How many languages can you speak?

1. 60

   Smart is Goodposted 13 years ago

   Name the languages you can speak including your mother language and how good do you speak the others.
   My mother Language is Spanish, I speak advanced English and intermediate French. I'd love to keep learning german because I only know a few words and phrases but would love to know more.

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   1. 60

      ManinaBlueSuitposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My mother language is American English. I can understand basic French (elementary school kid level) and know bits of Swedish, Finnish, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, British English and Aussie English. I know "hello" in a lot more languages, including German and Mandarin Chinese.

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      1. 73

         lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Ni hao ma?  That's my understanding of "How are you?" in Mandarin-I spent 9 months in Beijing back in '85 when the country was in HUGE turmoil politically, Mao statues were being bulldozed everywhere, then they were rebuilt!  Crazy stuff, it was!!
         Anyway, I like this thread...I speak very little Mandarin, I don't recall much, but still have my books.  I also speak English and a un peu de Francais, no mucho Spanish, and ich may leibe German, but can't speak it worth a hoot!

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         1. 61

            sadieanneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I'm currently living in China and after failing miserably at every other language I've tried I can speak, read and write Mandarin to an alright level!
            
            So I guess I can just speak two languages, English and semi-good Mandarin!

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   2. 83

      vox vocisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting that you say "mother language" - we learned that the correct expression is "mother toungue" (although it sounds odd). Books written by world famous linguists confirm what we've learned I speak five languages: fluent Croatian (South European, Slavic language) English, Italian, German and intermediate Spanish. Hoping to reach the next level with Spanish.

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   3. 60

      HubAnthony212posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My mother language is English. I speak advanced Spanish, intermediate Korean, and a little Tagalog and Japanese.

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   4. 77

      sarovaiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      five languages.Includes my mother tongue. It is not great?.

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   5. 82

      catsimmonsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Two: English and body language :-D

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      1. 78

         lobobrandonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Nice one catsimmons

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   6. 60

      pmilesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      English, a lot of Spanish, some Japanese, and about five words of Vietnamese.

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   7. 66

      ronhiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well, my mum is a Luhya and my dad a Kalenjin (Kenyan Tribes). I speak my mums language (Luhya very fluently). I  am also fluent in Swahili and English. I have always wanted to learn Spanish and French but somehow, i keep procrastinating

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   8. 0

      Daniella Lopezposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I learned English and Spanish simultaneously as a child, so I'm really not sure which one I learned first. My parents spoke both around us kids. I speak English mostly now, so I'm more comfortable with English. I also know ASL fluently and am currently learning French.

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   9. 71

      Abhaque Supanjangposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My mother tongue is Minangkabau and my national Language is Indonesian, I can speak them both very well. Since Malaysian is not far different from Indonesian, I also can speak and understand Malaysian well. English, is the next one. Beside them, I also know Arabic, because Muslims' holy book is written in Arabic. I also once learnt Japanese for one year at my college before. And I know many expression in Javanese and Sundanese.
      
      

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   10. 60

       Essi Paasikiviposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Well, I speak:
       NATIVE:
       Finnish
       PROFICIENT:
       English
       BEGINNERS LEVEL:
       Swedish
       Japanese
       Finnish sign language
       I KNOW FEW WORDS AND/ OR PHRASES:
       German
       French
       Estonian

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2. 53

   maxraviposted 13 years ago

   Well my mother tongue is Hindi.I know english and tamil a regional lang in India.presently I am learning French and spanish

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3. 57

   OutWestposted 13 years ago

   I speak a bit of american sign language...but is that considered speaking?

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   1. 60

      ManinaBlueSuitposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ASL is a language so "speaking" works. You can spea" with your hands. It doesn't need to be verbal.

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4. 50

   Hard Cheeseposted 13 years ago

   My mother toungue is Danish, but I speak better english and advanced Spainsh. Was fluent in Italian when I was a child and quite good at German but struggeling in French. I've 'lost' most of my Italian, German and French through lack of use and now since I have become profoundly deaf I am considering learning sign language.

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5. 0

   Sherlock221bposted 13 years ago

   The thing about languages, is that you need to use them constantly in order to remember them.  In my time, I have spoken rudimentary French, Spanish, German and classical Latin.  However, as it has been years since I used them, I only remember a few words in each language.

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      classicalgeekposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      How right you are! I forgot my mother tongue completely, never got completely fluent in another language, and had to relearn my mother tongue as an adult!

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6. 62

   calpol25posted 13 years ago

   I speak Dutch, English, German, French, Swedish, Sarcastic, Drunk, Double Dutch and not to mention that I can speak Gobbledegook too.

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7. 0

   Home Girlposted 13 years ago

   I can speak sarcastic pretty well, don't know about French...

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   1. 62

      calpol25posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am glad I have found a fellow speakist of my sarcastic language, it is my mother tongue - I came from the lower cheaky sod region in smugville it was lovely living there too x

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         Home Girlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I emerged from ruins of  the country that for 70 years shamelessly boasted to be a superpower but could not provide people with basic necessities like freedom and ... running water. I hate politeness and mannerism when there is emptiness behind it. I hate being politically correct. I hated myself for many years, now I enjoy being me.  Like me or hate me, just do not expect me being nice all the time, because life is not nice.

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8. 0

   klevifushaposted 13 years ago

   I speak Albanian (which is my native language, or "mother tongue" as you referred to it) and English fluently. I would also say I have advanced knowledge in Italian and some basic understanding, reading and writing skills in Spanish. However, due to lack of practice, I cannot speak Spanish without mumbling or throwing in an "eh" after every other word.

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   1. 60

      Smart is Goodposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That's funny, neither can native spanish speakers. We always put an eh, este, um, before saying things. SO you're good

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         klevifushaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         LOL thanks for that uplifting comment.

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9. 61

   kwarcimposted 13 years ago

   My native language is English, but I can also speak advanced Spanish.  Would like to learn more QueQchi, a language where I am residing at, but I seem to forget all the new vocab... basically, as soon as I hear it. Perhaps I should take some classes.

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10. 60

    giselenmendezposted 13 years ago

    My mother language is Spanish and I speak advanced English. Also I speak intermediate Italian and Portuguese. In a couple of months I will start taking German lessons

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11. 56

    ftclickposted 13 years ago

    I speak US English and intermediate/advanced Brazilian Portugues. I would love to learn French.

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12. 61

    Boisclair21posted 13 years ago

    My native language is French from Quebec. Since Canada is a blingual country, I had to learn English.  To do so, I studied in an English University in Illinois, USA. There, I learned Spanish (Intermediate) and a base in German.

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13. 60

    sanatharaposted 13 years ago

    I can speak Gujarati, Hindi and English.

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14. 60

    Casey Strouseposted 13 years ago

    I speak English and Esperanto fluently and have a basic knowledge of German.

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       rhysclayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Really, where did you learn Esperanto?

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    2. 84

       WriteAngledposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Saluton Casey,
       
       Ankaux mi parolas Esperanton, kaj ecx aperigis poemaron en la prahistorio! 
       
       [Hello Casey,
       
       I also speak Esperanto and even published a poetry collection in the distant past.]
       
       Rhysclay, there are a number of courses on the Internet. Otherwise, I'm sure your national Esperanto association can tell you of many more.
       
       With respect to other languages, I grew up in a Polish family in London, but would say English is my native language because I am totally fluent in it (despite not speaking it till I was 5), while any attempt to speak Polish now would produce pigeon-Polish at best.
       
       I translate medical documents out of Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, French, German and Spanish. I'm good at reading/understanding/translation, but hopeless at speaking and have no opportunities to do so. However, if I went to live in a relevant country, I'd pick up speaking fairly soon, as I did when I lived in Croatia for 5 years.
       
       Currently, I'm learning Welsh. I've just started my fourth year, at one lesson a week in school term times. I can honestly say it is the most difficult language I have ever tried to learn, but I'm having fun. It is also starting to open the whole world of Welsh-language culture to me, which is providing me with some extremely rewarding experiences.
       
       Unfortunately, in South Wales, where I live, Welsh is not spoken in the community at large, although there are a number of people even here whose first language is Welsh. However, I don't get the opportunity to use Welsh on a daily basis.

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15. 80

    classicalgeekposted 13 years ago

    My mother tongue was American English but I forgot it. Then I learned (not with complete fluency, and in no particular order) French, German, Italian, Czech, classical Latin, and I can still get by in most of those and am fluent in French. Then I returned to the United States and relearned my mother tongue from scratch. So I guess I'm one of the few people without a native language!

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    1. 99

       Sparrowletposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       My native language is American English. I speak Spanish very well, German well, French passably and Russian a little. (been too long since I've used the Russian, I forget a lot of it) I would like to learn Italian and maybe something exotic like Hawaiian! Language ROCK!

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       1. 99

          Sparrowletposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          What I meant was..... Languages ROCK!!

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16. 66

    emievilposted 13 years ago

    I speak Tagalog (the basis for our national language, Filipino) and English. I also know Cebuano or Bisaya, a major language here in my country, and some words in our other native languages. Also know some (and I put emphasis on the word some) Spanish, French and Japanese .

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17. 0

    kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years ago

    three
    
    english?
    swearing
    signing

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18. 70

    Sue Adamsposted 13 years ago

    I speak 5 languages fluently: French, Dutch, German, English and Spanish. Life's circumstances forced me into this situation:
    
    I was Born in Budapest and spoke Hungarian until the age of four when we moved to France. The French kids called us "the dirty foreigners at school. So my brother forbade us to speak Hungarian. Within 3 months we forgot our mother tongue and became "French".
    
    When I was 11 my family moved to Holland. Here the people loved us as the "interesting French kids". Six months on we spoke fluent Dutch.
    
    At 19 I went to work for a Ballet company in Berlin for 5 years and had to learn German.
    
    At age 25 I moved to London England for many years.
    
    Now I've lived in Spain of over 10 years.
    
    Had I not forgotten Hungarian I would speak 6 languages. The funny thing is that I can still speak fake Hungarian. I have retained the intonation and the accent but do not possess the vocabulary.

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19. 75

    stephaniedasposted 13 years ago

    I speak 2 languages fluently. English is my native language, and I learned Spanish when I was a teenager (i was an exchange student). I also stayed with Italian friends for a few months when I was a teenager and became conversational in Italian, but I wouldn't say fluent. I've studied French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Quichua, but I would not by any means say I speak any of those. Of course, I'd be more than happy to learn all of them.

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20. 59

    Hollie Thomasposted 13 years ago

    I studied Spanish to intermediate level and really enjoyed it, however,this was through the Open University and I didn't have anyone to practice with which is a shame. I wouldn't say that I can speak Spanish, just have a basic understanding.

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21. 83

    Gordon Hamiltonposted 13 years ago

    I used to work with a woman (in the bank!) who called herself bilingual. She said she spoke the English language and bad language. Working with her for years, I found she was considerably more fluent in the latter...

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       Hollie Thomasposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       

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22. 75

    barryrutherfordposted 13 years ago

    I speak some French and Japanese native tongue being English but mainly speak
    
    Australian  (pronouced  Straaalian)

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    1. 75

       stephaniedasposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I have had some Australian friends who taught me some of this language! Some of them were bogans!

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23. 76

    AEvansposted 13 years ago

    English, Spanish and a pinch of Gaelic. I am working on learning Japanese does anyone care to help me?

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24. 60

    Bharatthapaposted 13 years ago

    Fluently:-English,Hindi,Nepalese & Urdu.
    For survival:-Punjabi, Bhojpuri,haryanvi and spanish(and learning it too).
    
    

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25. 76

    Zabbellaposted 13 years ago

    I was born in America, but my primary language is Spanish. My mom thought it would be best for us to learn Spanish first because English was going to be for the long haul.  She was very insightful.

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26. 70

    Cardiaposted 13 years ago

    English is my native tongue, and I also speak intermediate French. I speak basic Spanish as well, but I really hope to improve it. I also speak some Barbadian slang (that's where I live!)
    
    I really want to learn another language, like maybe German or Japanese

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27. 60

    arekwhiteposted 13 years ago

    only english i know but i can speak German language but not properly..

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28. 50

    echieselearningposted 13 years ago

    Well I am intrested in Chinese .All of my families are like it.
    If I have problem with Chinese , I would like to click echineselearning.
    
    There are many resources from China,and I can learn chinese culture at
    
    the same time.
    You may have a try.
    http://www.echineselearning.com

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29. 59

    eternals3ptemberposted 13 years ago

    Fluent in English, capable of speaking French when I need to, and I'm told I speak great "Traveler's Español," Spanglish

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30. 100

    leahleflerposted 13 years ago

    My mother-tongue is English, and I used to be fluent in Spanish. Unfortunately, lack of use had made my Spanish skills a bit rusty, though it comes back when I need it (my little boy's hospital roommate spoke only Spanish and I was able to communicate with her, though my grammar and vocabulary had diminished over time).

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31. 60

    soutienscolairefrposted 12 years ago

    I think that a child has a facility to learn languages and could d this more easily than an adult.
    I know a gril that speak siw languages without any difficulties ...
    But, she was living in three of the siw ountries which help ...
    The best way to learn is to practise in the country !!
    Good luck !

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32. 88

    Fabiana03posted 12 years ago

    Portuguese was is my first language, but since I've lived here since I was 13 years old, English is easier for me. However, I won't dare talk in English with my parents.I also understand Spanish very well.

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33. 61

    CHRIS57posted 12 years ago

    My collection of languages holds English, German, Low German, Russian and French. For my English and German i certainly pass as native speaker (Born in Germany, raised in the US). Russian natives consider me to be from some former soviet baltic countries (Estonia or Latvia), fairly fluent in Russian but with noticable accent. My French always gives native speakers a smile, but i get along quite well, they tell me i speak French with a strong anglosaxon accent. My low German background (my grandma only spoke low German with me) makes it fairly easy to understand the basics of Dutch and Flamish.
    Of course my school latin helps a little in following most Roman languages (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian), speaking though is very difficult, especially Portuguese.

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34. 70

    Sue Adamsposted 12 years ago

    Born in Budapest, left for Paris aged 3, moved to Amsterdam aged 11, to Berlin at 19, and to London at 25 now live in Spain. Unfortunately I forgot the Hungarian. Otherwise...
    
    Je parle Francais
    Ik spreek Nederlands
    Ich spreche Deutsh
    I speak English
    Hablo Español
    
    That makes five languages fluently. Not boasting, life just forced me to learn all those languages. I always enjoy surprising foreigners by coming at them in their own language. It's also very useful for foreign movies on YouTube without subtitles.

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35. 52

    Kareem888posted 4 years ago

    Hello, my mother tongue is English, I’m currently in China where I am learning Mandarin, learnt for 2 semesters in a university here, great experience. Now learning Mandarin online with Instant Mandarin (https://www.instantmandarin.com). Love learning Mandarin

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