Learning Other Languages

[WeirdoGuy]

I've never learned another language to the point where I can converse with someone. But I do try to learn the basics of a language when I travel. So I can ask for directions, ask where the bathroom is, know the numbers, and can order food in Spanish, Italian, German, Greek, Icelandic, and Japanese. I learned a little bit of Thai when I went to Thailand, but it didn't stick because everyone I encountered in restaurants, guest houses and tuk tuks spoke English. I tried learning Portuguese and Arabic when I did a tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but Arabic was too complex to learn much in a week and the book I bought to learn Portuguese was terrible.

 

[theporgsnest]

Yeah, I'm still learning how to speak body language, does that count?

Haha, jokes aside, I've just started learning Portuguese. I want to teach English online and eventually abroad, and while I know a lot of these programs don't require you to learn the native tongue of the country you might move to, I think it's a good idea. I'm using a mixture of Duolingo and the app HelloTalk, which I highly recommend because you get used to conversational, informal speaking of your target language. After I become proficient enough I will have a go at Japanese...

 

[AprilR]

I am good with languages and learning foreign languages is sort of like a special interest. I am learning Japanese right now with the help of language apps. The shapes of different kanji fascinate me.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I spoke Dutch as a second language, not any more parents passed, no opporunity any more. use it or lose it.

 

[Suzette]

My husband and I learning Spanish as we go because we live in Mexico. I should work at it but I don't really. Still, just by being here we get along and have learned a lot.
My husband speaks Dutch too and sometimes he answers questions in Dutch instead of Spanish. LOL

I wonder how long it will take me to learn Dutch by listening to my husband muck around, and fail, at Spanish? An absolutely absurd idea!

If anyone is interested the BBC offers lessons in Welsh for free. BBC - Wales - Learning - Learn Welsh

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Spanish is the language with the fewest words. of any language so in theory the easiest to learn.

 

[maycontainthunder]

If anyone is interested the BBC offers lessons in Welsh for free. BBC - Wales - Learning - Learn Welsh

You need to learn Welsh to stand any chance of saying their place names. I'm sure they created many just so people couldn't tell anyone where they were. Best example is;

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

No, I'm not joking.

 

[Suzette]

You need to learn Welsh to stand any chance of saying their place names. I'm sure they created many just so people couldn't tell anyone where they were. Best example is;

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

No, I'm not joking.

But once you learn how the sylables are pronounced it is much easier than it looks!

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I know some common words and sentences in Taiwanese and Chinese as my parents are from Taiwan. I also know some Spanish because I took classes in high school. I’m not fluent in either but my understanding of Spanish helped me out when I was in Spain as I could recognize certain words on menus and I had a translator app on my iPad to help me form sentences if I needed help. The different forms of verb conjugation was always something that I struggled with but I got the hang of what verb endings looked like to tell which tense it was.

 

[SugarPlumFairy]

I'm fluent in German (L1) and English and I'm learning Japanese, Chinese and Icelandic, but would like to add more languages in the future.

On my list: Norwegian, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Polish.

 

[SugarPlumFairy]

Isn't it J'adore?, or Je t'adore, Francais!
i forgot most French I had in school and highschool. I used to love it and get top grades but some words sound nothing like Romanian, and confusing because they are similar but mean different things. Both are Latin provenient languages.

Trying to learn some German now with someone native. 'Zieh an meinen Haaren!' c;

You can ask me if you have any questions about German

 

[SugarPlumFairy]

You want to learn Norwegian? That should be easy for a German. I was talking about this with a German yesterday actually here on the forum, our languages are similar. Viel glück mit den sprachen.

Danke!
You're right, it's not that hard for a native speaker of German, but at the same time, that's the challenge In the past, I was too lazy to learn words which are similar to German because I thought that they are too easy. As a result, I could understand those words, but they never became part of my active knowledge...

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I also know some Korean from my martial arts training. I can count to ten and how to thank someone.

 

[Madison M]

I want to be a linguist, so I love learning languages.

I've taken Portuguese in 2014 (I went into the honors English class even though I'm terrible at English classes just so I could take Portuguese a year early), Spanish from 2018-2019 and 2022, ASL in 2018 and 2022, and Mandarin in 2019-2021. I've always been really good in these classes besides ASL, though that's because I can't really take notes, and it was a dual enrollment class so I wasn't entirely prepared for college.

 

[Luca]

I want to be a linguist, so I love learning languages.

I've taken Portuguese in 2014 (I went into the honors English class even though I'm terrible at English classes just so I could take Portuguese a year early), Spanish from 2018-2019 and 2022, ASL in 2018 and 2022, and Mandarin in 2019-2021. I've always been really good in these classes besides ASL, though that's because I can't really take notes, and it was a dual enrollment class so I wasn't entirely prepared for college.

I’m Portuguese-American and Latin American (adopted) and I struggle with those languages (was raised in an English-speaking family) but would love to learn more

That’s really impressive that you’ve learned those languages so well!! And cool that you want to be a linguist

English was one of my easiest subjects in school but I really had trouble with other language classes :/
I was in a lot of AP classes too, particularly sciences I’m not extremely intelligent like some Aspies are but I’m a hard worker and a very good student School was always fun for me because I love learning and achieving goals!

I would love to learn some Portuguese from you, if you’re willing to teach me!
- Luca

 

[Crysalis99]

I was a Japanese minor during my undergrad. At my peak, I knew about 900 or so Kanji. Now, its all been replaced with other knowledge.

 

[aspie1w]

I learned English well by part on high school although i was bad at there but later as my brother did better than me i did an better effort to learn was like always an specie of who did better and i can not say that i know everything because still in permanent learning but has opened an whole new world to me, also i tried to learn german just tried, and well my native language been spanish.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Danke!
You're right, it's not that hard for a native speaker of German, but at the same time, that's the challenge In the past, I was too lazy to learn words which are similar to German because I thought that they are too easy. As a result, I could understand those words, but they never became part of my active knowledge...

The written stuff seems similar to dutch had no issue reading it.
I guess a lot of languages are linked.

 

[auslan434]

Esperanto is a planned, easy language. It can be learnt in much less time than other languages. It was designed to be a second language.

It's grammar is regular. I learnt some off duolingo. YouTube has some Esperanto speakers. It is spoken in over 100 countries.

Mi povas paroli Esperanton. La internacio lingvon.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

My grand mother apparently learned my grand mother learned esperanto.