And here I thought English is an international language
By UmiNoor
@UmiNoor (4521)
Malaysia
November 6, 2017 9:35pm CST
Yesterday, my daughter and I had a conversation about her trip to Paris a few years back and I was quite shocked that she told me she had a hard time being understood there. Parisians apparently don't speak English!
And here I thought English is spoken by everyone on Earth. Apparently not.
6 people like this
7 responses
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
7 Nov 17
even if you're used to english then went to an english-speaking country, it can take a while to get used to the accent, the speed or speech pattern and the vocabulary.
3 people like this
@UmiNoor (4521)
• Malaysia
7 Nov 17
That is true. Even my native language, Bahasa Melayu, has many dialects. Some of which I can't understand. Even within my own country, I will have trouble communicating with my native language. I can imagine that there will be many English dialects and accents that will make communication difficult if not impossible.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502622)
• Italy
7 Nov 17
It's very wrong to think that English is spoken in every country of the world. In Europe we speak our own native languages. Cultured people also speak other languages. French people do not appreciate at all to speak English, they consider that French is a more important language. Many times they do not make an effort, even if they studied English. I know, because I lived 30 years in France.
3 people like this
some countries love their own language so much that they do not bother studying other languages, so foreigners just have to adjust and find ways 
@Shiva49 (28387)
• Singapore
7 Nov 17
Though English is spoken and understood in more countries than any other language, there are still countries where people do not speak it. Each country has their own or many languages.
However, one can manage with English at most places as there are always the few who can help out - siva
2 people like this
@UmiNoor (4521)
• Malaysia
7 Nov 17
Yes. There will be a few that will help tourists who can't speak the native language. When I went to Beijing, many of the shopkeepers don't speak English so to ask about items that were on sale, we used a calculator. Numbers are a universal language. Everybody understands numbers.
2 people like this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
1 Dec 17
I think the French want you to come and speak French. Maybe they do not want to be bothered with those that do not speak the language. Most places English is an International language. Here in Israel there are a lot of people speak English and even those born here want to practice their English on people.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
4 Dec 17
@UmiNoor
UniNoor, I was not born in Israel. The Hebrew I learned was not much or what they speak here in Israel. English is my mother tongue. I went to a place to learn Hebrew. Hebrew is the language of the country and there are Israelis that speak English or like to practice their English on English speakers.
@nawala123 (20871)
• Indonesia
30 Nov 18
french and british have long issue and argument
1 person likes this
@UmiNoor (4521)
• Malaysia
1 Dec 18
@nawala123 Perhaps we can say the same thing about Malaysia and Indonesia too. Pride and history.
