Learning a language......

[paphos-mcfc]

I did Greek at night school for 2 years under a Greek tutor. With a Greek person guiding me through the course made it easier to understand. Also at the night classes you hold conversations of a sort with others on the course which is all good practise.

However I go to Greece regularly cos my son and 2 grandchildren live near Athens and most Greeks have a good grasp of English. Often when I've tried to buy stuff or order food in the tavernas using my limited Greek the reply usually comes back in English so it seems pointless making the effort. However the Greeks like it when an English person makes the effort.

They do appreciate it. And when you speak to them in their own dialect, like here, they have a WTF?!!? look on their faces. Bit like an Eskimo speaking broad glaswegian.

 

[aussie blake]

Couldn't speak more highly of these CDs:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.michelthomas.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.michelthomas.com/</a>
Helped me learn Japanese and French. Yes, I'm still shit at both, but not as shit as I would've been without them.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Pretty much the whole world can speak English now days, why don't they stop clinging to there stupid languages and just talk English

 

[talkativesprout]

Pretty much the whole world can speak English now days, why don't they stop clinging to there stupid languages and just talk English

I bottle'd my Harris at this :)

Yes i am struggling with my cockeney

 

[another generation]

German is easy in my opinion.
And if you learn that you get a grasp of the Scandinavian languages.

True, my friend. Went straight from German to Norwegian. Was much easier!

 

[BlueHubert]

Spanish is the easiest laguage out there. Get it learnt. Only took me 3 years living in Spain!

PS I don't mean the sh&te that is spoken by the ex-pats but being able to have a proper conversation with the locals.

 

[pee dubya]

Yeah i'd go for Spanish too, i've been learning it sort of half-arsed for a year in various spanish speaking countries and already i'm not too bad. The pronunciation i find pretty easy for English speakers, not like French where you see a word written and have no fucking clue how to say it. The only thing i struggle with is the 'rr' sound.

Once you get the first new language i think it makes it much less daunting to try another, then another, you sort of understand and know the process and appreciate how much better an experience you have visiting a country where you can at least get by speaking the local language.

 

[ManCitizens.]

German is easy in my opinion.

And if you learn that you get a grasp of the Scandinavian languages.

I'm starting with German I think, any tips when starting?

 

[nijinsky's fetlocks]

You could always marry a foreign person, although I wouldn't recommend it personally.
All it means is that they can nag you and call you a **** in two languages.

 

[BWTAC]

You could always marry a foreign person, although I wouldn't recommend it personally.
All it means is that they can nag you and call you a **** in two languages.

Vous etes un **** sounds a bit saucier though.