What languages can you speak, read, or write?

[matt72582]

It's cool to know, and maybe we can learn a bit from each other.

I grew up learning Aramaic and English at the same time. I can write and read in Greek perfectly if the letters are capitalized, can speak a bit as well... Can speak a little of Spanish, Arabic, and bits and pieces of other languages of places I've visited, but I would love to learn more from native speakers.

[MovieMeditation]

I'm not that special haha. I can obviously talk and write danish fluently since it's my native tongue, and english, of course, I don't think I have to elaborate on that. Apart from that, I speak and write a little german, but generally I suck at it. :p

I really want to learn Chinese though, and I hope to do so some day...

[christine]

I can speak and read French. I used to be fluent when I was younger but don't get much chance to speak it now so it's a bit rusty, but I can still read ok

[gbgoodies]

English. That's about it for me.

I studied Spanish in high school, but that was so long ago that I don't remember much of it anymore, and my second grade teacher taught me how to count to 10 in French.

[90sAce]

American.

[Citizen Rules]

Ha, that was going to be my line.:)

[Miss Vicky]

English.

You would think that after ten years of working for a Mexican that I would at least have a basic knowledge of Spanish, but I don't.

[Derek Vinyard]

Of course I'm french canadian :p and I can write and talk in English :p

[jal90]

I'm a native Spanish and Catalan speaker, and can read, write and speak English more or less fluently. Due to the similarities with my mother languages, I usually can understand texts in Galician or Portuguese, or at least part of them and get the main ideas, but I can't speak or write either.

[Nausicaä]

English ;) and French. I can get by with German if I have to thanks to learning it at GCSE level in high school and growing up around one of my Grandma's friends who was German.

[Mäx]

As i mentioned in my introduction thread i'm German so i speak and write German fluently.^^
In school i studied Italian for about 4 years, but i forgot almost everything. It's a shame, considering that i used to be able to write whole essays.

[Sexy Celebrity]

English and Sexy Celebrity.

[-KhaN-]

Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian , Montenegrin and English ( these 4 languages are Serbian, but what can I say, politics...)

[Mr Minio]

and Sexy Celebrity. This must be a language entirely built on Asian gong sounds.

My native language is Polish, so I speak it fluently. English... I'd say I'm upper-intermediate. I can read Russian, but don't understand much.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Mr Minio, you must know English or else I couldn't read you.

[NatashaR]

Romanian(native) and English.. I learned them pretty much at the same time. However, I do have a trace of an accent when I speak English and it pisses me off... I also know German, but it's quite difficult for me to speak it and I have some basic knowledge of Italian and French.

[Guaporense]

I'm a native Spanish and Catalan speaker, and can read, write and speak English more or less fluently. Due to the similarities with my mother languages, I usually can understand texts in Galician or Portuguese, or at least part of them and get the main ideas, but I can't speak or write either.

Same but invert Portuguese, Galician with Spanish and Catalan. :D

[MovieGal]

I know English, enough German to understand what is being talked about... I can speak some Spanish and French...thanks to my Argentine friend...

[nebbit]

Only English :blush: my best friend can speak 6 :eek:

[MovieGal]

I'm not that special haha. I can obviously talk and write danish fluently since it's my native tongue, and english, of course, I don't think I have to elaborate on that. Apart from that, I speak and write a little german, but generally I suck at it. :p

I really want to learn Chinese though, and I hope to do so some day...

Isnt Danish very similar to German and Dutch? I know I watched "Sweeny Todd" with hard coded Dutch subtitles and it was very similar to German and with me watching as many Danish films as I do... I can still understand words without subtitles because they sound very similar to German...

[Mr Minio]

Danish is drunkard German.

[Voigan]

In addition to English, I speak a bit of Spanish and that's about it. I also know a bit of German, French, and Japanese though mostly just curses and insults in the last three. :D I love being able to yell "You are a fat old man who bathes all day!" at someone in Japanese and most of the time they have no idea what I said. (My brother taught me that one but I have no idea where he learned it.)

[Mr Minio]

Japanese Ecchi shiyou! Ketsu wo-tanaberu! YARRROOOO!

[Guaporense]

Of you already speak English learning other languages is mostly a waste of time since English is the world's standard language now (most academic articles are written in English already). Unless you plan to work in a certain country.

[MovieGal]

Ecchi shiyou! Ketsu wo-tanaberu! YARRROOOO!

My daughter is an anime freak ... so when we found this kitten.. she decided to name him Neko... so yeah every day I speak some Japanese in our home...

[hardwork49]

Latvian(my native language), russian(my second language) and english(learned mostly from cartoons, movies and rap music.)

[cricket]

Just English for me except I know "go f**k yourself" in Portuguese, "do you want to f**k" in French, and "my p*ssy is sore" in Chinese.

[Cobpyth]

I can write/speak in Dutch (mother language), English (fluently), French (pretty good) and German to an extent (I can understand practically everything, but it's harder for me to speak and write correctly, because of the difficult grammar).

I also understand a little bit of Italian and Spanish, but don't ask me to write or speak those languages fluently.

I also did Latin for six years in school, so I can understand that too.

[Mr Minio]

Of you already speak English learning other languages is mostly a waste of time Well, I wouldn't say it's a waste of time. Anyway, not a bigger waste of time than watching films.
My daughter is an anime freak.. Your daughter is Guaporense?!
Just English for me except I know "go f**k yourself" in Portuguese, "do you want to f**k" in French, and "my p*ssy is sore" in Chinese. Looks like you know the most important phrases. You only need to know how to say: "Suck my fat nipples, scrub my dirty feet, spank my ass and call me your mommy" in Polish. So, here you go: "Ssij moje t³uste suty, wyszoruj moje brudne stopy, uderz mnie w dupê i nazwij swoj± mamusi±". No problem.

[Sexy Celebrity]

You only need to know how to say: "Suck my fat nipples, scrub my dirty feet, spank my ass and call me your mommy" in Polish. So, here you go: "Ssij moje t³uste suty, wyszoruj moje brudne stopy, uderz mnie w dupê i nazwij swoj± mamusi±". No problem.
Thanks. I'll remember that with Captain Spaulding.

[Mr Minio]

Some additional phrases so you don't get lost when fiddling with Captain Spaulding:

G³êbiej i mocniej - Deeper and harder!
Lubiê ow³osione - I like 'em hairy
Bardziej na prawo! - More to the right!
Ty zboczuchu! - You kinky bastard!
Mam chorobê weneryczn±! - I have STDs!
Sp*erdalaj geju! - I don't swing that way! (Polish people are more direct, so it literally means "f*ck off you queer")
Zapomnia³em prezerwatywy! - I forgot my condom!
To boli! - It hurts!
Ile p³acê? - How much is it?

I heard a freakin funny word yesterday. It's 'pytogrzmot' and it's a fusion of two words: pyta (which mostly just means male penis) and grzmot (thunder, boom). It's pretty funny for some reason.

Another funny word is 'pedryl'. It's an obsolete word for 'gay' in Polish. Nowadays it's used in a slang to offense somebody.

[Guaporense]

I can write/speak in Dutch (mother language), English (fluently), French (pretty good) and German to an extent (I can understand practically everything, but it's harder for me to speak and write correctly, because of the difficult grammar).

I also understand a little bit of Italian and Spanish, but don't ask me to write or speak those languages fluently.

I also did Latin for six years in school, so I can understand that too.

Impressive. I also have a friend who speaks 5-6 languages. I think it gets easier the more you know: if you know Spanish and Portuguese, learning Italian becomes easier, Dutch is easier if you understand English and German, considering they say it's a mixture of both.

I though in Belgium the standard language was French. Oh, Dutch is there as well:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/BelgieGemeenschappenkaart.svg/300px-BelgieGemeenschappenkaart.svg.png

[Guaporense]

Well, I wouldn't say it's a waste of time. Anyway, not a bigger waste of time than watching films.

If you do it for entertainment. Watching movies is absolutely useless unless you are a professional critic who is paid to write reviews and most times it's faster to write a review based on reviews of other critics rather than wasting 2 hours watching the actual movie :D.

[MovieGal]

Some additional phrases so you don't get lost when fiddling with Captain Spaulding:

G³êbiej i mocniej - Deeper and harder!
Lubiê ow³osione - I like 'em hairy
Bardziej na prawo! - More to the right!
Ty zboczuchu! - You kinky bastard!
Mam chorobê weneryczn±! - I have STDs!
Sp*erdalaj geju! - I don't swing that way! (Polish people are more direct, so it literally means "f*ck off you queer")
Zapomnia³em prezerwatywy! - I forgot my condom!
To boli! - It hurts!
Ile p³acê? - How much is it?

I heard a freakin funny word yesterday. It's 'pytogrzmot' and it's a fusion of two words: pyta (which mostly just means male penis) and grzmot (thunder, boom). It's pretty funny for some reason.

Another funny word is 'pedryl'. It's an obsolete word for 'gay' in Polish. Nowadays it's used in a slang to offense somebody.

And you know these as you tend to visit "women of the night" more than often?

Roaming those streets in Poland at night are you?

[MovieGal]

Your daughter is Guaporense?!


No. But Guap and her would get along.. she cosplays as a character from "Bleach", an anime show as this character... and my daughter has natural (not a wig or from a box) dark red hair.... My daughter is very beautiful....

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/8c/2a/21/8c2a2178045f019624c75f066f749c78.jpg

she cosplays as a few other girls.. one from "Attack on Titan", one from a video game called "Dragon Quest"... and a few others...

[Guaporense]

I have no interest in cosplay. Some people naturally dress according to their hobby: fans of Roman legions create their own Roman legions, with armor and everything. While I have been a fan of military history and animation I have had no interest in dressing up in the manner historical soldiers or fictional characters do.

@MovieGal, our picture does not show.

[Mr Minio]

And you know these as you tend to visit "women of the night" more than often? I visit men of the night. :sick: Sexy Celebrity was the last one.
No. But Guap and her would get along.. Guap, that's your chance! The ultimate anime lady for you!
and my daughter has natural
http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/e/eb/T2GoodOlArney-1.jpg/600px-T2GoodOlArney-1.jpg
(not a wig or from a box) dark red hair....
http://www.twisted-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-face-271x300.jpg

My daughter is very beautiful.... Pics or didn't happen.

[neiba]

Ahahah! :p I was predicting a similar comment from Minio but I wasn't expecting it to be so kinky!

On topic: I speak Portuguese (my native language), Spanish and English fluently.
I'm also studying German and French so I can read and understand both well. I have some vocabulary in Italian though I'm not into the grammar (but I will eventually have to start studying it)... I also studied Russian for some time but I don't practice enough so I forgot a lot of things. I still can read cirilic though!

[Hazy Hailey]

I can read, write and any other thing English.

[matt72582]

Dutch? Lekker! Mijn Nederlands is na goed. But it used to be... I still can't spell aljsteblieft and I don't wanna look it up.

I also sometimes mix German with Dutch, but it's cool to see how they differ, and Dutch (and English) being a Germanic language probably makes it easier for me. I'm better at pronouncing (I can do a really good Dutch accent :)

[Tacitus]

I used to be fluent enough in French that I could sit in a Paris cinema and understand (most of) a French film without subtitles. I was hopeless at it in school (didn't even take it for GCSE) but having a French mother-in-law and two holidays a year over there forced my hand.

I've also got GCSE Latin which is about as useful as you'd imagine in the wilds of Tyrone...

[matt72582]

I used to be fluent enough in French that I could sit in a Paris cinema and understand (most of) a French film without subtitles. I was hopeless at it in school (didn't even take it for GCSE) but having a French mother-in-law and two holidays a year over there forced my hand.

I've also got GCSE Latin which is about as useful as you'd imagine in the wilds of Tyrone...


If you know Latin AND Greek, you can trace a majority of the words anywhere. Hell, even if it's a language only you know, your mind is stronger for learning :)

[neiba]

Dutch? Lekker! Mijn Nederlands is na goed. But it used to be... I still can't spell aljsteblieft and I don't wanna look it up.

I also sometimes mix German with Dutch, but it's cool to see how they differ, and Dutch (and English) being a Germanic language probably makes it easier for me. I'm better at pronouncing (I can do a really good Dutch accent :)

The 2 weeks I spent in Holland last Summer made me able to understand every word you said! :) Someone told me Lekker there, with a slightly different meaning... hehehe!

[matt72582]

In Germany, they only use "lekker" for great taste, in Holland, they also use it for that, but it kinda means, "really good"

[Tacitus]

If you know Latin AND Greek, you can trace a majority of the words anywhere. Hell, even if it's a language only you know, your mind is stronger for learning :)

My username hints at a bit of foreign book learning but don't tell anyone. ;)

[MovieGal]

Dutch? Lekker! Mijn Nederlands is na goed. But it used to be... I still can't spell aljsteblieft and I don't wanna look it up.

I also sometimes mix German with Dutch, but it's cool to see how they differ, and Dutch (and English) being a Germanic language probably makes it easier for me. I'm better at pronouncing (I can do a really good Dutch accent :)

Yes... English is a mixture of Germanic language with some other cultures mixed in.. in the 5th Century when the Angles and Saxons invaded Britain, they brought the Germanic language... then in 1066 when the Normans invaded as well.. they brought most of their language.. and through out time, the language took on more and more cultures in the UK and as it traveled to the US... it added more through the centuries....

There is a great BBC series on this called "The Adventures of English" narrated by Melvyn Bragg... I really loved watching that...and there is a book he wrote by the same name ..... Im sure the book came out long before the series...

[MovieGal]

I visit men of the night. :sick: Sexy Celebrity was the last one.
Guap, that's your chance! The ultimate anime lady for you!

http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/e/eb/T2GoodOlArney-1.jpg/600px-T2GoodOlArney-1.jpg

http://www.twisted-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-face-271x300.jpg

Pics or didn't happen.

check your messages...

[christine]

I've also got GCSE Latin which is about as useful as you'd imagine in the wilds of Tyrone...

I've got Latin O Level , which tells me I'm older than you ;)
It's pretty handy tho you must admit at having a guess what another Romance language word might mean

[Tacitus]

I've got Latin O Level , which tells me I'm older than you ;)
It's pretty handy tho you must admit at having a guess what another Romance language word might mean

You're not that much older - I was the first (maybe second? One of the two anyway) year of GCSEs. I was the only one in my year to do GCSE Latin. Also did Classical Civilisation and A Level Ancient History.

Yeah, joking aside Latin is occasionally pretty useful. ;)

[christine]

You're not that much older - I was the first (maybe second? One of the two anyway) year of GCSEs. I was the only one in my year to do GCSE Latin. Also did Classical Civilisation and A Level Ancient History.

Yeah, joking aside Latin is occasionally pretty useful. ;)

I'm impressed with your A Levels!
There were three kids in our Latin class. Our teacher was the least likely Latin teacher you could imagine. Thinking back he was only a lad and had the strongest Scouse accent of all the teachers but the great thing about him is that he was a fanatical Evertonian so me and him got on great while the other two swotty kids got fed up with the footy talk ;)

[jamierreed92]

English is my native language. I took Spanish for a couple years in high school and retained just enough to find my way around and make basic small talk. I can read and write it a little better than I can speak it, but that isn't saying much, haha. Since my best friend is fluent and always translates, I've never really been pushed to improve. One day...


I can read and write Biblical Greek...VERY slowly. Like, it would take me 5 minutes to read two sentences because I have to think about the letters. I only learned it so that I can study the New Testament in its original language if I need to.

I know enough American Sign Language to get by, but I plan to be fluent by this time next year! For some reason, signing has turned out to be MUCH harder for me than learning a written/spoken language :rolleyes: I'm gonna need a really good ASL teacher!

[MovieGal]

I know some basic american sign language as well. Mydaughter and i used it together. I doubt she remembers much of it.

[Tacitus]

Sign language is a great choice. I used to be fluent in Makaton from my days teaching special needs but can hardly remember any of it.

[JacobKyon]

I was taught English as a primary language in school, and I also picked up a lot of American slangs as a kid while watching movies. Being Chinese, I also know Mandarin as well as Hokkien (of which the latter my parents use very often in the household, hence I'm more familiar with Hokkien than Mandarin).

Aside from that, I don't really know that many 'fancy' languages like Spanish or French... I know very few words in Japanese from watching anime, but I do try not to use that in my daily conversations... I'm not a weeaboo. <.<

In regards to writing the language, I haven't read Mandarin for such a long time that I'm rusty at it, let alone writing it. I used to be a really good Mandarin reader back in elementary school, but that isn't saying much... As for Hokkien, you can't really write Hokkien as it's a form of dialect, so at most, you can only write the pronunciations of the words like the 'romaji' of Japanese. I'm fine with reading and writing English, of course, though my vocabulary isn't that strong.

[Choo Yao Chuen]

English, English, English

[Sedai]

I am a native English speaker. I also took 2 years of Latin in 1985-1985, and I grew up in a Hispanic neighborhood as a kid, so I have some survival Spanish skills. I also took Japanese for a while, but have forgotten most of what I learned.

[The Sci-Fi Slob]

English and Klingon

[Gabrielle947]

Speak, write, read, understand - English and Lithuanian
Write and read - Russian

[Rahbani]

Arabic (1st language), English, Kurdish (I can only speak/understand Kurdish, can't read or write) and a little bit of French because the Lebanese like to mix Arabic with French and English for some reason.

[matt72582]

Letuva, right?
I can read some of Russian, since some of their letters were taken from the Greeks.

Normaalnja!

[matt72582]

Arabic (1st language), English, Kurdish (I can only speak/understand Kurdish, can't read or write) and a little bit of French because the Lebanese like to mix Arabic with French and English for some reason.

The French had a lot of control in Lebanon.. My cousin married a Lebanese guy - they even gave him the French name of Antoine.

Anee a'rof arabee - shwaya. Bes la kthawa

[Rahbani]

The French had a lot of control in Lebanon.. My cousin married a Lebanese guy - they even gave him the French name of Antoine.

Anee a'rof arabee - shwaya. Bes la kthawa

Salaam, akhi! That's cool. A lot of Lebanese people have European names actually. The name Tony is common in Lebanon. They're Arab Christians and they usually have European first names and Arab last names. For example, a few popular Arab Christians, Marcel Khalife, Michel Sulieman, Nancy Ajram. A lot of Lebanese Christians use Arabic first names as well though but European first names are pretty common in Lebanon, some parts of Syria, Palestine, etc. any Arab country with a Christian population.

[matt72582]

Do you know any Aramaic? There are lots of similar words, cognates.. And vice-versa.. For example, there were no sinks when Aramaic grew, so we use "makhsala"

It's just like the word, "Compyootar" :)

[Rahbani]

Do you know any Aramaic? There are lots of similar words, cognates.. And vice-versa.. For example, there were no sinks when Aramaic grew, so we use "makhsala"

It's just like the word, "Compyootar" :)

I don't know any Aramaic but that is cool, I never knew that. A lot of English words have Arabic origins as well like alcohol, algebra and there are many more.

[christine]

I meant to ask you Matt , how come you grew up with Aramaic? I'm always interested in people's backgrounds :)

[matt72582]

My ancestors are from Babylon... I'm actually a first-generation American citizen.. I love languages (don't like nationalism though)

[NatashaR]

Arabic (1st language), English, Kurdish (I can only speak/understand Kurdish, can't read or write) and a little bit of French because the Lebanese like to mix Arabic with French and English for some reason.

When I was doing my semester abroad, my roommate was Lebanese... she would always speak Arabic to her family and at the time I picked up a few words but I only remember la and sukran.

[Rahbani]

When I was doing my semester abroad, my roommate was Lebanese... she would always speak Arabic to her family and at the time I picked up a few words but I only remember la and sukran.

It's actually shukran which means thank you but close enough :)

[MovieGal]

I would like to learn Suomi . My films would be more enjoyable. It seems to be a hard language to learn.

[christine]

My ancestors are from Babylon... I'm actually a first-generation American citizen.. I love languages (don't like nationalism though)

That's in present day Iraq into it? A very historic area. Did your parents leave for political reasons?

[matt72582]

That's in present day Iraq into it? A very historic area. Did your parents leave for political reasons?

Yup. I think it was mostly because they were non-Arabs in an an Arab country.