Published: Nov 3rd, 2009
Category: Thoughts

How many languages do you speak? :)

COMMENTS: 642547 Comments2009-11-03+22%3A37%3A59FB+%40+FabulouslyBroke.com

Well-Heeled posed the question before to her own readers, but I’m curious about my readers too!

So far, I say 2 languages for me:

English = Native tongue

French = Intermediate (I am not a beginner, and I am not advanced)

Next I’d like to learn Spanish…

Did you like the post? Then please share the love!

642547 Responses2009-11-03+22%3A37%3A59FB+%40+FabulouslyBroke.com to “How many languages do you speak? :)”

Jaka Merriman
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 5:43 PM:

I’m in that boat, too, with English and French. I call it 1.5. I’d like to learn Italian, Swahili, and American Sign Language, though!
Jesse
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 5:45 PM:

I speak English nativly and have spent time studying Spanish, Japanese, German and French.

I can understand what people say to me in Spanish and Japanese and speak back at an intermediate level.

French and German I understand about half of what people say to me
Jesse´s last blog ..How Mistakes Help Us Grow
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 5:45 PM:

@Jaka Merriman: I never even thought about American Sign Language

That would be COOL! And Italian is so beautiful…
Sunflowers
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 5:50 PM:

English, Japanese (beginner – I took it for 3 years, but I didn’t keep up with it), and German (beginner – I can understand it pretty well, but I can only speak a few phrases).

I’d love to learn French, Chinese, and Spanish!
Sunflowers´s last blog ..I’m Back!
The Asian Pear
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 5:54 PM:

Let’s see.. I’d say 4 but to varying degrees

English – Fluent
French – Intermediate (albeit rusty)
Cantonese Chinese – Fluent (speech only, I’m totally illiterate & I speak kinda… I dunno street-style cause I learned it watching TV)
Finnish – Beginner (thanks to Bear & Bear’s Mom)

I’d want to learn more but I think I need to master those that I already listed first.
The Asian Pear´s last blog ..TTC Metropass Discount Plan
shoppingcellist
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 6:09 PM:

Korean, English fluent
Spanish- intermediate
German- elementary

and really “fluent” in Latin- no one speaks it though…
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 6:46 PM:

Wow.. everyone knows at least 2 languages so far (fluent or intermediate) and a little bit of everything else.

I forgot, I do know a little Japanese from watching anime. I’m talking 100 words or less. I find it easy to pronounce and learn…

This is so cool
Amanda
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 7:07 PM:

English: fluent
Cantonese: fluent
Mandarin: intermediate
French: beginner

and if you count Pig Latin…fluent!
Millionaire Acts
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 7:25 PM:

I also speak two languages. English and my native toungue which is Filipino. Both are fluent.

In my work, language skills is a plus. My team mates who are foreigners have a higher salary than me because of the language premium. The language skill is important as we cover different regions all over the world.
Millionaire Acts´s last blog ..6 tips for choosing a contractor
amy
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 7:28 PM:

Same as you: I speak English natively and French at an intermediate level. I have spent time learning German but it was mostly just basic vocab and communication phrases (where is the toilet? how much does it cost? and so on).
amy´s last blog ..November Budget
CanadianSaver
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 7:32 PM:

I speak french at home, work, etc. But speak english fluently (4 year degree was at an english-language university).
CanadianSaver´s last blog ..Staying on track (Sun-Mon-Tues)
Meg
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 8:04 PM:

I speak English.
Hablo espanol.
Loquor linguam latinam.

I only consider myself fluent in English. However, I can also get the gist of some written Italian and French, and even some Catalan and Portuguese. But that’s only because they’re similar enough to Latin and Spanish.
frugalscholar
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 8:07 PM:

English speaker
French–medium. If only I could live in a French-speaking country for a year or so…
Spanish and Latin–if i took a course, I think what I had would come back
German–i tried, but found it very hard and it did not stick

Hmmmm. This list sounds more impressive than it is!
frugalscholar´s last blog ..Holiday Freebies and Invitations: I’m So Popular
Julie
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 8:18 PM:

I speak Spanish – native, English – fluent (I’ve taken classes since I was like 3 years old) and a tiny wee bit of French.
Julie´s last blog ..Hallowe’en 2009
Christy
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 8:42 PM:

I speak English fluently and I teach French. My students are elementary students though and can’t really speak back, so my French is getting quite rusty. I spend the day talking to myself!

In high school I studied German for 3 years and Latin for a year. I would love to brush up on my German.
Brandie
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 9:14 PM:

I too speak 2 languages….

English and French…Although at school I’m in the advanced classes I would say that I speak on the intermediate level because I’m not continually taking classes. Its my first time back in about 1-1.5 years and I’m still trying to pick up the pieces.
Brandie´s last blog ..How I’m Feeling Right Now….
Gem
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 9:17 PM:

I speak five, well six counting Latin. My parents are ethnically Polish, but raised in Canada, and I went to French immersion school since the age of four. I’ve taken five years of Spanish and five of German. I’m fluent in Polish, English; advanced in German and Spanish and serviceable academic knowledge of Latin. The final list goes:
-English
-French
-Polish
-Spanish
-German
-Latin
I absolutely love languages. Bonne chance avec vos études françaises !
Michelle
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 9:31 PM:

English is my first language and I can speak French, but it is very very broken. I cannot conjugate the verbs properly. I can understand it, just not speak it.

I can also understand Italian and Spanish (I had them as neighbours for nearly my 27 years) and can speak some of both.
Michelle´s last blog ..The Holidays are here!
Stephanie
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 10:36 PM:

English is my first language. I learned French in middle school and high school, but I’m probably not very good anymore. I also know how to count up to 4 in Hebrew…that’s about it.

I’d like to learn more, or at least brush up on my French.
Stephanie´s last blog ..My Personal Finance Confessions
JvW
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 11:19 PM:

English. I used to be fluent in Spanish, but I am rusty. I was great when I lived in Costa Rica for 2 months.

I can also order beer in German. Extreme beginner?
JvW´s last blog ..Outsourcing Home Improvement
amy kelinda
on Nov 3rd, 2009
@ 11:37 PM:

Ooo, French! I took French in college, but unfortunately didn’t learn too much at all. It’s such a gorgeous language, though! I speak Chinese (Cantonese dialect is my native tongue, though I also know Mandarin and Choujou) and English (learned in primary school!)
amy kelinda´s last blog ..hearts all over
Eric
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 12:36 AM:

I speak English fluently enough to blog in it, Hebrew well enough to speak with a four year old and not sound stupid, and Spanish well enough to get around and order food.

My definition of being able to speak a language: can you argue with a taxi driver and negotiate a reasonable fair?
Eric´s last blog ..November 1st Net Worth Update
Caleb
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 12:36 AM:

English is my native language and I was at one point fluent in Spanish but I’ve gotten a little rusty over the past 2 years and I know a wee wee bit of sign language.
lenelein
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 1:54 AM:

3 – German as my native language, english as a fluent language and japanese in a beginners state.
Midtown Girl
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 3:00 AM:

I’m still working on my beginner’s French. I’m hoping to take a trip to Paris next yr – so I think it’s time I stepped up the online tutorials!!
Midtown Girl´s last blog ..Closet Shopped: Wrong Size & Never Worn!
Frugal Dreamer
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 5:48 AM:

English and beginner’s French
Frugal Dreamer´s last blog ..Recent Spending…
Investing Newbie
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 9:13 AM:

English-Fluent [written&spoken]
Spanish- Fluent[ written & spoken]
Haitian Kreyol- Fluent [spoken]
French -Beginnger [I understand it and can read it, but can't really carry on a full conversation]
Italian- Moderate [started learning how to read and write and just stopped]

Would like to learn American Sign Language and Mandarin!
Investing Newbie´s last blog ..October Budget: Epic Fail
VeroC
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 10:54 AM:

- French : fluent (my native tongue)
- English : somewhere between intermediate and advanced
- Dutch : intermediate but loosing it … I was born in Belgium and had to learn it at school (wasn’t my favorite at all) but as I’ve been living in Canada for over 7 years, I realize that I forget a lot of the vocabulary
- Italian : took some courses, totally loved it but didn’t have much time to go further with that (hopefully, I’ll be back to Italian someday). However, when see a text written in Italian, I can understand most of the subject, unless it is something very specific with an advanced vocabulary.
- German : beginner … I can ask some basics but no more than that.
- Latin : studied during 3 years at school … as it is a “death” language I wouldn’t count it as a language I know (why in the hell would I speak in Latin to someone ? ). However, it is very helpful for the spelling of some tricky words in french. Plus it was more than helpful when I took Italian classes.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 11:00 AM:

I am totally bowled over right now.

WOW. Between all of these comments, there’s such a rich history of languages native and non

This makes me so much more motivated to get more languages into my brain (ones that I’d actually use, that is)
Anna
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 11:45 AM:

Fluent: Polish and French. Good: English. Not bad: German. Just learning: Spanish and Arabic.
Anna´s last blog ..Blog action day: geek loathes global warming
Dawn
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 12:36 PM:

English: Fluent, my native tongue [written/spoken]
Spanish: Intermediate, studied it for 4 years but it is also part of my heritage, which made it much easier to get better at [written/spoken]
French: Beginner, took a summer course a few years back, fell in love. :]

I’d like to get much better at my French, and learn German, Japanese (so I can write Kanji :] ), and Italian and Latin, as I don’t think they’d be that tough as I already have a background in romance languages. I love learning them too, I just wish I had more time!
lailaie
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 12:37 PM:

English: Fluent (written & spoken)
Cantonese: Fluent (spoken)
Mandarin: Fluent (written & spoken)
Vietnamese: Intermediate (written & spoken)
Spanish: Intermediate (written & spoken)
French: Advance (more written than spoken)
Korean: Beginner (written & spoken) . . . taking classes!

* My parents are each fluent in 5 languages, my goal is to be fluent in 10+ languages
Rowan
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 12:58 PM:

English -I am fluent
German -Flussig im Schrift und Wort
I would love to learn Russian so I can work in “Star City” / at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Rowan´s last blog ..The Worst Thing about NOT being in Debt
Meg
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 2:04 PM:

I’m kind of curious where everyone is from now because I’m in the U.S. (Florida, actually) and most of the people I know are only fluent in English and maybe know a tiny bit of Spanish they remember from high school, if that. I’ve known quite a few people with immigrant parents, even, and their language skills don’t see all that better on average.
Caleb
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 2:11 PM:

I’m caucasian and from Arkansas
Rae
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 6:41 PM:

English is my only “real” language and I suck at it I can also stumble my way through French, and used to know some sign language when I was younger — most of that’s gone now, though!
Rae´s last blog ..Don’t play coy with me!
Christina
on Nov 4th, 2009
@ 10:47 PM:

English: native tongue
French: intermediate, comfortable with making some small talk and general conversation. If I spent a year in Quebec or France, I would probably be even more comfortable
Italian: beginner.
Gaelic (Scots): Beginner. I took a semester course at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland so I can recognize sounds and general syntax, word placement.
Concojones
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 2:20 PM:

Dutch (mother tongue), English, French: fluent
German, Spanish: rusty

Some other languages too but not enough to be really useful. Like Italian (beginner) and Portuguese (turns out I can read Portuguese, woo-hoo! Thanks to Spanish, I guess.)
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 2:45 PM:

@Concojones Portuguese and Spanish are really similar. Portuguese is just slightly different, especially with the pronunciation from what I understand.
miraone
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 5:23 PM:

French as mother tongue
English fluent (I mean mostly british english)
Spanish fluent
Italian fluent
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Arabic studied several years but forgot so much though I can still read
Czech (a bit)
German
The last more read and understood than spoken

And more by interest and curiosity than real usefulness as I think this opens your mind a lot
PRT
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 5:53 PM:

I’m from Spain, so Spanish as my mother tongue. Because of my family roots, I’m quite fluent in Galician, Portuguese and Catalan. Fluent in English and Italian and with intermediate knowledgement in German and French.

I suppose that since I sudied them in school or university for two and three years respectively, Latin and Ancient Greek, also counts. Right?
stephanie
on Nov 6th, 2009
@ 11:30 AM:

Native English, and I speak bits and pieces of Spanish and Portuguese. I’ve had a on-again, off-again long-distance relationship with a Brazillian guy (currently living in the US) for a few years, and since we’re in an “on-again” stage, I might be picking up on quite a bit more in the near future
stephanie´s last blog ..My Car Broke Down (Again)!
Lynx
on Nov 9th, 2009
@ 11:04 AM:

English speaker but Spanish was my first language. My dad moved to the US when he was young and only spoke Spanish and had some trouble adjusting and did not want me to go through the same so eventually he said no Spanish at home till I learn English first. So now I’ve lost most of it, I can understand what people are saying when they try to talk to me in Espanol but I have a hard time formulating responses.

I also used to speak passable Apache (Native American) from spending so much time on the Rez with my parents. Since I’ve moved from home there are no Apaches to talk to and I’m starting to forget

My girlfriend is Navajo (a different Native Tribe) and doesnt know any of her native tongue and other children her age were beaten in boarding school for speaking it. We hope to try to learn Navajo together to help her rediscover her culture.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 9th, 2009
@ 1:49 PM:

@Lynx: Language is SO important. I hope you both succeed in learning Navajo. What a great initiative.
Girl Makes Cents
on Nov 10th, 2009
@ 5:20 PM:

1.3 haha, I speak and write English, but I know some ASL (American Sign Language), enough to get me by a basic conversation. My grandparents are Deaf and I have taken a few ASL classes. Love the language, looking forward to learning more!
Girl Makes Cents´s last blog ..House Envy
Results: Languages and Readers « Fabulously Broke in the City
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 7:40 AM:

[...] was reading comment after comment after I had asked how many languages each of you know, and I was totally [...]
Martha
on Nov 14th, 2009
@ 9:39 PM:

I speak and read Espan~ol , English and Deutsch (german).

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