Speaking multiple languages

Romania
February 23, 2020 8:37am CST
I am a Hungarian living in Transylvania, formerly part of Hungary, now part of Romania. So, I speak Hungarian and Romanian at native level. And I learned to speak English fluently, even if I make some mistakes, both spoken and written. But I think it is easy to understand me. I also understand German very well, but I have problems speaking it, because I don't really have people to exercise it. I can also understand a bit of Spanish and speak a bit of it. Do you speak multiple languages? If so, which ones?
8 people like this
9 responses
@Torunn (8606)
• Norway
23 Feb 20
I speak Norwegian, English and German, so 3 related language. They don't sound the same, but there's definitly some similarities. I can read and understand Swedish and Danish because they're fairly similar to Norwegian. Can't speak them, 'cause that would be like changing dialect. I've learned some Icelandic and French, so I can read a bit, order food out etc but not really have a conversation. And after at least one trip to Finland every hear for 22 years I can swear in Finnish, count to ten and say "thanks". And I can read the ingredient lists for food. I should try to learn some more, but they all speak Swedish or English. What I remember from Hungary was reading the signs and thinking "Uh?". In most other European languages, even Finnish and Estonian, I can make a fair guess based on where the sign is, but Hungary was really a big "Uh?"
2 people like this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
You know a lot of languages! As for Hungarian, it is a very difficult language and it is also fairly unique. But I love it, as it is my mother tongue.
1 person likes this
@Torunn (8606)
• Norway
23 Feb 20
@rappeter13 Reading Danish is like reading Norwegian with some mistakes :-) The difference when we speak is definitly much bigger, so understanding Swedish and Danish is worse when it's spoken. My Finnish friends had to study Estonian or Hungarian in university, as a part of their Finnish studies. They chose Hungarian and found it really difficult, Estonian would have been much easier they said because they're more closely related.
2 people like this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
@Torunn We have a saying: You cannot learn Hungarian when you are a grown up. If you didn't learn it while you were a child, there are small chances to learn it as a grown up. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but it shows how difficult our language is.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
28 Feb 20
I don't but I do admire people who do. My partner speaks fluent English, German French and Russian. He is also able to speak a little Spanish. He picks them up so easily. I only know a little pigeon French that I learned at school.
1 person likes this
• Romania
28 Feb 20
Your partner has learned a very difficult language: Russian. I also feel that I have a sense to pick up languages and accents, but if I don't use them for a while, I forget them.
1 person likes this
• Romania
28 Feb 20
@sprite1950 That is amazing. He could have been a great politician, with this language knowledge.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
28 Feb 20
@rappeter13 He never forgets them but he does try to keep them all going by using them frequently, talking to people of different nationalities and reading books. He speaks German with an Austrian accent and German people don't realise he's English when they speak with him.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31365)
• Denmark
23 Feb 20
I speak Danish, English and Italian. I understand German, but I haven't written German for a long time. I studied French at school. I haven't used it much since I left school and I have probably forgotten many of the words. I have also studied Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese (beginner level)
1 person likes this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
That is impressive! Are you able to have a basic conversation in Chinese or Russian?
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31365)
• Denmark
23 Feb 20
@rappeter13 Thanks. I am able to understand a very basic conversation in Russian, but I am not good at reading it or speaking it. Chinese is still a new language to me, I started about a year and a half ago. My vocabulary is still very limited, but I hope to learn more in the future.
1 person likes this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
@Porcospino How about the pronunciation? I guess that is the most difficult in Chinese.
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
23 Feb 20
I am Italian, I was born in Milan (once part of Hungarian Empire ), so Italian is my native language. We lived in France, French is my second language, I speak Spanish, English and I can understand German.
1 person likes this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
That is wonderful! Milano was under Austrian ruling, if my information is correct.
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@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
23 Feb 20
@rappeter13 Yes, Milano was under Austrian-Hungarian ruling, we should have not changed.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
24 Feb 20
@MALUSE German, I have no contacts with Swiss Germans, the husband of my neighbor is Swiss German but he always speaks Italian... well Swiss Italian.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (79311)
• Germany
23 Feb 20
Yes, I speak multiple languages Tagalog, Bisayan, English and German.
1 person likes this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
That is great! Which is your mother tongue?
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (79311)
• Germany
23 Feb 20
@rappeter13 Bisayan is my mother tongue as I came from the southern part of the Philippines which is called Mindanao.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
24 Feb 20
That's cool! I only speak Tagalog and English.
1 person likes this
• Romania
25 Feb 20
Still, you can speak more than one language, which is great.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381741)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Feb 20
I really admire people who speak more than one languages. Many Australians only know English. I'm one of them although I can make myself understood in French which I first learnt at school.
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• Romania
24 Feb 20
That means that you also speak more than one language, even if you are not proficient in French.
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23 Feb 20
I speak English and this is all.
1 person likes this
• Romania
23 Feb 20
And that is probably enough, too.
@florelway (23339)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
29 Feb 20
I speak english and three filipino dialects.
1 person likes this