Do You Speak Any Languages Besides English (Including ASL/Foreign Sign Languages)

[rastahomie]

I took Spanish for four years in high school and three years in college. Here 25 years later, and I can still more or less figure out the gist of written Spanish, especially if it's written at, say, a third-grade reading level. Speaking or writing Spanish, I could hammer out something resembling a coherent sentence, if I ever needed to, although the reader/hearer would probably think I was stupid.

As far as hearing spoken Spanish, I'm useless. Even when it's the little kids on Sesame Street, I can only pick up about a third of the words they're saying.

As for other languages:

I can sometimes kind of figure out what someone is saying in Portuguese, based on its similarity to Spanish.
I know a couple hundred words, and a handful of phrases, in both French and Japanese.
I also know about two dozen words in ASL (American Sign Language); when I worked providing care to the developmentally disabled, some of our non-verbal clients could understand a few signs ("stop," "work," "toilet," "more," etc.) and I picked up a few in my career.
I like to sprinkle my speech with Yiddish, which is a fun, comical language that can convey things that English can't. My favorite Yiddish word is "ferkakte," which means... something similar to the F-word in English (when it's used as an adjective), only much, much milder. As in, "I'm turning blue from climbing up all those ferkakte stairs!"

 

[MochaDrinker]

I am learning Dutch right now. It's just hard enough to be enjoyable.

 

[porschegrl]

A long, long time ago, I tried to learn Lithuanian. I didn't get very far, but I still remember how to say, "My house is large and beautiful" (although when that would ever come up in conversation, I don't know).

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Spanish.

I grew up only speaking Spanish until I was about to start school.

 

[rastahomie]

Spanish.

I grew up only speaking Spanish until I was about to start school.

¿Todavia recuerdas tu Español? ¿Hoy tienes oportunidades a hablar Español? ¿Por ejemplo, con tu familia?

(And so no one feels left out, I asked him/her if he/she still remembers their Spanish, and has opportunities to speak it.)

 

[Klayfish]

If four letter words are a language, then I'm a master.

Outside of that, not anymore. I was raised Jewish, so up until about 13 I was pretty fluent in Hebrew, but don't know a single word anymore. I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and became pretty fluent, but have also long forgotten it.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

¿Todavia recuerdas tu Español? ¿Hoy tienes oportunidades a hablar Español? ¿Por ejemplo, con tu familia?

(And so no one feels left out, I asked him/her if he/she still remembers their Spanish, and has opportunities to speak it.)

My in laws do not speak a lick of English. Not a word. So I speak with them. Also I work in an area with a high Hispanic population so I speak Spanish to the patients.

My parents speak fluent English and Spanish. My grandparents also speak pretty good English but they prefer to speak Spanish. But it usually works that they speak to me in Spanish and I answer in English.

Sad part is my children do not speak fluently. They can understand it but I should have spoken to them a lot more in Spanish.

 

[ImDMous]

I took German in high school and Spanish in college, but can't really speak either. Living in So Cal, I do at least get to practice my vocabulary often with store signs and advertising but if someone speaks to me, I'm ashamed to say I understand very little.

 

[prprincess]

I speak Spanish - grew up in a half English/half Spanish speaking household, since I am second generation Puerto Rican.

I took French in High School, and can speak it enough to get by when I go to Montreal and other French-speaking places. I can also pretty much comprehend Italian and Portuguese since I know Spanish and French. My in-laws are Filipino, and same thing--several of their Tagalog words are derived from the Spanish language, so I can understand most of their conversations as well.

 

[rastahomie]

I took German in high school and Spanish in college, but can't really speak either. Living in So Cal, I do at least get to practice my vocabulary often with store signs and advertising but if someone speaks to me, I'm ashamed to say I understand very little.

I was in a cab in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and overheard the driver talking back & forth with his dispatch on the radio. I only picked up a couple of words here and there - playa (beach), barco (ship), camino (street/road). But I distinctly heard the word Gringo. So when we stopped and got out I told him, in perfect Spanish, "Mexican cab drivers should learn that many Americans speak Spanish." The look on his face was priceless!

 

[rastahomie]

I am learning Dutch right now. It's just hard enough to be enjoyable.

A FB friend of mine is learning... Cornish or Welsh, one of those. I told her to just stuff her mouth with marshmallows and speak English; same general idea, lol.

 

[wilkeliza]

I was pretty fluent in ASL but then outside of the classroom had very little oppression to speak it. I still can get by conversationally but will always sign please forgive me I'm slow at ASL first so they know I'm not the best.

I knew spanish as a kid but can't really speak it all any more. I know a few words like bathroom, library, baby, etc but couldn't form a sentence past there is a cat in the library.

Same with German. I learned it in high school and never used it outside talking with my grandpa and bff. Now just know a few random words and sentences.

 

[BLAZEY]

I can read French and understand it if spoken slowly enough. My husband and daughter are fluent as they were (are) in French Immersion in school. I also took Japanese and can understand a little bit of that too. I don't use it enough now to keep it fresh in my mind.

 

[wilkeliza]

Oh I forgot I'm starting to learn hebrew. I know enough to get by in services but it is a hard language to learn for conversation or has been in my experience.

 

[E&Cmom]

I grew up speaking Spanish at home since my Mom was from Spain. Sadly, since she passed away I don't use it very often anymore.

I also speak French as I grew up in Montreal and took French all through school. Again I don't use it very often anymore. At least I can help my kids now that they take French at school.

I took a class in Italian in college.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I know a little French - more to read than speak.

I took two years (all that was offered in high school) and 4 semesters in college.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

I can speak, read and write in French and Greek. Greek is my mother tongue and I was educated in French and English so I have no preference of which one I prefer using. My dh dd and ds are the same.

 

[design_mom]

Not really. I know several words and phrases in several languages, but not fluently, or even enough to get along in every-day life.

At one point I knew enough Russian that I could get by on my own as a tourist. (I had a translator for official business, but I could order at a restaurant, buy stuff at the store, ask directions, etc by myself.) But it's been 10+ years since I've really used it, so I doubt I could do it now. It's amazing how language seems to be a use-it-or-lose-it thing while other things are "like riding a bike," once you learn, you never forget.

I took Latin in high school and that's not very useful when it comes to speaking. However, one time in college I was working on a group project and the only article that we could find about this particular subject was in Italian. This was before Google Translate. One of my group members was fluent in Spanish. Between her Spanish, and my Latin, we were able to figure out the info we needed to know from the Italian article. We were pretty proud of ourselves.

For example: I don't know Spanish beyond a few words, but I probably could have gotten the gist of what Rastahomie wrote: ¿Todavia recuerdas tu Español? ¿Hoy tienes oportunidades a hablar Español? ¿Por ejemplo, con tu familia? = "¿Todavia recuerdas [your Spanish]? ¿Hoy tienes [opportunities] a [speak Spanish]? ¿[For example, with your family]?"

 

[Babs Johnson]

Like the OP, I took Spanish in high school and college, and can still read and speak it on perhaps a 4th grade level. But as for hearing others speak it, it's difficult to understand all except the most simple phrases.

¿Todavia recuerdas tu Español? ¿Hoy tienes oportunidades a hablar Español? ¿Por ejemplo, con tu familia?

(And so no one feels left out, I asked him/her if he/she still remembers their Spanish, and has opportunities to speak it.)

Had no problem understanding reading that and I probably would comprehend it it was spoken to me. I really don't much opportunity to speak it, however.

 

[rastahomie]

Greek is my mother tongue...

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