General

[BenoitOWN]

Are you a spy to learn that much language for to go all over the world? :3

I may like to learn a 3rd language myself

[StJimmy666]

Lol, well I've always wanted to be a cop, languages help. But as I progress through my majors at Uni I find that I'd rather work overseas, so learning languages became a must. I also hang out with our exchange students and international students a lot, so my wanting to head oversees is a bigger thing than before now.

Fluency in English and French, plus at least a working knowledge in German should help me get around a lot when I hit Europe, Mandarin is the most widely spoken language, and Spanish cause I want to understand what she says...you know xD Arabic and Latin are both on the list, but I think Arabic and Mandarin would be too much at once.

[towerofcards.19]

The only Spanish you'll ever need with that gal is "Me gusta tus tetas!"

[Cannon Fodder]

German is tricky since they have more regional accents than most countries, what you tend to learn in school is high German and when you get out into the country side people struggle to understand it (my mother did a German degree and still had problems when we went), luckily most of them speak good English.

The French however are fanatical about preserving their language so are reluctant to speak anything else to the extent that Charles De Gaulle airport is one of the most dangerous to land at in the world as they refuse to speak English to pilots (like the rest of the civilised world) which can lead to misunderstandings.

If you can speak Spanish you can pretty much speak Italian.

[Ramous]

My Sister-in-Law speaks several languages (at least 5 I can think of) and she swears by Rosetta Stone. Of course nothing works better than exposing yourself to the language/ culture, CDs maybe?

Edit** And after reading the above, my Dad can speak Italian and can understand a lot of spanish, more than enough to get around.

[ta2maki]

Originally Posted by Cannon Fodder

If you can speak Spanish you can pretty much speak Italian.

How's that? I found my slight knowledge of Spanish got in the way of trying to converse in Italian. Mainly because, only a few words are the same or similar. I kept using Spanish words that Italians could not understand.

A Spanish speaking friend also found the same difficulty when he travelled to Italy. He ended up speaking English because it was easier to be understood that way.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Trevorjk

best way ive found is this. Live there :-P

Also, carry a small notebook with you and write down some of the sentences on how you think it sounds (phonetics) then also write down the exact way its spellled with proper punctuation. Then write in english what the direct translation would be.

This will help you get the sound, also see the proper way its spelled and the translation. Writing it down like so will help your brain remember/memorize what you are learning.

example

Phonetic -Ick How Vahn Yow
Proper - Ik hou van jou.
Translation - I love you
(dutch btw)

on a side note, when you are fluent in German, you are almost 90% fluent in Dutch

You'll still have to learn Frisian, though.

[StJimmy666]

Originally Posted by ta2maki

How's that? I found my slight knowledge of Spanish got in the way of trying to converse in Italian. Mainly because, only a few words are the same or similar. I kept using Spanish words that Italians could not understand.

A Spanish speaking friend also found the same difficulty when he travelled to Italy. He ended up speaking English because it was easier to be understood that way.

I get this every time I visit Ottawa. I start using french and English interchangeably and everyone thinks I'm dumb >_<

[ta2maki]

Originally Posted by StJimmy666

I get this every time I visit Ottawa. I start using french and English interchangeably and everyone thinks I'm dumb >_<

I know your pain. While as a 2nd generation Japanese, I can speak Japanese with perfect accent. I don't know formal Japanese, so Every time I go to japan for business. I look like a idiot because I don't understand what my clients are saying.

[ogti9g9]

For German, Rammstein and oomph have helped me learn by myself, however pronunciation is a Completley different bird.