Do you wish you spoke any other languages?
Many of the readers of this blog already speak more than one language, but in my humble opinion, whether you speak just your native tongue or have mastered several languages, there’s always room for more! The only limiting factor is time . . .and maybe to a lesser extent, money. Although for me, learning new languages falls under the list of luxuries I permit myself.
Our last trip to Italy, where I decided I need to learn Italian!
Languages I’d love to learn:
- Italian: because we’re close to the Italian border and because on our short trip to Italy a couple of years ago, I realized I can already understand it to an extent. I know I’d pick it up relatively quickly. And it’s just beautiful!
- Arabic: a little of the writing, but my interest is in one of it’s spoken variations. Again, my choice is partly local–here in France I certainly don’t need to speak Arabic to get by, but it could be fun given the numbers of people who do speak it here. Also, I’ve always wanted to learn a language with a different alphabet and I hear the grammar is not too difficult.
- German: a heritage language for me. Many of my non-English speaking ancestors were German and I even spoke a little German when I was very young.
- Hindi and Japanese–due to an interest in the cultures, films and ideas of these countries.
Languages on your list?
You’ve seen my quick list of languages I’d be thrilled to learn. I arbitrarily stopped at the fourth bullet point . . . but in my mind, it goes on. So that Are there any languages you’d love to learn? What draws you to a specific language?
Why learn a new language?
Living in the European Union: another reason to learn a language.
People have all kinds of practical reasons to speak new languages: for daily communication, for work and business, for travel, for cultural activities like reading books or watching films in their original format, for exercising your brain and for learning new perspectives.
I personally enjoy the cultural perspective language affords. Did you know that in Malagasy, there are only 3 tenses? present, past and future. The implications of this can be fascinating–try explaining how you should have, could have, would have done something in Madagascar, and you’ll find it’s not such an easy task!
Language-learning: what’s in it for you?
My list of reasons for learning other languages is by no means definitive. DH put in the extra effort to learn English so he could live and work more seamlessly in the US when we lived there–and so he could communicate with his lovely in-laws. I was initially drawn to Spanish because I had so many students who spoke it. As for French, I decided to learn that language when I was about twelve because I just liked the sound of it. How about you? What considerations have gone into the languages you’ve learned or would like to learn?
I took French in high school and college, and at one time was fluent enough that I could read a French newspaper or magazine (not anything scholarly, just popular publications). When I went to France and Belgium as a tourist, I didn’t have any trouble communicating, but I never spoke French fluently. I’ve forgotten a lot of it, through not using it. I also took a semester of German in college before living in Germany one summer – I learned more from being in Germany than from the class. I enjoy learning languages, but for me, it’s hard to gain spoken fluency without being around other people who speak it.
Clisby, I know what you mean about having a hard time reaching fluency without being around native speakers. And I’ve completely lost language skills in both German and Malagasy by not using them at all. I use my French/English all the time so no worries there. As for Spanish, I try to watch movies in Spanish (there are some great ones) and read–like you do in French: nothing too technical.
Wow, and you went to Germany? Where did you go? I think that would be fun, since our family has so many German roots and I have never been! I want to visit the Black Forrest! The only thing with Germany is that I fear so many people will speak English so much better than I speak German that I’ll have a hard time learning anything new. . .
Laura–I know very little about Portuguese and had no idea that the verbs were so hard, but you know what? When I really stuck with Spanish long enough to study all the verb tenses, I was shocked and awed by how many there are–all the progressive tenses like in English plus all the subjunctive like in French. . .I wonder if that’s how Portuguese is? It sounds beautiful anyway.
And you know, it must be so convenient to learn French when you’re in the UK and it’s just a little hop away to France. . . how fun. When you’re in California, France always seems to far away.
I took German in high school but only because we had to as a requirement for university admission. Do I know the language today? Only a few words.
It would be great if second (or more) languages were more valued in the US, but that’s not the case today.
Foreign languages have always beein my passion. I am a translator and I speak Italian, French, English and Spanish. I love all these languages and I wish I could speak more! I’d love to learn German and Japanese…
I wish I knew how to speak Spanish. We have several Spanish speaking families that have moved into our area and I would like to be able to communicate with them as they come in the library where I work. I know the basics, but that doesn’t get me far, and they usually know more English then I know Spanish.
French is my mother language, I learnt English and Spanish in school
I love to read in English, internet is really a good ressource for that !
I still understand Spanish but I can’t speak it anymore, I really want to improve that… Next year we’ll have a student from Spain at home during 3 months, I hope it will help me to practise my Spanish…
Try learning Latin! All the romance languages get their tenses from it…subjunctive this, future perfect that…then I’m onto Ancient Greek. (It’s my major, I love it.)
Anywho, I also love Japanese. It just makes sense for me, but I haven’t practiced in years. Too much stuff to do with everything else. I’d much rather be like my Latin teacher in high school and use Latin whenever I forget a romance language if I travel…much less to confuse. I’d love learning German too, but I’ve got a list of languages I’d like to learn as long as my arm and most of them are dead (Sanskrit, Persian, Coptic, Middle Egyptian…)
I’ve studied both French and Spanish but can’t have a conversation in either. I’d say I’m a little better with Spanish as in recent years my husband and I have made a point to vacation in Spanish speaking countries and we make an effort to speak Spanish and learn from the locals. But one week is hardly sufficient and we lose much of what we learn when we come home. I think for me the best way to learn would be to immerse myself. I would love to live in Spain for a year or so learning the language, eating tapas and drowning in Spanish wine.
I just love your blog. There is a blog at http://www.livingonadime.com that you may like. I love blogs about being frugal, not spending, living better for less and now that I found one about living simply in France I am thrilled. I love your picture of the Lavender too. Keep up the inspiration. Your blog is very interesting.
French for me too. I loved it in school, but every time I go to Paris I’m reminded of how much I need to practise… Spanish is next if I could only stop procrastinating
Bucksome Boomer–it’s funny, I’ve always been in a bubble while in the US when it comes to the value of languages. As a teacher in CA, I’ve worked in schools where quite a few of my students were already bilingual (plus I’m a language teacher by trade). I’ve also worked in a bilingual school. So some people do value languages . . .but I think the hard part in the States is that the language opportunities can seem far off depending on where you live. It’s not like in Europe where you feel so close to other languages, for example.
Claudia Wow! A translator. I’m really good at speaking languages and understanding them, but really awful at translating. I don’t know if it’s because in the US we don’t have a strong emphasis on that or if it’s just something to do with my learning style. . .I’m very impressed!
Sense of Home I know what you mean about Spanish in the US. I’m often very shy about speaking Spanish to people in California because I kind of assume that their English is better than my Spanish (after all they’re immersed in English) plus I don’t want to offend anyone. I used to hate when I still had an obvious accent in French and people would switch to English to talk to me . . .especially when my French was better than their English. So I basically only use Spanish if someone seems to be really struggling or if they ask me to . . . but I love the opportunity 
German, because Ive lived there for a total of god knows how many years (as a child and an adult). Other than that just English. Would love to learn another but im not a language persion, I learned it because I lived it and I would have to do so again. Although after traveling througout europe I can say please, thank you and where’s the lady’s room in about six languages-that and nothing else, LOL
I do wish that I remembered more of the Spanish that I took in high school. I live in an area with a lot of native spanish speakers and it would be nice to be able to communicate with them.
Muriel–I love the way there are so many opportunities for language exchanges in Europe. So many kids have the experience of staying in another country for a few weeks as part of their high school or middle school curriculum. As for internet–you’re right, it’s great for English. It’s decent for French too, but there aren’t quite as many French blogs out there. . .
Kerry I took a year of latin back in the day and I really enjoyed it–even though it’s not a spoken language. But I’m weird and I actually enjoy grammar . . .Ancient Greek is a complete unknown to me but it sounds like a lot of fun! Wow–you’re into the ‘dead ones’ eh?
Mrs. Frugal‘Drowning in Spanish wine’ sounds excellent–it also sounds like the name of a novel! By the way, Spanish wine is really good! We don’t drink a lot of it here in France, but I think that might just be some kind of French pride thing going on. Vacationing in Spanish-speaking countries sounds like a fun way to keep your language skills alive.
Bernadet Thanks for your comment, and for your blog tip. I always have my eye out for good ones!
JN Urbanski I was about to get all thoughtful about how many people seem to speak French who comment on this blog, but this is the ‘Simple Life in France.’ So I guess that goes without saying. I know what you mean about needing to practice and procrastinating. I can feel my Spanish abilities slipping–in fact, I even stopped writing to my pen pall in Mexico because it started to become kind of taxing. I need more regular ‘exercise’ on that one.
Laura–yes, living near people that you can’t quite communicate with is a great motivator isn’t it? Plus, it’s fun to be able to talk to new people!
French for me! Since actually hearing French spoken would be extremely rare here in Mississippi, I downloaded the France 24 streaming video app to my iPhone so I could get a daily dose of French. Hearing it spoken in normal tones, inflections, and speed seems to help me retain what I’ve learned in the online lessons I’ve taken. I still can’t write much in French, but at least I can understand it so much better (at least I think so).
Good for you for knowing so many languages. Definitely makes it easier when you travel!
Let’s see, I can speak Mandarin, a bit of Taiwanese, a bit of German (learned in high school), and can understand some Cantonese when I hear people speak it.
Amo las lenguas del mundo. Ich hatte Deutsch und Latein am Universitaet studieren. yaqulu nasf ‘arabiy.
OK, bastante! Enough! I absolutely love languages. What a great post, and what a great community of commenters.
My problem is that I have dabbled in many, but have never mastered any other than my native tongue. I firmly believe that proficiency requires immersion in the culture that speaks it natively. Perhaps the closest I’ve come is with Spanish, since I actually have occasions to use it. Even now, I am trying to convince my friend’s wife to tutor me in Japanese, which is probably the most difficult language I’ve ever considered. Despite the strange alphabet, Arabic is actually fairly straight forward. The challenge there is the huge vocabulary (like English in that regard). One of the reasons Arabic poetry is considered so rich is the availability of so many different words for the same object or concept.
And I make it a rule to learn two sayings in the language of every country I visit: 1) Please, may I have a cold beer; and 2) Where is the bathroom. Having mastered these, I am never unhappy.
In the summer of 1981 I was an intern at Stars and Stripes, the newspaper published for the American military: http://www.stripes.com/
I lived in a former barracks at the old German post where (at least this is what I was told) the Red Baron flew missions. It was in a little village called Griesheim – we could take the streetcar to Darmstadt.
It was probably the most fabulous experience of my life. (Okay, I know I’m supposed to say having my children was the most fabulous experience of my life, and it’s certainly the most profound, but being unattached and free in Germany for the summer is up there at the top of the list.) For one thing, the location was great for traveling – it was really easy to get trains to Frankfurt, and from there you could get to a lot of places quickly (and cheaply – I was still young enough to qualify for a Eurailpass). Besides that, since I and the other interns were working for a *newspaper*, we occasionally got assigned to do feature articles in various parts of Germany. I scored in being assigned to do articles on the U.S. Army recreation areas in Germany – you know, backwoods places like Berchtesgaden and Chiemsee. I’m still nostalgic.
I want to know the languages of my family–Welsh, Spanish, and Cherokee. Naturally, assimilation meant that Spanish & Cherokee weren’t spoken at home. My grandmother chose not to teach us Welsh either. Spanish is first on my list, of course, because I live in SoCal and it’s absurd not to speak it here. I’ve taken years of French and Spanish. Don’t recall much of it at all.
Well, I can say “I don’t understand” in several languages–does that count?
I was a language teacher (ESL), and developed a very healthy respect for anyone trying to learn English–what an impossible language! I thank my lucky stars every day that I’m a native speaker. I studied Japanese for several years, lived in Japan with plenty of opportunities to practice, but never became even close to being fluent or even conversant, and have forgotten most of it now. I actually wrote my thesis on the experience of being an adult language learner, and how motivation, how you view yourself as a learner, and how you see yourself as a speaker of that language affect how well and how much you will learn. But learning another language as an adult is a difficult undertaking, no matter what. I have also studied Italian, enjoyed it greatly and plan to get back to it some day.
Not learning to speak another language is one of my great regrets; there are many more doors that would have been open to me if I were bilingual, or even conversant in another language. All 4 of my children speak other languages. Our son speaks Japanese (fluently), and 3 others are in Mandarin Immersion.
After taking several years of Spanish in school, I can read and understand the language pretty well. Unfortunately, I have trouble conversing. It just takes me too long to process the info when somebody speaks back to me. I always have to tell them to speak like a kindergarten teacher to me – very slow and deliberate. It is embarrassing and the resulting lack of confidence is a killer!
I do get a little practice living here in Southern California at times, but it is not enough to help me much. 
Lucky for me,I have a friend at work who has recently offered to help me by speaking only Spanish to me when we go out to lunch. I suspect those conversations are going to be very painful for him for a while. LOL
All the best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
Oh… you can find thousand of French blogs on various subjects, I can send you many links if you are interested, just tell me !
German again – I can hold a converstation (barely) in German but I am certainly not fluent. I need someone to converse with.
Italian – its my husband’s heritage
Japanese
And at least one ancient language.
However wrapping my brain around more new information right now isn’t possible. It is on my retirement list. As in when I retire I want to spend 3 months in Germany (at the end of which I will be able to speak German).
I can say “I don’t speak Cantonese” in Cantonese but i know quite a bit more in Mandarin.
I wish I could speak fluent Japanese, but my Japanese is pretty rusty. What dishonor!
I WISH I could speak French, b/c France is simply an amazing country with a beautiful language.
The other language I wish I could speak fluently is Spanish.
Best, Sam
I got a bachelor’s degree in French, but it’s been so long that I’m no longer fluent. I’ve always wanted to learn more languages, but which ones? And if I don’t have anyone to speak it with, then it’s not going to stay with me.
I’ve always wanted to learn German, b/c most of my ancestors are German. But German is a difficult language. I also wanted to learn Norwegian (which is one of the easier natural languages to learn). I have also been intrigued since childhood with Russia, but Russian is harder than German. And since I heard about Iceland recently outlawing strip clubs, and since about half of the parliamentarians there are female, and since their prime minister is a lesbian, I thought I’d like to learn Icelandic.
I have dabbled in Esperanto and Ido, b/c I love the idea of a constructed language, but there’s really nobody to speak it with.
I think that’s what sucks about being American. We’re so large, and we’re not surrounded by people who speak different languages (except Mexico). But European countries are the size of one of our states, and they all speak a different language, so there’s a lot of opportunity to use the langugages that you learn. I’ve heard it’s common for the Dutch to speak 5 languages. How awesome is that?
I need to learn more Spanish, but I’m too lazy! I will forever be a wallflower at Julio’s family gatherings if I don’t, plus it would help if I could bust out the Spanish with parents of misbehaving youngsters who don’t speak English. I just wish I could find the time and energy to put into it!
Brian–I think your method of listening to the way real people speak as a means of supplementing your regular lessons is a great one. Understanding a language is the first step. Once you understand a native speaker who is talking to you, your brain is naturally picking up new vocabulary you figure out in context and learning to reinforce things you already know. Plus when you find yourself in a conversation, most native speakers who see that you’re struggling to speak, will naturally help you fill in the blanks–as long as you understand, you’re set. By the way, do you mind telling me where you do your online lessons? I’m always curious about what’s out there!
Jersey Mom Wow! I’m always impressed with people who can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese. I’m pretty good with languages, but whenever I try to pronounce even one word in the languages you list, it usually just makes people laugh. The pronunciation is really hard for me.
Maus I’m happy to know you always go to your travel destination armed with the essential expressions 
I agree with you that mastery really depends on being somehow immersed in the language-although if you’ve already studied before you arrive, you can reach mastery more easily, I think. I’d love to learn Japanese from someone who knows–I used to teach in places where I was friends with Japanese teachers who were excellent, but back in those days, I was focusing on Spanish.
Laura–I toured a school with Mandarin immersion. And if I had kids, I think I’d consider it as well–they’ll learn French and English at home, but I feel like something like Mandarin has to start young, or you’ll always have a funky accent! I completely agree that your way of looking at language and your status as a learner has a big effect on your ability to learn! I’ve especially noticed this teaching English to adults in France, by the way. People that want to get it right and are self-conscious about saying anything that could be ‘wrong’ will not advance as fast as people who ‘just say it,’ for example.
Len PenzoIt is certainly uncomfortable when people speak that slow talk as you’re learning a language. When my husband first arrived in the US, he was about where you are with Spanish: years of study, decent in reading, but had a hard time with conversations. One of the first full sentences he said in English was to a friend of mine who was talking really slowly to him at a party: “I’m French not stupid.” It was absolutely hilarious–but very telling of the language learning experience!
Muriel Hmm. . .yeah. I mostly check blogs on cooking and sustainable living in French, which I like, but I don’t read them ‘for fun’ as much as for information. Can you think of any blogs that are kind of entertaining or thought-provoking? I’d be more likely to read those frequently, I think. Send away–either on the blog or by email: editor_simple_in_france@yahoo.com
Tree Wow–look at all these German speakers! I like your idea of spending three months in Germany to learn. I’ve never been able to spend more than six weeks in a Spanish speaking country, but I prepared for my visit by using a computer program and an audio program so that when I got to Mexico, I was ready to go. Then I used that short time to become much more conversational. Plus, knowing I was going on a trip to learn Spanish gave me some serious motivation to study every day! I listened to Spanish audio CD’s in my car on the way to work even.
AtillaI’m very impressed at anyone who can speak Mandarin (and jealous) it’s just something I’ve never been able to acquire–despite growing up around people who spoke it fluently. Never picked it up.
Financial Samurai You know, your comment reminded me of a rather random thought: apparently, the Japanese are big fans of French culture and cuisine . . .And, seriously, who isn’t impressed with Japanese culture. I think that one thing that stops me from learning Japanese however, is the feeling that I’d always be an outsider in that culture . . .then again, I wouldn’t mind touring Japan or living there for a couple of years even as an outsider. . .
Vegan PrimateI did not know that about Iceland. That makes me all the more intrigued about it . . .it sounds like a fascinating place to visit. As for Norwegian–my husband wants to go and live/work in Norway for a year someday–because of the cross country skiing opportunities (I think he fantasizes about skiing to work). I had no idea that Norwegian was an easy language to learn. . .but Norwegians speak such good English, I’d be afraid no one would have the patience to practice with me!
Pickler Back when I had a lot of Spanish speaking high school kids, I was occasionally able to use my Spanish deftly and to my benefit–but once one kid apparently lit something on fire and stuck it down someone else’s pants (I smelled something burning and saw the kid jumping). I was not fluent enough in Spanish to comprehend that one, and the victim was not fluent enough to explain in English. As for speaking with Julio’s family. . .why not speak Spanish at home or during some specific activity (it’s too frustrating to do it all the time)? Here in France we speak English a little bit each day so that DH won’t lose his skills!
About 40% of the patrons where I work are Japanese tourists so I would LOVE to speak Japanese… there are also lots of cute Japanese tourist girls running around Waikiki so I have begun to learn a little! I think to learn any language you should probably just visit the country or an area where the language is prevalent, otherwise it’d be too hard… just my opinion.
Ryan–Oooh! you have a great opportunity to learn a language from native speakers without ever leaving your country! Excellent. You can make some extremely good headway on speaking a language through classes, online courses, CD’s and self study, but you’re right, if you want to be very conversational, it’s important to practice conversing–for this you need native speakers. Have fun learning Japanese!
By the way . . . I once had this incredibly interesting college professor who defected from Hungary and found himself in the US with no English. His advice for picking up a language: date people who speak the language your trying to learn. That’s a daring plan, but it seems to have worked for him
I have send you an email with some links
I’d like to learn French, Italian, Celtic. I’m actually fairly good reading romance languages. I’ll often find websites in romance languages, read it, then click the google translate button and end up having it right.
Reading does not equal writing or speaking, however. 
I took German in high school, and I can read that fairly well, but any writing or speaking skills I once had are gone.
Muriel–Thanks. I can’t wait to check them out!
Jennifer–Celtic sounds fun. And I think there are actually a few people who read this blog in English and a translator, which is quite an interesting idea. I actually find that reading helps you understand a little better and can bring you some vocabulary–so while you have to practice speaking to get good at it, reading can give you a base that helps your speaking improve faster when you start to work on it.
Someone mentioned Esperanto and Ido. I find the constructed languages fascinating because they really reveal how we communicate meaning in a way that either transcends culture or is mediated by it. Another conlang is Toki Pona, which contains about 120 words but is capable of rich communication. Check out the url: http://en.tokipona.org/wiki/What_is_Toki_Pona%3F
SIF – LiveMocha.com is the place where I am currently conducting online learning. It has a social aspect to it that I haven’t taken advantage of yet, but I do like the lessons so far!
Klingon (for obvious reasons). I’d like to learn Spanish for practical reasons. It’s the second language in the US and it is widely used in the popular cruising grounds. French is a runner up for the same reason. I’m trying to learn Spanish using the “Coffee Break Spanish” podcasts. They’re pretty good. Occasionally I get a weird urge to refresh my German by listening to Deutsche Welle or something by it quickly passes. Expanding a bit on my “dojo-Japanese” would also be nice.
Maus--I once saw a band that sang in Esperanto at a local café here in France. Very cool! People at that gathering told me they much prefer Esperanto becoming an international language rather than, say, English. But they pointed out that people from other cultures didn’t feel quite so represented in the way the language is made up. I thought of learning it for a while, the main drawback I can see is the number of people to speak it with! But I will definitely check out the website you mention, because constructed languages are fascinating!
BrianThanks for the link. I can’t wait to check that out. A social aspect eh? Sounds really interesting.
JacobWell, Klingon goes without saying, which must be why no one else mentioned it Coffee Break Spanish–I’ll have to look that up. I’m not familiar with it, but I like to keep my listening skills up at least. As for the ‘dojo-Japanese’ I actually think that physical activities can be great places to start out with a language. For example, before really getting serious about Spanish, I took some Spanish-style dance classes and a lot of steps were in Spanish. It’s that ‘Total Physical Response’ method.
Here’s another reason to learn a new language – it’s good for your brain:
The Surprising Strengths Of The Middle-Aged Brain
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125902095
ET–you’re right. I’m convinced languages are good for your brain. Now what I want to know is why my mathematical skills (quickly using math in my head) seem to decline the more languages I learn. . . Maybe it’s over-specialization.
By the way, your link was completely fascinating. I’m excited to know that I’m not past my mental prime and that I have decades of growth ahead of me where wisdom and cognition is concerned.
[...] Simple Life In France asks: Do You Wish You Spoke Any Other Languages? I wish, but I only have to my credit two semesters of American Sign Language and the curse words in [...]
I can understand and read French; I used to speak it quite fluently as it was one of my main subjects at school, but like everything else if you don’t use it you forget it; my daughter and I always speak French in emails, probably grammaticaly wrong all over the place, but funny none the less. I spoke a little German when I was younger also but that has all but disappeared from my memory.
Hubby has been learning Portuguese for 3 years now {the verbs are v. hard!!} , so that he can work there, and he is really getting there; I think if he had a couple of months in Portugal he would be fluent, as this is the best way to learn.
I need to learn but I keep putting it off