General Discussion

laundry_queen

(8,646 posts)

223. As a teen

Tue Feb 11, 2014, 03:54 AM

Feb 2014

my friends and I mastered it and could speak it as fast as plain English. We did this because we were all in French Immersion together and we were required to speak in French all the time. We had this French teacher who was super strict about it, and if we didn't say every single word in proper French (no slang), he would start speaking to us in Italian with this smirk, and would continue in Italian until we got every word in French correct. WE thought he was so rude - instead of helping us he was making a joke of us. Being rebellious teens, we HATED being 'forced' to speak French and being laughed at in Italian, so we started speaking in pig latin and, for the life of me I can't figure out how HE (the teacher) didn't figure out what we were speaking (maybe it's because we were so fast) but wow, did he get mad when we did that, which of course, we thought was hilarious.

ah, we were bad. I was one of those teens who didn't take to shaming very well...made me want to go out and do the opposite. I was a straight-A student too which aggravated aforementioned teacher...I still don't know how he didn't figure it out. I think it may be because we had changed a few of the rules, LOL, and made up some weird way of saying some words, but still, it SOUNDED like pig latin.

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Over 90% of Germans speak English. What foreign language do you speak? [View all] JDPriestly Feb 2014 OP

My native language is Estonian LiberalEsto Feb 2014 #1

German (I was born and lived there) gopiscrap Feb 2014 #2

Isn't speaking different languages fun? And you sure do! JDPriestly Feb 2014 #71

So do they really speak that much English? hfojvt Feb 2014 #110

Depends. Maybe it's an age thing? historylovr Feb 2014 #153

when I left Germany most of my cousins could speak speak pretty good English gopiscrap Feb 2014 #203

It's still pretty different between east and west Germany. wickerwoman Feb 2014 #172

I agree. They speak English like most Americans speak Spanish. MADem Feb 2014 #188

A lot of Germans speak really good English. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #206

Well, I haven't been to Germany in many years, nearly twenty. MADem Feb 2014 #209

Someone found another source that gave a much lower figure. I was surprised at 90% JDPriestly Feb 2014 #219

I think the whole world knows "a little English!" MADem Feb 2014 #230

Germany is a pretty big country, so German is the default option eridani Feb 2014 #221

nobody seemed to initiate conversations with me hfojvt Feb 2014 #224

That's because the signs are too small to fit "Halten Sie an!" n/t DFW Feb 2014 #234

Spanish nt oldhippie Feb 2014 #3

Also�. Tikki Feb 2014 #55

Hablo espa�ol tambi�n. phylny Feb 2014 #286

French Earth_First Feb 2014 #4

Me too Aerows Feb 2014 #74

French, read it better than speak it, go figure..LOL.. monmouth3 Feb 2014 #5

German alcibiades_mystery Feb 2014 #6

Spanish and Thai. eom DonViejo Feb 2014 #7

Show off! Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #9

LOL. Sorry 'bout that... DonViejo Feb 2014 #14

You'd think living in California all my life Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #17

Spanish was the first language that I learned, and I have been living in a mostly Spanish-speaking JDPriestly Feb 2014 #73

I'm a speech-language pathologist working in early intervention. phylny Feb 2014 #287

You are doing well, when my fatigue level goes up I can't even speak. Downwinder Feb 2014 #41

Oh, I have times like that too... DonViejo Feb 2014 #43

My temporary registers disappear. Downwinder Feb 2014 #49

Street and academia. Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #8

French, Spanish and Italian. CurtEastPoint Feb 2014 #10

Someone who speaks three or more languages is called "multi-lingual" ... Scuba Feb 2014 #11

Good joke. But I am happy to see how many DUers know a foreign language. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #75

I use Google Translatoro itsrobert Feb 2014 #176

Sarcasm. Neoma Feb 2014 #12

A little German FarCenter Feb 2014 #13

Yes. That English is so widely spoken is almost a handicap for Americans trying to learn another JDPriestly Feb 2014 #79

Chinese grammar is actually pretty easy Lydia Leftcoast Feb 2014 #171

I agree on the Chinese grammar being easier, but ..... oldhippie Feb 2014 #252

I would love to learn Italian. I just simply do not have the time. HughBeaumont Feb 2014 #15

Time is the big problem. You could try listening to opera and other Italian music. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #85

Oops, sorry, replied in the wrong place muriel_volestrangler Feb 2014 #134

I think you are right. Manifestor_of_Light Feb 2014 #166

Spanish nt newfie11 Feb 2014 #16

Been trying to teach myself Japanese LostOne4Ever Feb 2014 #18

Wow! Tough language to learn. That is quite amazing. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #86

I know LostOne4Ever Feb 2014 #251

I find speaking actually harder than reading and writing Lydia Leftcoast Feb 2014 #93

I hope to be able to speak, read, write, and understand Japanese when Im done LostOne4Ever Feb 2014 #250

If you are trying to learn Kanji, may I suggest this book? Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #225

Awesome! LostOne4Ever Feb 2014 #249

That's pretty cool Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #260

French and German... Lost_Count Feb 2014 #19

She is amazing. I think that when children learn a second language when they are fairly JDPriestly Feb 2014 #88

Spanish, some German and Hebrew. hughee99 Feb 2014 #20

Brooklyn Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #21

A language unto itself for sure. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #94

I can 'sign" a bit in Brooklynese. Does that count? NFT. TheOther95Percent Feb 2014 #119

Are you kidding Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #146

My wife speaks English and Spanish hunter Feb 2014 #22

Me too! JDPriestly Feb 2014 #101

"Monolingualism can be cured" Cairycat Feb 2014 #23

I grew up in Iowa and was never offered a second language liberal N proud Feb 2014 #45

But you know a lot about other things. The hole in my education was science. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #208

Actually, I'm surprised at how many DUers speak another language. I did not realize that. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #207

Very, very true, Cairycat. Surya Gayatri Feb 2014 #243

None. (or one - American English) kentauros Feb 2014 #24

German. LeftyMom Feb 2014 #25

Strine marions ghost Feb 2014 #26

g'day mate! treestar Feb 2014 #95

g'day marions ghost Feb 2014 #105

Struth? HeiressofBickworth Feb 2014 #193

French. nt laundry_queen Feb 2014 #27

southern but not fluently bowens43 Feb 2014 #28

Fluent in Russian, French and German; basic comprehension in reading Spanish, can get by in spoken Brickbat Feb 2014 #29

Russian, French, & Spanish. But I can get by with some Italian as well. JaneyVee Feb 2014 #30

Philly. JoePhilly Feb 2014 #31

That's a hard one, I've heard. nt Common Sense Party Feb 2014 #38

Took me years to master. JoePhilly Feb 2014 #47

Isn't the Brooklynese? Historic NY Feb 2014 #121

Love the video. I wonder whether she also has one for Southern accents. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #210

I believe she does... Historic NY Feb 2014 #213

my mother and her family are from there treestar Feb 2014 #285

The hardest language I ever came in contact with gopiscrap Feb 2014 #204

when I was TDY in Philly Skittles Feb 2014 #227

Catalan, Swedish, Dutch, Russian, German, Schwyzerd��tsch, French, Italian, Spanish DFW Feb 2014 #32

Impressive list treestar Feb 2014 #97

Otherwise known as "Swiss German" DFW Feb 2014 #187

He lives in Europe. Beacool Feb 2014 #254

Catalan impresses me treestar Feb 2014 #255

Actually, they consider it to be their native language. Beacool Feb 2014 #258

Are they highly similar? treestar Feb 2014 #262

I'm not sure. Beacool Feb 2014 #267

It's a mouthful just saying the names of all the languages you speak. Quite an accomplishment. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #103

Occupational hazard DFW Feb 2014 #186

French. nt el_bryanto Feb 2014 #33

This topic would have been better served as a poll... Lost_Count Feb 2014 #34

Actually, I am interested in knowing which foreign languages people speak. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #104

German ... Lost_Count Feb 2014 #137

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Espa�ol y/und Deutsch Octafish Feb 2014 #36

Yo tambien y/und ich auch. LibertyLover Feb 2014 #61

Wie geht's, Compay? Octafish Feb 2014 #173

Geht es gut LibertyLover Feb 2014 #261

Feliz tenemos entrenador Caldwell en cargo de los Leones. Octafish Feb 2014 #263

Spanish and a woefully pathetic amount of Portuguese Common Sense Party Feb 2014 #37

Spanish, English (it's sufficiently different from American) nadinbrzezinski Feb 2014 #39

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yes it is very hard but I am determined to do it. arely staircase Feb 2014 #256

I can get by in French and Spanish. I can read Italian. Warpy Feb 2014 #42

English as first language Half-Century Man Feb 2014 #44

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French, studied in high school and college elleng Feb 2014 #48

Sadly,... 3catwoman3 Feb 2014 #50

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I totally agree. Lots of German, French, Norwegian, and English influences BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #169

That's impressive! I have a good friend that is fluent in Swedish, German, French and Spanish, but adirondacker Feb 2014 #183

Thanks, adirondacker. Your friend isn't too shabby, either! BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #268

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Friesland! Holland's rebel province. I have family there to this day. BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #265

Niet te geloven! DFW Feb 2014 #236

Ik? Een uitzondering? Blijkbaar niet! BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #264

Jij hebt gelijk. DFW Feb 2014 #277

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It should. If you were vacationing in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War, it was MADem Feb 2014 #190

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Plop yourself down in the middle of the United States, look at a 500 mile radius and count languages Bok_Tukalo Feb 2014 #53

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I should have been clearer Bok_Tukalo Feb 2014 #83

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Tagalog - from the Peace Corps in the Philippines. n/t pampango Feb 2014 #59

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Kind of. Slightly altered, it's the name of the province (Pampanga) that my wife is from. pampango Feb 2014 #235

Boontling. Comrade Grumpy Feb 2014 #60

I just spewed my horn of zeese Brother Buzz Feb 2014 #62

Careful. You might get burned. Comrade Grumpy Feb 2014 #126

espanol KamaAina Feb 2014 #63

French and a smattering of Spanish. Tracer Feb 2014 #64

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try to learn un poco de espanol... dionysus Feb 2014 #68

Son. bravenak Feb 2014 #157

None. MO_Moderate Feb 2014 #69

Comparing apples to oranges. FSogol Feb 2014 #70

Jumping to conclusions. Quantess Feb 2014 #78

Sneering? Really? Despite the intent of the OP, Americans are frequently looked down upon for FSogol Feb 2014 #84

My first point went totally over your head. You and I have a different way of interpreting things. Quantess Feb 2014 #96

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Defending as lack of knowledge is a rather accurate example of the sub-literate... LanternWaste Feb 2014 #132

One can state the reason for a lack of knowledge without supporting that lack of knowledge. FSogol Feb 2014 #138

The poster does that sorta thing endlessly Inkfreak Feb 2014 #158

My theory: Somebody took their parents praise too seriously. FSogol Feb 2014 #159

French and German. I understand but don't speak Spanish. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #113

As you may see from the response, there is nothing sneering about it. A lot of DUers JDPriestly Feb 2014 #216

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Hungarian is so interesting and so few people speak it. What I find fascinating is JDPriestly Feb 2014 #114

I didn't know that, thanks! :) arthritisR_US Feb 2014 #125

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Profanity...in several languages. Tierra_y_Libertad Feb 2014 #80

Uckfay Ouyay (I speak it in Pig Latin) Jeff In Milwaukee Feb 2014 #82

Hey! I never could master it. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #115

As a teen laundry_queen Feb 2014 #223

Hilarious. Was your teacher a native English speaker? JDPriestly Feb 2014 #226

I'm not sure what his first language was laundry_queen Feb 2014 #229

I like to learn the ETYMOLOGY of profanity. kentauros Feb 2014 #149

Well. That was thorough. Didn't miss a detail. Interesting. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #194

Hablo espanol. bravenak Feb 2014 #81

FORTRAN. n/t malthaussen Feb 2014 #87

No BASIC? nadinbrzezinski Feb 2014 #107

Not fluently.:) I learned FORTRAN before BASIC. n/t malthaussen Feb 2014 #112

I used to know a little COBOL. kentauros Feb 2014 #150

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I was amazed to learn Switzerland has four national lanugues... KansDem Feb 2014 #289

Also verstaasch du schwyzer Mundart? n/t DFW Feb 2014 #274

Nicht zu viel KansDem Feb 2014 #288

Switzerland is a little weird that way DFW Feb 2014 #291

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Professional competence in Japanese, conversational knowledge of Lydia Leftcoast Feb 2014 #92

Japan does dub a lot of imported films that are shown on TV Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #228

A little German. My kids are fluent in Spanish, though. cyberswede Feb 2014 #98

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I agree... cyberswede Feb 2014 #120

I never mastered the genders in German. I learned German by living in the countries. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #123

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Can do Spanish treestar Feb 2014 #99

I confes. I had to look up Kiswahili. I'm impressed that you know that language. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #118

I'm really learning, should not say I know it treestar Feb 2014 #148

Kiswahili? DFW Feb 2014 #272

Habari gani? treestar Feb 2014 #280

Just fine, thanks! DFW Feb 2014 #284

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French Autumn Colors Feb 2014 #108

If you learned that much French, you will be speaking Spanish in no time. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #122

Spanish. savalez Feb 2014 #109

I'm from the south. My second language is English. nt rrneck Feb 2014 #117

lol - how true 840high Feb 2014 #130

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Norwegian nt cinnabonbon Feb 2014 #128

+1 jeg ogs� n/r FreeState Feb 2014 #177

... cinnabonbon Feb 2014 #232

Jeg ogs� snakker litt norsk Lydia Leftcoast Feb 2014 #179

Gamle folk blir s� glade n�r cinnabonbon Feb 2014 #231

Hei! Jeg visste ikke at du snakket norsk. KitSileya Feb 2014 #247

Joda, m� jo kunne det. ;) cinnabonbon Feb 2014 #248

Det er ganske komplisert. KitSileya Feb 2014 #269

Jeg er ikke norsk, men DFW Feb 2014 #273

Kitchen Spanish trust me that's a language. As well as italian Arcanetrance Feb 2014 #131

Latin Blue_In_AK Feb 2014 #133

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German grasswire Feb 2014 #136

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Sorry ... lpbk2713 Feb 2014 #143

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English and Bad English MrScorpio Feb 2014 #140

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Well they did lose the war. dilby Feb 2014 #145

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Zuec Euskera aitxutendosue? DFW Feb 2014 #271

Apur Txiki Bat Wolf Frankula Feb 2014 #282

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None, I'm an idiot get the red out Feb 2014 #276

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Texan Major Nikon Feb 2014 #290