How often do you speak English?
hat languages do you speak and how often do you use them? How often do you speak your first target language? I'm just curious. Also what is your first target language? Non-native english speakers of europe, how often do you find yourself knowing how to say something in english but not in your native language?
Example: When I was 18-19, I worked at Carrefour. It was almost opening time and I was arranging items on the shelves. When I emptied the pallet there was a pile of sawdust and I just stood there for a while thinking what's it called in romanian when a coworker noticed me just standing there. When I told him why I was stuck he burst out laughing and left. Later at lunch time he finally told me... People who speak English as a second language, how often do you read books in English ?
I try to balance reading books in my native language and in English. I tend to read books with more complex language in my native and somewhat simpler books in English. For example, I've read American Gods in English, but I wouldn't do the same a book like Moby Dick, which for my current level of English, might be a little difficult and I'd have to look up new words every 5 seconds.... but I've been trying to challenge myself lately and maybe I'll read something more difficult to test my English abilities. So, people whose native language is not English, do you prefer sticking to your native language when reading books or you like to read them in English ? Is being able to speak English considered impressive in your country?
For UK/Ireland: Is being bilingual considered impressive? I'm especially curious about people not of immigrant background/not a Gaeilgeoir. How well do the people in your country speak English? For example if you talk to a stranger on the street in English, how likely is it that they will understand you or be able to have a conversation? Why is it considered rude to speak another language other than English in the U.S.?
I'm a bilingual (Spanish/English) Latina born and raised in Texas. I've noticed that sometimes if I'm speaking in Spanish out in public with another Spanish speaker people nearby who only speak English will get upset and tell us, "this is America, we speak English here and you have to learn the language!" I'm wondering why they get so upset, considering that our conversation has nothing to do with them. If I ask why they get upset, they say it's considered rude. And nowadays, you run the risk of upsetting a Karen type who will potentially cause a scene or become violent. I have gone to amusement parks where there are a lot of tourists from different countries and if I hear whole families speaking in their native tongue that I don't understand, my family and I don't get upset or feel threatened. We actually enjoy hearing different languages and dialects from other countries. I do not understand why it is considered rude. If I am speaking to you I will speak in a language that you understand. Otherwise, the conversation is none of your business. If you have a partner from another country. Did you bother to learn their language and what do you speak at home? Have you ever tried to speak to natives in your target language but they started to make fun of you because of your accent or not being able to express yourself very well ? And how did you react? When did you learn to speak English? How fluent are you at speaking it? How many people do you know that can speak it?
One of the things that amazes me about this sub is so many people from so many different countries that can speak English so well despite it not being a native language. Especially from eastern Europe, since the alphabet's completely different in some places. Also, how many other languages do you know? I'm trying to learn German at the moment, but es ist nicht einfach. If you are an American that only speaks English, how often do you interact with non-English speaking Americans or non-English speaking people living in the US? How often do you speak English offline? When did you last speak English with someone face to face?
Example: When I was 18-19, I worked at Carrefour. It was almost opening time and I was arranging items on the shelves. When I emptied the pallet there was a pile of sawdust and I just stood there for a while thinking what's it called in romanian when a coworker noticed me just standing there. When I told him why I was stuck he burst out laughing and left. Later at lunch time he finally told me... People who speak English as a second language, how often do you read books in English ?
I try to balance reading books in my native language and in English. I tend to read books with more complex language in my native and somewhat simpler books in English. For example, I've read American Gods in English, but I wouldn't do the same a book like Moby Dick, which for my current level of English, might be a little difficult and I'd have to look up new words every 5 seconds.... but I've been trying to challenge myself lately and maybe I'll read something more difficult to test my English abilities. So, people whose native language is not English, do you prefer sticking to your native language when reading books or you like to read them in English ? Is being able to speak English considered impressive in your country?
For UK/Ireland: Is being bilingual considered impressive? I'm especially curious about people not of immigrant background/not a Gaeilgeoir. How well do the people in your country speak English? For example if you talk to a stranger on the street in English, how likely is it that they will understand you or be able to have a conversation? Why is it considered rude to speak another language other than English in the U.S.?
I'm a bilingual (Spanish/English) Latina born and raised in Texas. I've noticed that sometimes if I'm speaking in Spanish out in public with another Spanish speaker people nearby who only speak English will get upset and tell us, "this is America, we speak English here and you have to learn the language!" I'm wondering why they get so upset, considering that our conversation has nothing to do with them. If I ask why they get upset, they say it's considered rude. And nowadays, you run the risk of upsetting a Karen type who will potentially cause a scene or become violent. I have gone to amusement parks where there are a lot of tourists from different countries and if I hear whole families speaking in their native tongue that I don't understand, my family and I don't get upset or feel threatened. We actually enjoy hearing different languages and dialects from other countries. I do not understand why it is considered rude. If I am speaking to you I will speak in a language that you understand. Otherwise, the conversation is none of your business. If you have a partner from another country. Did you bother to learn their language and what do you speak at home? Have you ever tried to speak to natives in your target language but they started to make fun of you because of your accent or not being able to express yourself very well ? And how did you react? When did you learn to speak English? How fluent are you at speaking it? How many people do you know that can speak it?
One of the things that amazes me about this sub is so many people from so many different countries that can speak English so well despite it not being a native language. Especially from eastern Europe, since the alphabet's completely different in some places. Also, how many other languages do you know? I'm trying to learn German at the moment, but es ist nicht einfach. If you are an American that only speaks English, how often do you interact with non-English speaking Americans or non-English speaking people living in the US? How often do you speak English offline? When did you last speak English with someone face to face?
