Hey everyone, I don't know if there's been any threads previously on this that I've missed, but is anyone multilingual, or in the process of becoming multilingual? I only speak English fluently, I can read/write in Spanish but can't speak it (don't ask), and I'm learning French. I really want to learn Russian, Czech or Hungarian too but I have no idea about how to go about it. A middle eastern language would be great to learn, too. *Fluency level depends on what you consider fluent. Just thought I'd ask.
I'm fluent in French and English and I'm getting there in Spanish. I've been learning German for over a year now and I have some basics in Italian and Chinese. I want to be a multilingual translator, so the more, the better
I speak English and Spanish fluently and I'm quite proficient in French and German. My Finnish is a bit rusty, but I imagine it won't be too hard to pick it up again. I've been advised to learn Arabic, Russian or Mandarin at university next year, so I intend to learn one of those. That will be more challenging, but speaking only European languages in modern Australia isn't really adequate. Multilingualism is so important, not just for one's career but for being able to immerse oneself into other cultures in a way that's simply impossible without speaking other languages. If language is the prism through which we regard societies for the most part, then speaking as many languages as possible is an irreplaceable eye-opener.
I speak fluent Swedish and English, and my Japanese is decent. My German is okay too, though rusty. Lingo is awesome. <3
English and Chinese fluently. Speaking level the same, reading and writing more fluent in English. Currently constistently learning/improving Chinese. I also studied French for a few years in the past, might pick that up again in my own time.
American-English. A little bit of German. Ebonics. I was born in America, so it makes sense that's what I'd know. And I know a little bit of German, as a result of having an interest in the two World Wars, and picking up names and terms here and there. It just isn't enough to hold a respectable conversation. I semi-joke about Ebonics. Some would say it really isn't a language, but to them I say, go to certain parts of this country and see if you can navigate the streets. It isn't that easy. It can be useful to know the difference between a "guap" and a "quip" -- one means lots of money, while the other means an epic disappointment.
I used to be like this, but someone told me to 'stop thinking in English, think in Spanish' when I'm practicing, and to 'stop thinking of it as English, because it's not English, it's Spanish.' It's worked pretty well for me. When I have words I'm struggling to remember, i.e. 'ventana' (window), or 'espejo' (mirror), I'll get a piece of paper, write the word down on it in big, bold letters and stick it to the object. Leave them there for a few weeks, do it for tu cama (your bed), tu armario (wardrobe), tu espejo (your mirror), tus zapatos (your shoes), etc. until you remember, and then when you need to think of them in Spanish, they'll, come to you in a flash.
I speak English (not perfectly, but understandable), and native Portuguese (Brazil). I want to improve my English skills (mainly conversation, as i can read/write better than i can talk), and i wish to learn German one day.
I'm fluent in Dutch (native) and English, and currently learning German. Also speak a bit of Spanish.
I know Greek pretty well. I've taken 4 years of French and learned some basic sentences, but definitely not enough to hold a conversation.
I know English, I've tried my hand or should I say tongue at French, and I'm currently learning Spanish.
As a language student, I support this method of thinking. When your start a new language, ideally, you should put aside any others you know. Putting the second verb at the end of the sentence doesn't make sense in French? Well, that's how it works in German. It's critical for language assimilation because every single language has its own set of rules.
I speak Spanish, English and German. Will start learning French (again) soon since I'll need it in the not-so-distant future. It's funny, because my parents tried so hard to get me into French while I was in high-school, but I dug my heels in and absolutely refused (I hated it lol). *Sigh* Look at me now... I've always wanted to learn Russian, but don't know if I'll ever get around to it since the alphabet barrier is intimidating as fuck. I'll likely end up learning Italian and Portuguese at some point, since they are so similar to Spanish I already understand them, for the most part, in writing.