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Mother tongue English, could speak passable Afrikaans decades ago and much worse German but now struggle with both after not using/hearing them for ages. Attempted learning French with disastrous results!

OWN, you wrote of speaking in France: . I have to agree, but it wasn't because they appreciated my efforts! I spent most of my time in France in Paris, and it's the Parisians who have the reputation for refusing to speak English, more than the French from other parts. My French lessons having proved catastrophic, when I needed help I'd accost Parisians on the streets with my only decent bit of French: "Excuse me, Madame/Monsieur, but do you perhaps speak English?" and invariably got the response (in French & with a suitably scornful expression) "No, we live in France, we speak French". Fair enough, I switched to French, flailing about and producing such stuff that they very quickly revealed that they could speak very good English indeed, and were only too keen to help me on my way (and out of theirs).

Nowadays I speak dreadful Greek as well!

I never spent long enough in Paris to see the whole picture, but I did find that showing that I was willing to try their language went a long way to getting a fair amount of help in English!

Of course, there were those who refused to gravitate towards English under any circumstances, but I found them in the decided minority. I also tried a few choice phrases, which brought much mirth to the lips of the French and lightened their resistance! If you heard me speaking Francais, you'd understand.

Greece was another ball game altogether ...

I speak English en ook Afrikaans, mane Gujarati bolto en Ngiyasiqonda isizulu!

Proudly South African

Mother Language is German. Then speek Italiens, Thai, not so good French, and a little bit Mandarin( Chine).

Huān​yíng​ Peewee1
Zhì​xiè​ shàng​ zài​ lùn​tán​

Wei, Ni Hao Michael.
Bu Tai Cha!!
Zai Jian

Now you lost me.

Peewee, Michel: that's all Greek to me.
Peewee, how do you read those Chinese symbols - looks so complicated?! I think that, if your eyes are the slightest bit imperfect, you'd miss all the little side strokes in the symbol, and would misread everything! I once saw a Chinese man writing Chinese and it was mindboggling, to say the least! How he got all those lines together so quickly was nothing short of miraculous!

language???? very bad on the golf course

English
Mother Tongue : Kannada ( speak a bit, not read or write)
Know : Hindi
A bit of afrikaans, Setswana

I speek English tiny bit of afrikaans and hebrew

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Simon Boaz ...

COS ... What language is Kannada? (Not Kannadian, eh? )

OD ... you speak some Hebrew? Wow! How do you come by that ancient lingo?

Went to Israel and learned it.

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