Foreign languages in elementary school and high school

@Porcospino (31367)
Denmark
March 17, 2011 5:37pm CST
Do you learn foreign languages in elementary school in your country? What about high school? Is it compulsory or optional to study foreign languages? Did you like the language lessons? Why/why not? I live in Denmark and I learned English from the 5th grade, German from the 7th grade and French from the 9th grade. English and German were compulsory, but French was optional. In high school I also learned English, German and French. Some of my classmates chose Spanish instead of French. At some high schools it was possible to choose other languages for instanse Italian or Japanese.
1 person likes this
8 responses
@mac1946 (1602)
• Calgary, Alberta
18 Mar 11
In Canada,it is compulsory to learn french,I was forced to learn this in school from grade 7 and was actually suspended for constantly correcting the teacher. You see,the french we had to learn was french canadian,not European French. I find learning other languages quite easy at times as well as fun. I did learn True French when I traveled to Paris when young,and that was my reason for correcting the teachers.
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@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
19 Mar 11
I didn't know that there was a difference between French Canadian and European French. In my country we learn European French. In the 9th and 10th grade French wasn't a compulsory subject, but I have always been interested in languages and when I had the chance to learn French I signed up for the class. In high school I also learned French. Since that time I haven't used it that much, and unfortuneately I have forgotten many of the words.
@mac1946 (1602)
• Calgary, Alberta
20 Mar 11
French Canadian is actually a mix of French,and Native Indian languages,while some words can be the same,most are totally confusing.
1 person likes this
• India
29 Mar 11
hi i am rahul from india dear frien!!! well as you ask the question i had not learn foreign language in my school dear friend cuz. in india this feautre is not allowed. dear you have to happy cuz in you country this feautre is available then be happy and try to get profit by this feature.
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@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
29 Mar 11
I am very happy that I have had the chance to learn many different languages in school, and it has been very useful for me in many ways. My country is very small and I think that is one of the reasons why languages have a high priority. If we want to communicate with the rest of the world we can't use our local languages, because other countries don't understand that. We have to learn English and other foreign languages, otherwise a lot of things would be very difficult for us.
@Anitismo (229)
• Bahamas
18 Mar 11
I tired Spanish in the 7 and 8 grade but It wasn't easy for me and then in went to university and I had to learn because it was in a Latin country. I believe not everyone wants it, and not everyone needs it so being optional in school works.
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@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Mar 11
In Denmark English and German are compulary in elementary school. In high school languages were also compulsory. The system is different today, but when I was in high school there were two lines: The language line and science line, but even students on the science line had two languages: English and another foreign language The students on the language line had 3 languages. So in my country languages aren't optional.
@dheckerz (473)
• Philippines
18 Mar 11
Hi Porcospino, I'm from the Philippines, here there are private elemantary and secondary schools that gives you an option to take foreign language classes but it's not compulsory. I would love to learn other language if given a chance. In college, we have spanish, mandarin and other subject that has to be taken though.
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@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Mar 11
I didn't know that foreign languages were optional in the Philippines. In my country languages are compulsary in elementary school and high school. The rules are the same for public schools and private schools and in both kinds of schools the students have to study foreign languages. It hasn't always been like that and when my grandmother went to school they didn't learn other languages.
@nangisha (3496)
• Indonesia
28 Mar 11
Hi Porcospino!. I learn in English junior high but this day they teach it from elementary school. they start to learn from a very basic like number and alphabetic. I think kids this day has better English than I in thats age. Many of them got English course since they were in elementary school. I personally never take any English course because at those time is a necessity. I just lucky meet a great teacher in high school who made interesting in English.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
28 Mar 11
Here in Denmark the students learn English from elementary school. I had English from the 5th grade, but today some school starts before that (in the first or the second grade) Some people are against and say that they the students have to learn to read and write Danish before they learn English and others think that it is a good thing to learn English very early.
• Philippines
18 Mar 11
I leanred English as my second language when I was in the second or third grade of elementary. In our educational system, it is compulsary and an integral part of our education. One of the medium of instruction in my country is our mother tongue and English. Right now, the youth is more adapatable to the English language rather than in the mother tongue. I have to say that I liked and envy the system of your country. I wanted to learn other languages for a long time but can't find a good school and a good time to actually learn intensely. Our people have traces of conversational Spanish but it is the adults who often use the language while the youth uses the English language.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
19 Mar 11
I think that system in my country is great, because we get the chance to learn several languages. I have used German in Germany and French in France, but most of all I use English. There would be a lot things that I wouldn't be able to do if I didn't speak English, because our local language is not very useful when we want to communicate with the rest of the world. People from my grandmother's generation haven't learned foreign languages at school, but today English is a compulsory subject. The young people often use English expressions, and they mix the Danish and the English language.
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
18 Mar 11
At my high school, we have to pick a foreign language, I choose Spanish. When I go to college, I also pick Spanish, one of the easiest language to learn within my country. So, yes, it is compulsory to learn a foreign language here.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Mar 11
My ex-boyfriend studied Spanish and he sometimes used Spanish expressions when he talked, so I understand a few words, but that is all. I have never studied Spanish at school. At my high school it was possible to study Spanish, but I chose French instead, because I had Frence in elementary school and I wanted to continue with that instead of learning a new language.
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
17 Mar 11
Hi, Porcospino! You have a wonderful tradition in Denmark. I love to learn foreign languages, I think that this is a real wealth. My country is Bulgaria and years ago the first foreign language from the 3rd grade was Russian and later we had another - "western" language - English, German or French. But we had many oportunities outside of school. I've learned french since I was 6 years old and in the secondary school I began to learn also English. Now there are various possibilities and many children learn two foreign languages.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Mar 11
I also love to learn foreign languages, and there are several languages that I would like to learn one day My mother studied Russian when she was younger, but she never used it and she doesn't remember much of it today. You learned French before you learned English, here in Denmark the first foreign language is always English. In a small country like Denmark it is very important to learn English, because we can't communicate with the rest of the world in Danish.