How many languages can you speak?

@JoyfulOne (6232)
United States
October 19, 2006 2:00pm CST
I can only speak English, I just wondered how many of our myLot family can speak two or more languages. If you can speak more than one language, what else can you speak and understand? Which one of these languages do you use most?
4 people like this
44 responses
@beckyomg1 (6756)
• United States
24 Nov 06
i can only speak english, took french for three years way back in school but cant say a word of it.
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
29 Nov 06
I think that happens a lot when a foreign language is taken in school, because for the most part, you don't get to practice it very often. I learned German as a child, but since my Grandmother's gone for many years now, I can't anymore either.
@Force_Fed (745)
• United States
28 Oct 06
I only speak English. I remember a smattering of German I took in high school but only enough to look like an idiot. I wish I knew it better because it's a beautiful language. Force
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
28 Oct 06
I come from a family where all the elders spoke German. Like you, I only know a smattering. I still know a few phrases and words, but it's been too many years to really remember a lot. (Being able to say the alphabet and count in German isn't going to get me very far for sure, lol) Thanks for responding! PS, nice set of wheels you have there!!
1 person likes this
@heartonfire (4119)
• Denmark
27 Oct 06
well,i know english and french from school,and spanish and italian from tv...so i can speak 4 languages besides my native one..i can't say i speak them totally fluent but i try:)
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
That's wonderful heartonfire! Even if you are not fluent in all of them, at least you have a basic understanding of what they are saying. Thanks for writing!
1 person likes this
@sweetcakes (3504)
• United States
28 Oct 06
i can only speak english i learned spanish when i was in high school but i forgot it.
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
28 Oct 06
That's great Sweetcakes, I bet though if somebody started talking to you in Spanish you'd probably still have a little of an idea of what they were talking about. (Wayyyyyy better than me, lol!) Thanks for writing!
1 person likes this
@hawick (645)
• Singapore
27 Oct 06
I speak english, mandarin and understand some simple malay. also understand some chinese dialect like hokkien, cantonese, teochew
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
28 Oct 06
That's really good! Thanks for replying!
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Oct 06
I can only speak English fluently. I do know a little Spanish, but I would love to learn how to speak and understand more of the language and not just a few words here and there. When we have kids, I would love to learn Spanish together as a family. I also know a little bit of sign language, like the alphabet and a few key words/phrases. I would love to take the time to learn more signs.
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
28 Oct 06
That's great! Learning to sign is always a good thing to know. Also, learning Spanish as a family is a wonderful idea. My son-in-law is of Spanish descent and they are teaching my grandson to be bi-lingual. They say that the kids learn better when they're younger, as opposed to waiting until they're older. Seems to be true from what I see. When his Dad speaks only in Spanish to his friends, the little guy knows what they are talking about!
1 person likes this
@abccba (1914)
• Denmark
27 Oct 06
Danish, English and German... in denmark you have to learn 2 other languages in the public schools... English you have to learn, and then you can choose between German, and French, as the second...
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
I think that it's a good thing that the school you went to has you learn other languages. I wish our schools here would have made it mandatory that we learn another one besides the one we grew up with!
1 person likes this
@aphrodisiac (1010)
• India
27 Oct 06
i speak english,hindi,malayalam,french,tamil and a lil bit of arabic
2 people like this
@nake89 (557)
• Finland
27 Oct 06
Four languages. Finnish, english, swedish and a little bit of german.
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
That's really good! Thanks for replying!
1 person likes this
@Jonny714 (190)
• United States
19 Oct 06
I could speak two Languages 1. Is vietnamese 2. English
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
19 Oct 06
That's wonderful, thanks for replying.
1 person likes this
• India
27 Oct 06
english,hindi,bengali,punjabi i think which sums up to 4..
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
That's really wonderful! (You look too young to have learned so many languages already! You will go far in life!!!)
1 person likes this
@shaziiii (26)
• Pakistan
27 Oct 06
i can speak 5
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
Thanks for writing!
1 person likes this
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
27 Oct 06
3...my Language, Filipino...then English and Chinese...:)
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
Thanks for responding! I can't believe how many people know more than one language!
1 person likes this
@rk19bh (507)
• India
27 Oct 06
I can speak two languages Hindi and English. English I leanrned in my school and Hindi is my mother tongue.
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
27 Oct 06
That's great! Thanks for replying!
1 person likes this
@rosebug23 (1906)
• Australia
26 Nov 06
My husband speakes english and maltese a bit of italian and can understand a bit of Arbic s it is much like maltese my daughter speakes english can understand maltese and can make herself understod she also learned italian at school and has kept it up with her many talian friends she also speakes german as she lived there for 3 years,My son speaks English and understands Maltese ans Italian and speaks a little of both enough to make hmself understood.Me well i am not as god as the rest of the family i speak English can understand maltese and can say a few things lie ivite someone in to sit down do they want a drink and so on . The funny thing is my husband who was born in malta and so speaks it fluently has trouble understanding the maltese news on SBS
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
29 Nov 06
That's really great! Sounds like your family can travel lots of places and be able to understand the native languages. I admire people who can speak more than one! Thanks for writing!
@hith224 (311)
• India
19 Oct 06
i speak 3 languages. english, hindi & marathi (local languages)
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
19 Oct 06
Hello hith! Three languages...wow! I've read a couple of your posts, you have a real good command of the English language. Thanks for replying!
1 person likes this
@all_n_one (2003)
• United States
19 Oct 06
I can speak a little bit of spanish which is starting to become a priority almost in america nowadays ...lol. My main laguage is english though didn't learn any spanish until i got in highschool. So to sum it up main language english but can speak and understand a little bit of spanish.
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
19 Oct 06
Yes, more and more it's becoming a need to at least understand Spanish anymore in America! That's great that you can speak and understand a little of it. Thanks for replying!
1 person likes this
@missybal (4490)
• United States
19 Oct 06
I speak english, but I use to be pretty good is spanish, but now I am so out of practice that I can still understand some but not speak any anymore.
2 people like this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
19 Oct 06
Thanks for responding missybal! Even if you haven't practiced, and are a little rusty, at least you can understand what the general meaning of what they're talking about. That's great!
1 person likes this
@pagli84 (1850)
• Netherlands
24 Nov 06
english, dari, pashto, french fluently...i use english the most cause i grew up in the US and now im attending an english-language grad school in the netherlands. i speak dari with my family..and pashto rarely. i spoke french throughout college in my classes and during the 7 months i lived in france in 2005, but i havent really spoken it in a while (except for a few times in the past few months). i can understand some urdu/hindi and dutch, but i cant speak either well..i am trying to practice dutch a lot more now that im living in the netherlands, but usually it's people talking to me in dutch and me replying in english. i can also understand a bit of spanish cause its similar to french, but not a lot.
1 person likes this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
29 Nov 06
That's fantastic! That's a lot of different languages to learn. Thanks for replying!
@good1030 (670)
• China
29 Nov 06
including dialect i can speak 4
1 person likes this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
29 Nov 06
That's great! Thanks for responding!