Can you speak any language/s

[Speicher]

Much apologies, you are right. there is no need to swear.

Getting back on topic, I can speak German fairly fluently, and French, and some Spanish. I tried learning Portuguese, but found it too difficult.

 

[cheadle hulme]

I speak Northern English OK and therefore my German is passable.

Wife speaks cantonese and I've tried to learn, if only to speak to the out laws, but a tonal language is very hard on a Mancunian lad.

the phrase "Si_haa" (for axample only) has about 10 meanings, depending on whether its rising, falling or steady. Thank goodness most people in Hong Kong understand English!!

 

[Noodley]

the phrase "Si_haa" (for axample only) has about 10 meanings, depending on whether its rising, falling or steady. Thank goodness most people in Hong Kong understand English!!

Elder Noodlette is learning Cantonese at school - well, I say learning but it's one lesson a month - and loves it. She appears to be very good at French according to her teacher. I hope she keeps at it.

 

[Maz]

I speak Northern English OK and therefore my German is passable.

Wife speaks cantonese and I've tried to learn, if only to speak to the out laws, but a tonal language is very hard on a Mancunian lad.

the phrase "Si_haa" (for axample only) has about 10 meanings, depending on whether its rising, falling or steady. Thank goodness most people in Hong Kong understand English!!

I tried out some Mandarin on a Chinese colleague of mine.
I said "Yun CHUNwen TSENmuh shwoh 'Table'"?

This, I was told by a Mandarin speaker, was 'How do you say 'Table' in Chinese?'...probably got the stress/intonation all wrong and they didn't understand a bloody word I said!

 

[Abitrary]

You may speak any language and kiss old people?

je crois que tu aies trompe 'biser' avec 'baiser'. Biser signifie embracer tandis que baiser signifie niquer, ahem.

Mais j'avoue que joe parle pas francais tres bien, non non non.

 

[Arch]

I think I could get by in French, although I suspect I'd end up sounding like a character from Shakespeare as I groped for a word or phrase I did know, to fit what I was trying to say.

I ticked 'other', because I got to Grade 2 British Sign Language - very rusty now, but I reckon I'd pick it up again if I tried.

 

[rich p]

I think I could get by in French, although I suspect I'd end up sounding like a character from Shakespeare as I groped for a word or phrase I did know, to fit what I was trying to say.

I ticked 'other', because I got to Grade 2 British Sign Language - very rusty now, but I reckon I'd pick it up again if I tried.

That's handy!

 

[dellzeqq]

Some spanish (having spoken it as a first language for a couple of years, but a long time ago). And some French.

Yenners, what languages do you speak? And is English one of them?

 

[Hover Fly]

I couldn't speak any foreign language at all until Mme. H.F. dragged me off to her Chateau, four years ago. Since then I've had to learn French, but with very little formal lessons but now the Frenchies I deal with reckon I'm pretty good at it.

 

[Unkraut]

German - obviously. Theoretically Dutch too, but this has got very rusty. A largely forgotten smattering of Spanish and Turkish (what a delight that is to learn), and a little bit of French. 5 years of learning French at school as though it were Latin means I am virtually unable to communicate in it, but can read some of the road signs. At least they still largely speak German of sorts in Alsace/Elsass!!

 

[Arch]

I couldn't speak any foreign language at all until Mme. H.F. dragged me off to her Chateau, four years ago. Since then I've had to learn French, but with very little formal lessons but now the Frenchies I deal with reckon I'm pretty good at it.

That's the way to do it. I have friends who live over in France now, they did a CD/book course, but has picked most of it up as they've gone along, helped by their French neighbours. When I'm over there, I probably make as much use of French I've learned that way as I do of the French I learned at school.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I know a little French, a little German, a little Arabic and a (very) little Welsh. I wouldn't say I "speak" another language, though, more like grope around in them.

 

[bonj2]

in case it hasn't been said yenners, there isn't a language called "Indian", neither is there a language called "African".

 

[Rhythm Thief]

There is a language called "Yenrodese" though, which no one else speaks.

 

[bonj2]

There was something on the radio 4 a while back about rare languages that are becoming extinct. Apparently there is a language of cornish that obviously used to be spoke in cornwall, but now there are only a handful of people that still speak it.
The rarest language is one in south america, and only two people in the world speak it. But unfortunately, they have got beef with each other. So it never gets spoken. aaaaah