish with the Swedish equivalents. I would love to study Danish and/or Norwegian someday. I think I definitely would've wanted to study Latin in high school if we'd had the opportunity, but we only had French and German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillypants124 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I know this is old but thought it would be fun to join in. 1. English is my native language. 2. Sign language (ASL) I learned at the age of 8 because my dad is hard of hearing (but can be labeled deaf now since he has lost about 80% of his hearing) so I am very very fluent I did interpreting for my parents church starting at the age of 11 but had no desire to be certified. 3. Russian for 8 years now. It started in high school and kept taking classes in college nd did some translations of letters and some movies - my parents church was doing this special class of how christians can witness to non-believers through movies and one of the movies they did was "Lord of the Rings" but it was in Russian, I don't know why, and I had to interpret a 10 minute clip of what all the characters are saying. I love to read a russian bookd so I can keep up with it but some of the books that are Russian are either a. Translated into Russian are not the books I want to read or b. the Russian books are not appealing to me and are over my head, and I am always on the hunt for a russian penpal so I don't lose it. Which is very easy to do when I live in an area that is not predominetly Russian but more Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 English & Portuguese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hola - I've been learning Spanish for the last couple of months in preparation for a holiday. It's good fun but I probably won't need it as I expect they'll all speak really good English. That said it's probably a useful language to have as it's so widely spoken. I'm hoping I'll keep it going after I get back. Nothing became of my short-lived French learning spurt above - I think I gave up after about a week lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I know Romanian (as I'm Romanian) and English. I can also understand and speak a bit of French, but not much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I know Danish and English pretty well, and also some German and French, but not very much. I sometimes read some Swedish, and I can easily understand the most used words, but speaking it is very difficult for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I've just started learning a few words of polish from a colleague. I can now say yes, no, please, thank you and hello in two different ways. I plan on learning a phrase or a few words each shift I work with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnybooks Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) My first language is English. I'm using audio books to learn Japanese and Mandarin. I'm Using regular books with pronunciation guides for Spanish and Italian. Know very little french from my time at school. Edited June 11, 2011 by bunnybooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skírnir Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 1. Icelandic. It is my native language and I see it as a privilege to be one of the 300.000 to understand it. This means I'm also able to read Icelandic texts and books exactly as they were written 900 years ago, as the language has changed very little over the centuries. 2. English. I'd say I'm pretty fluent and as a matter of fact, most of what I read is in English. 3. Danish. I studied the language for about 8 years in school and I'm able to read novels in Danish, though I don't do it often enough at all. 4. French. I studied French for three years, I doubt I'd be patient enough to read a whole novel in French but I can read through a short text and understand the basics. I also learned recently that I understand spoken Swedish pretty well also because it is so alike Danish in many ways. I think I'd have more trouble with written Swedish though. I'm 19 years old, if that matters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 English is my first language I was pretty good at French, I got put into a fast-track course at school and took my GCSE in it a year earlier than normal (unfortunately I hated my French teacher and have forgotten quite a bit of it by now - although I'll always remember how to say 'may I take my blazer off please?' and 'may I open the window?' as we weren't allowed to do either of these unless we asked in French) My friend tried to teach me some Polish but I can't roll my 'r's for some reason, which makes it very difficult to pronounce Polish words! I ended up being able to say hello and pretzel Some of you have a very impressive list though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Spanish is my first language, But I find it really difficult (Just try to read Jorge Luis Borges or Julio Cortázar in its original version and you'll see what I mean, not to mention Miguel de Cervantes ) I try to write with the minimum number of grammatical mistakes in Spanish, but it's really tough and when I'm talking with some friends it's embarrassing to detect a lot of mistakes, something like "Hay voy" (I'm coming), the correct one is "Ahí voy". I've been studying English for about 3 years (emmm... two years?)... Honestly I don't remember haha, but I felt in love immediately and I really enjoy talking with English people. Unfortunately, I cannot find grammar mistakes in English , I need more experience haha. I started French and I can say just a few number of sentences, but as I'm a Spanish native Speaker I find it a little bit easier than English, specially the pronunciation, isn't that weird? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paun Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Thai and Lao. This is central Thai because 4 Thai language but speak central Thai and Isaan Thai. Also Englsih but not so good and some Karen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I know 2 - English and Hillbilly ,which can sometimes be interchangeable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 1. English 2. French 3. Teaching myself Cornish! 4. A little bit of Nepali (I have lots of friends from Nepal). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 My first language is English and I'm quite fluent in Spanish. I also know random words in French and German, although I wouldn't be able to put them to much use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyzenthlay Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Being Scandinavian is kind of like cheating, because I read and comprehend fluently Norwegian, Danish and Swedish. And then there's English, which I know very well (I've studied in English for six years altogether, so if I didn't, I'd be worried). I also know Polish. Not fluently, but enough to converse if people talk slowly. I'm learning also, I take classes every week. I had French in school but don't remember anything from those four years. So, no French except random phrases. Mais oui! Aujourd'hui! Tout de suite! Je ne sais pas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I've been studying English for about 3 years (emmm... two years?)... Honestly I don't remember haha, but I felt in love immediately and I really enjoy talking with English people. Unfortunately, I cannot find grammar mistakes in English , I need more experience haha. I can't believe you've studied English for only 2-3 years, you must be a natural! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I can't believe you've studied English for only 2-3 years, you must be a natural! Oh, thank you so much, Yeah, I've been studying English for about three years, the thing is I study it everyday, . Thank you so much, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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