How many Americans know a second language?
I think most people in no-speaking English countries in Europe know English because it has become a necessity in daily life.

Tourist season started and maybe some American will come to Europe and perhaps want to learn some of our European languages to impress on their friends.
Like ordering a meal in a restaurant.
Here is a map showing the difficult levels between the languages and shows how long it takes for English speakers to learn them.
German is pretty hard but Russian is harder. Finnish is even harder yet and Arabic is super tricky!

I can say even we Europeans have trouble with this.
For instance I know Danish quite well and can easily order a meal.
But when it's time for paying.
"What? How much did you say?"

Finnish is even harder yet and Arabic is super tricky!

It depends whats your native language.
My mother is native hungarian and finnish is no problem for her.
Also i would say that people which grown up with more than one language learning other languages much easier.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

It's rather strange that Hungary have a Finno-Ugric language.
They live quite far from the Urals and Sapmi including Finland and Estonia.

Finno-Ugric languages are not even closely near to Germanic and Latin languages.
Horrible grammer. More than 15 noun cases!
In almost in all language that I know "System" is called "System".
Not in Finland. They say "Järjestelmä"
On the other hand they have no genders:)

Also i would say that people which grown up with more than one language learning other languages much easier.

True.
And if you learn a second language later without beeing grown up with more than one language then it's more easier to learn more languages.

Well, I had three years of French in high school, and three years of French in college, and I never became fluent in it; not even close. I could read it and speak it enough to pass the classes, but I was never a whiz. Some people have a knack for picking up another language, but I've always felt that it's best to start early(grade school at least, and preferably at home while learning one's native tongue). I tip my hat and have the utmost respect for people who can communicate in more than one language.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

French. Irregular verbs. Hehe:)
I have studied French for six years as well in high school.
In Sweden it's mandatory to learn at least two more languages than Swedish.
And even three when I was in high school.
It can come in handy like yesterday when a German couple met me and said "Guten morgen":)

Do Americans learn Spanish? Many in America are Spanish speakers.
It's easy to learn Spanish.
Or is it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LjDe4sLER0

I had a Serb aunt who spoke 9 languages. She married my uncle and became an Italian citizen. She was the Italian interpreter at the Udine talks with Yugoslavia to settle the Trieste area between Italy and Yugoslavia. Formerly she had been the Secretary of the British general commanding the Free Territory of Trieste. Her name? Mirjana Karageorgevic but we called her Zia Mira.
Tullio

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I can read and speak "traditional" (old) Norwegian just about fluent, write it pretty good.
Just don't ask me to translate some of the New Norwegian or I'll get lost.

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I grew up speaking both English and Spanish. I don't claim to know any other languages, but I find that if I spend some time around other languages I pick it up. I have no problem understanding French and Italian. I don't speak either but after a few days I can communicate. German gives me problems. I can hear some words with old english roots, but it's not eazy. I recently made friends with a Dutch lady who lives near me and she is helping me with Dutch. Both English and Dutch share German, Frisian and Saxon roots, so it's not proving that hard. I spend several weeks in Moscow in the 70's so know a little Russian and can often understand other Slavic languages like Serbian. Growing up bilingual has really served me well.
Funny thing is I also pick up accents. When I was in the south for several weeks I pick up the southern drawl. I did some sailing through central and south American and people would ask me from what region of Panama, or Argentina I was from. After a couple of weeks I can sound like a local.

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I can speak Italian, American English, French, Spanish and a little German. But I spoke German when I was a kid. I has to brush up my German when skiing in Badgastein, Austria, because people there don't speak three languages (German, Italian and Ladino) like the people of Sud Tyrol (Alto Adige, Dolomiti).
Tullio

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I can read and speak "traditional" (old) Norwegian just about fluent, write it pretty good.
Just don't ask me to translate some of the New Norwegian or I'll get lost.

LOL.
"Uff da" means "Ush då" in Swedish:)
For some strange reason Norway have two Norwegian languages, "Bokmål" and "Nynorsk".
Bokmål means literally "book language" and Nynorsk "new norwegian" but the difference is only in printed texts.
"Bokmål" is the most common language and "Nynorsk" only used by Norwegian "intellectuals":)
"Det är kjempefint"

i have an idea for demolish all language barriers...



Dreaming does not cost anything.

;) ;) :D

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MYGA! MAKE YAWN GREAT AGAIN

I can speak Italian, American English, French, Spanish and a little German. But I spoke German when I was a kid. I has to brush up my German when skiing in Badgastein, Austria, because people there don't speak three languages (German, Italian and Ladino) like the people of Sud Tyrol (Alto Adige, Dolomiti).
Tullio

In Switzerland (the US often confuse it with Sweden) they speak three languages as well.
German, French and Ladino.

Ave AndrewMarcio.
You mean that all of us should speak Latin?
I even wonder if the Romans themself spoke Latin.
However there are many good Latin quotes that we can use:)
https://www.yuni.com/library/latin.html

No, they speak also Italian in Canton Ticino and the Milano dialect, which the Milanesi have forgotten. I come from Trieste, where people speak the Triestino dialect, which is Venetian tainted with both German and Slovene. Now the Gov has allowed Trieste secondary schools to teach Slovene. In 1918, the Italian Government closed all Slovene schools, causing a hate which exploded in 1945 with Italians being thrown alive or dead in the "Foibe" caves of Carso (Karst).
Tullio
I often listen via Internet on the Radio della Svizzera Italiana, with beautiful concerts broadcast from Lugano, some also in streaming from the Stelio Molo Auditorium.

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Even at the height of the Roman Empire the vast majority of the conquered peoples used their own language, while officialdom used Latin.



Despite having lived in England the vast majority of my life I am not a native English speaker - Broad Scots is my first language, I didn't learn English until I went to school. Even now, when I'm talking with my Scottish relatives and friends I find it easier to us my mother tongue than English. Somewhere along the years I picked up enough French and German to get by, to such an extend that after a few days in either France or Germany I find it strange using English when spoken to in either language...

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Most of the Roman writers and scholars used Greek as their language. Also the Gospels were written in Greek by Greek speaking Jews.
Tullio
Capta Graecia ferum victorem cepit

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Other than English. I am a blank. Other than what words that have filtered in through mixing cultures. I have worked with Mexican speaking people for 21 years and counting without learning much from them.

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No, they speak also Italian in Canton Ticino and the Milano dialect.

I forgot. Switzerland have four different languages.
I guess Fabian "Spartacus" Cancellara speak Italian.
Bare with me. I cannot even spell or pronounce correctly the Swedish name for Switzerland that is Schweiz:)
That's four consonantes in a row!

I've studied German and Russian. Knowing German grammar helped me to learn Russian.

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~Sue~

I can speak UK English, U.S English and Aussie English, but Kiwi English can be challenging at times. :-D

Cheers.