Among Friends

[Vivian]

I speak French. I had taken it in school and then took it up again about 20 years ago. My hobby is studying French and then visiting French-speaking countries. I love the language in all its accents and dialects. My visits to France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Québec have been immeasurably enriched by my speaking French. I think it’s good for mental agility too.

[libbyannE]

French, because six years of it were required where I went to school, and 

German, which I minored in at college. But I speak both rather badly, in my opinion! At least  I can get by when we're in Europe. 

[Mominohio]

Had four years of Spanish in high school, and four quarters in college (yep, back when college year was divided into quarters), and would read novels in Spanish, and even think in Spanish oftentimes.

Over the years I have lost the conversational part of it all, but I could still communicate enough to get by in the language. 

In fact, several years ago, we were painting the outside of our house. One day, rain was expected, and I needed to know how many hours it would take the paint to be 'dry to touch'. I had spilled paint down the label covering all the English directions and information, but I could read the Spanish directions and get the information I needed to know.

We also live in an Amish community, and they are rather rude when in mixed company (referring to language not gender), and when they don't want you to know what they are talking about, they communicate with each other in their German/Dutch so the "English can't understand them. Right in the middle of a conversation with you, they will turn to each other and communicate in the other language and exclude you.  I find it very off putting and rude to do that in the company of others regardless of the language and nationalities involved.

So my son had 8 years of Spanish in school as well, and when they would start this, we'd simply begin to converse in Spanish. Needless to say, it didn't go over well, and we got some strange looks when we gave them a dose of their own medicine!

I personally think everyone should try to learn another language, at least one. There are so many aids/programs now that are supposed to be much easier than the way we were taught back in the day.

[Q4u]

I had taken a few of years of Spanish in school, and can understand far more than I can articulate.  My Dad was fluent in Spanish and was a technical editor in English and Spanish.  Living near the Mexican border, he and I would go down there to shop and "practice".  I was far better back then but can awkwardly get by today.  But DH and I no longer live in So. Calif. so the opportunities are far less.

Oldest son speaks Swiss German, German, and some Swedish.

[Moonchilde]

Four years of Spanish and at one time could speak it tolerably well. I would now speak it poorly, especially grammar/tense-wise, but I can still read it much better than speak it and understand a certain amount. When you grow up in CA you understand ‘Spanglish’ without giving it a thought and use it without giving it a thought as well.

[dex]

@Mominohio

---

@Mominohio wrote:

Had four years of Spanish in high school, and four quarters in college (yep, back when college year was divided into quarters), and would read novels in Spanish, and even think in Spanish oftentimes.

Over the years I have lost the conversational part of it all, but I could still communicate enough to get by in the language. 

In fact, several years ago, we were painting the outside of our house. One day, rain was expected, and I needed to know how many hours it would take the paint to be 'dry to touch'. I had spilled paint down the label covering all the English directions and information, but I could read the Spanish directions and get the information I needed to know.

We also live in an Amish community, and they are rather rude when in mixed company (referring to language not gender), and when they don't want you to know what they are talking about, they communicate with each other in their German/Dutch so the "English can't understand them. Right in the middle of a conversation with you, they will turn to each other and communicate in the other language and exclude you.  I find it very off putting and rude to do that in the company of others regardless of the language and nationalities involved.

So my son had 8 years of Spanish in school as well, and when they would start this, we'd simply begin to converse in Spanish. Needless to say, it didn't go over well, and we got some strange looks when we gave them a dose of their own medicine!

I personally think everyone should try to learn another language, at least one. There are so many aids/programs now that are supposed to be much easier than the way we were taught back in the day.

---

@LOL I think I have had that experience too but with someone speaking a different language.I remember thinking if you are saying something insulting about me it won't work in that language.

[patbz]

Had two years of French in HS and another two years in college.  I lived in Germany for eight years and took German through college extension.  Although I'm not fluent in either language, I know enough to decipher signs/menus in Romance languages plus German (especially if I've had a beer--to take away some of my inhibitions).  Even in Brazil (where they speak Portuguese) German helped some, as many speak it as a second language.  My best travel aide is a fold out laminated thingy where you just point to a picture in order to communicate many travel related issues.