Learning new languages

[Kingdom]

Always been interested in foreign languages, particularily ones using the Cyrillic alphabet. Picked up a "learn Russian" book a couple of months ago and with a bit of effort might just pull it off.
Anyone else learned Russian, or if not, whats the strangest language you can speak?

[strangeirish]

Learning Spanish atm. Not terribly strange. Lots of Latino totty in Florida,and it's good for business.;)

[theworm2345]

Its a foreign language to me...how do I learn to speak Irish

[strangeirish]

Its a foreign language to me...how do I learn to speak Irish
Just use the 'F' word a lot and that'll get ye started.:D

[drinkfeckarse]

Basic Irish and French. I wish I had the enthusiasm to learn more but unfortunately I don't. I signed up for some more French classes a few years ago but got bored after a few weeks and stopped going.

As much as I admire foreign people who have more than one language and sometimes think we are pretty ignorant for expecting people to understand us and our one language (not counting Irish), it's just not in me to go and do something about it :o

[Poor Student]

I know some Serbian and Slovenian. I can't speak much but I can ascertain what people are talking about most of the time. Have some basic Irish and French and have a good knowledge of Latin, bizarrely in some ways it's my second language.

[osarusan]

Japanese. 　‘難しいですけどまだべんきょしています　　(pretty impressive huh!)

[Dodge]

Learning Spanish at the moment. Or at least trying to. Just haven't the time/energy to dedicate to it though. Find myself getting bored and wandering. Got the discs/books from work. Can speak a little Irish and a fair bit of French. Friend of mine is practically fluent in japanese. Did it in college and went TEFL there too.

[Magicme]

I learnt how to say "nice a*s" and "nice t*ts" in russian but cant rem now....

[drinkfeckarse]

something you're not telling us Magicme? ;) :D

[Green Tribe]

Get by in French, a little Polish, a little Spanish and learning Italian now for the San Man trip! :eek: :D

[Aberdonian Stu]

Fluent in Irish, used to have passable French now it's not great. My German is bad but better than I thought given my experiences in Oktoberfest last week,

[Macy]

I'd love to have the time and energy to learn Irish. Did French in school, but can remember little, if any, which kinda puts me off tbh - if you don't use it you lose it, and I'm not sure I really would regularly use any other language.

[pineapple stu]

Learnt a few phrases of Faroese for the trip last summer. "Qvussu eiter tu?" (What's your name) and a couple of others. Also learned "Takk fyri" (thank you) and used it a few times, but gave up when people started talking back to me and I had to put on my Dougal "I'm a foreigner" expression.

I speak German - getting rustier by the year - but I've now kind of melded it with Schwyzerdütsch and my own version of what a word should sound like in Schwyzerdütsch, so I am now basically unable to communicate in either Germany or Switzerland. :)

[Maz]

I can speak in Irish (not as much as I would like) and have a small bit of French and Spanish from when I learned it at school

[Risteard]

The usual small bit of Irish.
I was great at French in secondary.
All the grammar depressed me in college though so i dropped it.
I buy Le Monde the very odd time now but wouldn't have the confidence to talk to people.
Anyone have experience of these Linguaphone-type tape courses?

[paul_oshea]

does anyone remember reading about the chinese guy who said he would learn a language, so he chose irish, it was the only other language he could speak, but he wanted to speak it with "native" speakers, so he flew to ireland, and at immigration the security guard ( must have been a dub ) thought he was speaking chinese.....LOL :D

that wouldn't have happened had he arrived down the west ;)

[Macy]

that wouldn't have happened had he arrived down the west
Yeah, he'd never have got a flight! :D

[Schumi]

does anyone remember reading about the chinese guy who said he would learn a language, so he chose irish, it was the only other language he could speak, but he wanted to speak it with "native" speakers, so he flew to ireland, and at immigration the security guard ( must have been a dub ) thought he was speaking chinese.....LOL :D

that wouldn't have happened had he arrived down the west ;)

There was a programme (might have been a film?) on TG4 about that a few months ago I think. Can't remember if it was a true story or not though.

[noby]

It was just a short film on TG4. It won some award, I think. I doubt if there's any truth in it. Anyway it all worked out in the end, as he got a job in a pub in Connemara (in a pub that, confusingly, from the outside looks very much like a pub down the road from me)

I try to speak Irish at home with the kids. Mrs. noby is fluent.

[paul_oshea]

ok,a friend told me just a few days ago that the guy had written a book about it ( and his experiences ). ill ask him again incase it is sh1te.

[superfrank]

I am fluent in Irish, 14 years of all-Irish education did the job. I've been doing Spanish for the past 6 years and hope to do it in college once school is over. Otherwise I'll do anight course or something.

I would like to live in Spain in the future so I want learn as much Spanish as I can before I move there.

[Maz]

Depends on what part of Spain...most of the holiday places are english and Irish people!

[noby]

Why would anyone want to live there though? (directed at Maz, not SF.)

[Maz]

I dont want to live there...SF does. I was in Spain recently and the area I was in was pretty much run by British people. Nothing against them but I heard feck all spanish. Most restaurants and pubs were all english.

[DmanDmythDledge]

I think I'm good at Irish. I can speak a good bit of German too.

[paul_oshea]

everyone thinks they are good at irish 'till they go to real ireland (i.e. the west) and then further down to conemara

[Sliogán Dóite]

It was just a short film on TG4. It won some award, I think. I doubt if there's any truth in it. Anyway it all worked out in the end, as he got a job in a pub in Connemara

Here yis go (http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/yu_ming?mid=81704214), 'tis called 'Yu Ming is ainm dom'/My Name is Yu Ming.

I'm not bad at German.

[superfrank]

I want to live in the good parts of Spain: Madrid, the Basque Country. They're places I've been to and really enjoyed being there so I would like to live there.

[Dodge]

I want to live in the good parts of Spain: ..., the Basque Country.

You're learning the wrong language so... :D

[superfrank]

You're learning the wrong language so... :D
I've been there before. It's just like here. There are only a few people that speak Basque day in, day out. Most of the people just have a little bit of Basque and mainly speak Spanish.

[sligoman]

I know basic English, hoping to improve soon though:p :D.

[gustavo]

Used to have great French done it in NUIM for a couple years but its mostly gone now but still have pretty good Irish .

[Dr.Nightdub]

Tourist Italian and tourist Spanish. Trying to remember which is which is a killer.

[theworm2345]

I speak Spanish fluently, learning Latin, want to learn Irish. (I cant get by on ta me anseo, Sinne Fianna Fail, Seo Libh Canadh Amhran na Bhfiann, Chaon Che Bhfuil Tu (cant spell it), Ta Me Go maith, mas e do thoile, and of course Pog mo thon)

[BohsPartisan]

Learned some Greek a few years back, thinking of picking it up again.

Used to have really good French but its Rubbish now.

[noby]

I dont want to live there...SF does. I was in Spain recently and the area I was in was pretty much run by British people. Nothing against them but I heard feck all spanish. Most restaurants and pubs were all english.
I know. What I meant was, if I was to move to spain, a touristy palce would be the last place I'd go to. I assumed the same for SF.


I knew tourist Greek, and tourist Spanish, but not holidaying there every year, you tend to forget.

[Closed Account 2]

Ucim Srpski...razumem malo, ali ne gorvorim jesic !

[Poor Student]

razumem malo, ali ne gorvorim jesic !

Know how you feel.;)

[Pauro 76]

really want to learn Spanish and Irish again. my new girlfriend is from Spain, ive been attempting to teach bits of Irish to her but my attempts at our own language are an embarrasment. Cúpla focail ach sin é. I

[paul_oshea]

here pauro, which girlfriend is this, you always have a "new" one. are you meeting sylv on saturday in palmers before he goes back to ireland?

you have loads of new girlfriends pauro.....

[Babysis]

Ive very basic French from school and I learnt some German for the Stuttgart trip - enough to be able to understand, order drinks, ask for directions and given we had DCFC1985 with us the key was being able to say "sorry":D . Really good Cd phrase book off ebay. Ive bought their italian one now for San Marino - Just good fun to make an effort.:)

See you all in Palmers Green

[Pauro 76]

here pauro, which girlfriend is this, you always have a "new" one. are you meeting sylv on saturday in palmers before he goes back to ireland?

you have loads of new girlfriends pauro.....

ah ****e had no idea he was going! Palmers Green????

[ccfcman]

Learning Java atm :)

[Pauro 76]

Whats the best way for a crash course in Spanish?

[theworm2345]

Whats the best way for a crash course in Spanish?
What do you need to know? There are so many different things, like tenses of verbs (Indicative, Past, Imperfect, Subjunctive, Pluscuamperfecto, etc) you best bet would be go to Spain, or buy one of those Learn Spanish CD's and study it for many days

[Raheny Red]

does anyone remember reading about the chinese guy who said he would learn a language, so he chose irish, it was the only other language he could speak, but he wanted to speak it with "native" speakers, so he flew to ireland, and at immigration the security guard ( must have been a dub ) thought he was speaking chinese.....LOL :D

that wouldn't have happened had he arrived down the west ;)

Saw it on TG 4 a couple of months ago, loved it :D

[Pauro 76]

What do you need to know? There are so many different things, like tenses of verbs (Indicative, Past, Imperfect, Subjunctive, Pluscuamperfecto, etc) you best bet would be go to Spain, or buy one of those Learn Spanish CD's and study it for many days

ill find out off my Spanish lady. Meeting her parents in the new year in Spain, they cant speak a word of English, so hoping to make a half decent impression!

[superfrank]

What do you need to know? There are so many different things, like tenses of verbs (Indicative, Past, Imperfect, Subjunctive, Pluscuamperfecto, etc)
The Imperfect is simple once you get the hand of and it spouts my favourite word 'trabajaba'.

[Pauro 76]

ill find out off my Spanish lady. Meeting her parents in the new year in Spain, they cant speak a word of English, so hoping to make a half decent impression!

everyday conversation i suppose...the basics mostly!