How many languages are you fluent in?

[Manzanas]

One of the things I like about TBT is that people from every part of the world visit it. Most of us are fluent in English, but I'm sure there are people that dominate more than one language in these forums.

1. Which are the languages that you know well enough to hold a conversation with a native speaker?
2. What are your methods for learning new languages?
3. Do you think learning a language other than English is worth it nowadays?

I feel confident speaking in English and Spanish.

 

[Liquid Ocelot]

1. English, German

2. Traditional instruction, but what always helps me is to just keep speaking it until it becomes second nature. Find someone you can talk to that speaks that language and keep up conversations as long as you can. Learning songs in the language can be kinda fun and helpful, too.

3. Hell yeah. I think English-speaking countries could benefit from becoming more open linguistically and- uh- not just assuming everyone's going to learn English.

 

[Vizionari]

1. English, Chinese

2. Currently, I am learning French, so some methods I use are to listen to other people say things and try to interpret their meanings through gestures and expressions. I also try to keep practicing until it's fused into my brain.

3. Of course! You'll definitely be able to understand more things around the world and learn new cultures. Better communication too

 

[MC4pros]

1. Gujarati, Hindi, French, Spanish, English, Manderin
2. Practice!
3. Yes!

 

[Delphine]

1. Which are the languages that you know well enough to hold a conversation with a native speaker?

French and English! French being my native language.

2. What are your methods for learning new languages?

Watch South Park TV shows, movies, videos on YouTube, play videogames, read, listen to music in the language you're trying to learn. Again, that is how I learned how to speak English. I like to think that it worked out pretty well.

3. Do you think learning a language other than English is worth it nowadays?

That is such an hegemonic thing to ask Chinese and Spanish are spoken in a lot of countries so it's definitely worth it to learn them. Any language is really worth being learnt in my opinion.
Would also like to bring up the fact that people don't really speak English but Globish nowadays.

 

[WhitneyLover]

1.German, Italian, English, French, and partly Irish. German(deutch) is my native.
2. What I do is go to native speakers(for the English Irish and French for me) and they teach me.
I'm not that great at explaining this stuff.
3. It's is worth learning more languages especially if you visit that country!
Ich Liebe Katzen!

 

[(ciel)]

1. English, Japanese (? I'm good enough to hold really good conversations, but I'm far from fluent)

2. Classes. I took Japanese all through high school, and now I'm continuing that and starting Chinese in college. I've tried teaching myself, but it's difficult. It also helps to have friends that are learning, too. My friends and I talk to each other in Japanese all the time. It really helps with speaking confidence. Because learning is one thing, but using it is another. I'm also taking everything I learn in Chinese and teaching it to my friend, because it helps me use what I've learned.

3. Absolutely. Spanish and Chinese especially can help land you a better job, even in the US, and other languages always stand out on a resume. But besides that, learning another language helps make you more culturally aware, and I, at least, find it a lot of fun. Especially if you ever get to communicate or have a penpal in that language.

 

[secretlyenvious]

1. English, Mandarin, French

2. Um, honestly, the only language that I really had to learn was French, since I grew up in a Mandarin-speaking household and "learned" English in school (and watching Disney movies, no lie). I feel that since French and English are grammatically similar, I had an easier time learning it, and it also improved my English skills.

3. I think Spanish and Mandarin will help, especially if you're looking to enter the business world. Otherwise, I feel that there is so much culture behind languages, and you should always be striving to learn more. I would love to be able to spend a year immersed in another country, learning a language merely because I live there.

 

[Meijin Kurito]

1.)Chinese,English,Filipino
2.)I learned by different methods. Chinese-from parents, Filipino from nanny before, and English from watching TV
3.)Definetly a yes!

 

[KarlaKGB]

1. Which are the languages that you know well enough to hold a conversation with a native speaker?

1. 
   You can do that without being fluent. Fluency is a very very high skill level.

 

[kuri_kame]

1. French, and German, and in a pinch (like trying to talk to my relatives when they don't know the right English to use) Lithuanian, sorta.
2. I like using flash cards to help broaden my vocabulary, but I'm pretty good at picking up a language if I apply myself.
3. It's definitely worth it to learn a language other than English because so many people move around and travel to other countries that it will be very useful at some point.

 

[rosabelle]

1. Filipino/Tagalog, English

2. I try to self-study. I used to study speaking in Spanish. Just started with simple words until I can speak in sentences

3. Yeah, I think it'll be very helpful. A plus if you'll be traveling to different places.

 

[AskaRay]

1. English and Japanese... I'd say 1.5
2. Really the only thing now would be to just go back to Japan where everyone's always speaking it, to me and around me. I mean, I have to get back to practicing anyway nowadays but even at my most fluent the only thing that helped me was speaking/hearing it all the time.
3. Absolutely; the only reason English isn't completely useless is because it's spoken so much. Honestly we need to switch to a better world language.

 

[PinkEgoBox17]

1. Arabic and English. Arabic being my native language
2. Talking to natives always makes my language better. You get to learn dialects!
3. Definitely! It opens up so many different cultures. There's no time for ignorance in this day and age!

 

[okun0ichio]

1) English and Chinese
2) I am not learning any new languages and the languages that I do know were taught at home and/or in school so there wasn't really any "methods" on my part.
3) Yes, since not everyone knows English and there's a reason why we have translators to facilitate communication between people of different tongues.

 

[Cazqui]

Just english.