Foreign Languages

I speak Russian and English fluently, and French and Polish with a dictionary.

 

I speak English, Spanish and I understand some Portuguese as spoken in Brazil.

 

I know german as it is my first language.
In school I learned english for 8 years, Russian for 3 years (but its quite poor) and at university I learned Spanish for 2 years.
As french and spanish are related, I understand some french but dont speak it.
As russian and polish/serbian are related as well, I understand some polish and serbian/croatian words, but dont speak much more then " I want beer", "I love you" and "Do you want beer?" :-D

 

I speak Romanian (as it's my mother tongue) English and French, and basic Spanish and Italian. if I really try, I can translate a German text with a dictionary, but I can't speak it.
TheChosenOne... that French text was painful to read, the online translating software you used sucks.

 

buna draga, ce mai faci? ;-)

 

Ah, ce surpriz?! Destul de bine, dar tu? Ich kann nichts Deutsch, aber dein Rumaenisch ist wunderbar.

 

mulþumesc! dar mei român ba este existent. :lol:
Thanks to the online dictionary. :mrgreen:

Dein Deutsch ist aber gut!

 

I love to try out this dictionary. Vielen Dank.

 

Jescze piwa??? artyman:

 

America is an elitist nation on the international scene, we don't feel the need to learn anything else but English because in the Westernized world in which we live in, the first language or official second language for many countries is English.

Many 1st generation Latins don't bother because their's a whole sub-culture here (especially in the Southwestern US) that allows them to go virtually a lifetime without uttering a word of English, unless you happen into my store that is.... Then your children speak for you..

Here the top reasons for Americans not to learn another language -
(as posted by a respected member of a forum that shall remain nameless...)

Top ten reasons Americans, Brits, Ozzies, Kiwis, and Canucks do not learn another language:

1) Lazy
2) Ethnocentric
3) Sense of entitlement
4) Too busy watching TV
5) Uptight and too afraid of making mistakes
6) Think everyone should learn English (see #2 above)
7) No financial motivation to do so
8 ) Lazy, ethnocentric, with a massive sense of entitlement
9) Too fat to find the book store
10) Learned to sing "Hava negela hava" and thought that was sufficient

 

'Ozzies?'

You are right, many don't. But many do also.

According to our last national census, the percentage is more than a 1/3 who speak a second language. So that's quite alot.

Myself, I have
- English (duh! )
- Serbian (from Mama)
- Greek (though not as good at all, in fact pretty average, from Dad)

- Setswana (other official language of Botswana)

and some other bits and pieces of language I learnt along the way.