Foreign languages

[noby]

Well, the census will tell you.
It depends on your definition of high standard, but I would say it's more like 90% of the population don't speak it, but a large % of these would have a basic knowledge.

[Rocky77]

English - questionable
Irish - good enough
German - not hectic, but I can get my point across.

[willymccann]

English Fluent - although this is questionable after about 4 pints, were the lads have a habit of telling me I start speaking Willish - and only the barmen can understand that languauge

did German for 5 years, but failed the GCSE, but that was a long time ago and I'd struggle now

did Irish, Latin and Spanish for two years at school and was truely awful at them. Would love to be fluent in Irish, but just wouldn't be arsed trying to learn a language nowadays

[pete]

Fluent in English although others may disagree. Did French at school (can't remember much) & did Spanish (not a great language) for a year at college (choice was beginners Spanish/Italian or Intermediate French).

I think the census figure for Irish is a complete joke. Unless you can hold a conversation you are not fluent.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Knowledge of the Irish language is pretty good but wouldn't be able to have a fluent conservation as I don't have enough practise speaking it and would pause a good bit.

Doing German too and hate it. Only would be basic at it. Don't understand the need for 7/8 different words for "the". Wish I could have done Spanish.

[ifk101]

Fluent in English and Swedish.
Understand Danish and Norwegian from the Swedish.

[DaveyCakes]

English - Fluent (allegedly)
French - Leaving Cert (although very out of practice)
German - Basic conversational level
Russian - very basic
Irish - pretty bad

[pineapple stu]

English - duh.
Irish - reasonably well; reading and writing would be a lot better than listening and speaking.
German - was fairly fluent; it's now very rusty.
Did Latin at school; good fun.
Like to pick up a few words for Ireland away trips; can order beer in Slovakian, Faroese, Norwegian and Montenegrin (or "mother tongue", as they call it)

Curiously, in seven years in employment, the language I've used second most often is Irish. The idea that foreign languages are absolutely imperative to learn in school is nonsense. They're good to have, but everyone speaks English.

[Soper]

I speak Welsh very well, and Polish to a conversational level.

[pete]

Curiously, in seven years in employment, the language I've used second most often is Irish. The idea that foreign languages are absolutely imperative to learn in school is nonsense. They're good to have, but everyone speaks English.

I would never saying having foreign languages is a bad thing but English is the world language & usage is only going to be come more common.

When I was at school choice was French or German. Do schools offer more choices now? handy for holidays but from a career point of view they not the best languages. Spanish or Chinese would be much more useful.

[DaveyCakes]

I would never saying having foreign languages is a bad thing but English is the world language & usage is only going to be come more common.

When I was at school choice was French or German. Do schools offer more choices now? handy for holidays but from a career point of view they not the best languages. Spanish or Chinese would be much more useful.

German is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the EU and is widely spoken across eastern Europe

[blobbyblob]

Well, the census will tell you.
It depends on your definition of high standard, but I would say it's more like 90% of the population don't speak it, but a large % of these would have a basic knowledge.

http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/Tabl...ReportId=10396


35% of those who have completed their FT education claim to speak Irish.

I use it regularly in work with a few friends informally.

[joe_barry80]

I can speak German to a good standard.

[Terry]

The only foreign language I speak fluently is english. I also have basic German, Spanish, French and Italian, well enough to get by on holidays anyway as someone else said.

[dfx-]

English - pretty fluent
Irish - pretty good
French - ok
German - strong - love the language
Afrikaans - very basic

[Sheridan]

The only foreign language I speak fluently is english.

Fair play, your English is pretty good for someone who learned it as a second language.

[Terry]

thanks ?

[Réiteoir]

English - fluent
Irish - currently topping up my learning of it - so basic atm
Norwegian - Reading: Very good, Speaking: Good - also topping up my learning of it
French - fairly good
Basque - thinking of learning it

[dcfcsteve]

The only foreign language I can speak or understand to a very high level is Irish, due to my schooling (trust me, nothing could be more foreign to a person of sensibility.) I don't speak it though, I'm sure you're all familiar with the old definition of a gentleman as one who can play the bagpipes, but doesn't.

Don't like Southern European languages as I find them vulgar, excluding Italian.

I won't claim to have held you in the highest esteem Sheridan, based on a range of your previous posts.

But on the basis of the two rather ignorant comments above, you've slipped even further in my estimations, if that is possible....!

[SÓC]

Had English and Irish all the way up and use both every day

French to a fairly decent standard but not quite 100%

Basic German

Spanish - very basic and generally only the swearwords

Basic Welsh - Learning Welsh was made much harder for me by already having Irish IMO although others will disagree. There are many "false friends" and things that initially seem similar but in the end are totally different the urú/treglad especially. This summer I will be spending a few hours a week trying to improve my Welsh to a better standard