How Many Languages Can You Speak?

[barry1010]

I am ashamed to say I only speak my mother tongue, despite all those French lessons for five long years at school.
I am tone deaf, cannot mimic or do accents and have trouble coming to terms with the fact that items such as furniture are male or female in the French language. I did a couple of years of Spanish at the same time and kept getting them mixed up.
I wouldn't know where to start with languages that have different alphabets such as Greek or Chinese.
I am in awe of polyglots.

[Electrochem]

I am ashamed to say I am much the same. I have started taking Welsh Lessons as we visit Wales a lot and apart from that it's a lovely language. I am also able to speak a little German. I would love to learn Croatian and Italian.

I think a lot of British people are very arrogant when they abroad and don't make any real effort to learn a few common phrases. When we visit foreign countries, I always make a point of learning greetings and other things like please and thank you. We visit the places the locals go to and I don't expect to find 'English' pubs and the like. Like you, I am in awe of polyglots.

[davebro]

I'm not a cunning linguist! I have a smattering of French (from school) and Spanish (from night classes) but without the opportunity to use and expand them I have lost a lot over time.

I'm told that the more languages you learn the easier it gets but as with music/art/etc. I guess it depends to some extent on innate ability.

[davebro]

Anyway the fault lies with everyone else for learning English - so we don't have to bother!

[Ken4155]

I speak two, English and French. Now **** off!

[tiggerblue10]

I speak pigeon Turkish(Cypriot dialect), enough to converse with, and I know a few words and phrases in French from what I learnt in school. I also know a handful of Cypriot Greek words.

[sandyRoe]

I have a few words of Spanish. I didn't start trying to learn until I was a fair age and think the older you are the harder it is to learn any language.

[douglas9401]

"pigeon Turkish"? Coo.

[ToraToraTora]

English is the language of the world, that's all you need.

[Samuraisan]

I speak Spanish fluently, although with a little English accent, French passable, especially after un vin or deux, and ofcourse English. I can make myself understood in Japanese, and follow a conversation. That's about it.

[aelmpvw]

my doris speaks a smattering of English and double Dutch

[dannyk13]

English and a little German plus Italian ( o -level)

[douglas9401]

"English is the language of the world, that's all you need."

Except when you're on holiday somewhere with too much cerveza inside you, Tora, and you get paranoid about all those around you laughing at the Inglese in their own language and start the 'did you spill my pint?' nonsense just to even the score.

I'm sure it rings a bell.

ENGERLAND!! :-P

[Ken4155]

Knowing that i would be stationed in Germany, i did learn some German though during my five years out there, i found that i understood much more than i could speak

[Ken4155]

^^
Anyone found a full stop, i appear to be missing one:-J

[tiggerblue10]

Pigeon or pidgin, not sure which. Basically, basic language.

If I'm not making any sense, just ignore, lol

[dannyk13]

Ken //, i found that i understood much more than i could speak//
Same with me in my four year stint.

[carrot99]

I've a few French nouns from school but couldn't string a sentence together. I started Spanish lessons a year before the pandemic but then the classes were cancelled and I've forgotten most of what I learned. However, I've just signed up for beginners' Spanish again at a new local class starting in a fortnight. I've chosen Spanish as it was completely unknown to me and I've been to Mallorca a couple of times on my own and it's embarrassing to have to be spoken to in English.
Also I'm 65 and learning a language is supposed to be good for the brain.

[Prudie]

I can muddle through a bit of French and German (A level) and have a smattering of self taught Spanish but I can't actually speak anything but English.

[barry1010]

Samuraisan is the most accomplished ABer - so far.

[davebro]

German is very descriptive - stringing other words together to make longer ones e.g. bustenhalter & schtoppenflappen!