[MBTI General] Languages

[Skyward]

My grandmother is an ESFJ Puerto Rican. She's been trying to "teach" me Spanish most of my life, but I'm an emmersion learner; if I can be around people speaking it, I will never pick it up.

My biggest desire is to learn Spanish, German, French, and Gaelic. Maybe some Latin, and Ancient Greek would be nice too if I had the time.

Same. My one regret in my life was not learning languages when I was very little. I have friends here in Finland that speak 3 languages, one who speaks three and has a good idea on a few others, and my host mother can follow a conversation in English, French, Arabic (She loves Egypt), Finnish, and Swedish.

At least I know English, which is decently effective in most countries, especially in Europe.

 

[Penda]

I've been trying to learn Japanese forever. I find it very hard. I think being an introvert is tough when learning a language because the best way to learn is to speak with people and I'm too embarrassed.

 

[Stanton Moore]

I can speak German, read and write Latin and ancient Greek.

 

[PeaceRobin]

Why French then?

Because at the time I requested Rosetta from my mother for my Bday, my job was dedicated to helping our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) executive directors to reach their fundraising goals. My boss said it would be beneficial to know French so I could look through grants offered in French as oppose to only the English grants. Also, much of the African states speak French and I'd like to one day work there. Just have to convince the organization I'm with that I'd be better at spending the money fulling our mission rather than raising the money so other people can fulfill the mission.. Part of the convincing will be fluency in French!

 

[Kastor]

Well, it's been a few days since I've started, but I'm really enjoying learning French and feel like I've picked up quite a bit. If anything, I just want to get on to learning how to express feelings in French already XD

 

[Parrish]

Yaaay for languages

I picked up English and German as a kid from watching TV. I had Spanish and Russian in school for a year, but I didn`t find it intense enough/didn`t like the teaching method. Last year I took a French course and I found it interesting. It only lasted 3 months, but I`d really like to learn it fluent.

Oh, and Japanese! Maybe it`s because of the whole anime thing, but I find the japanese culture intriguing and would love to travel there someday. So yeah, learning japanese would be awesome

 

[Phantonym]

I've studied/had to study several languages over the years. Thinking about it now...I don't think I've ever really been interested in learning them. Well, not really, the mandatory element imposed by school took all the joy out of it and I mostly fought against it. The only languages I've really felt passionate learning about were English and Spanish and learning them felt like I was the magnet drawing in...everything related to the language, culture, etc. I enjoyed it immensely. Currently I have to take German. Hate it. Learning it is not difficult but I have zero passion for it. I could find loads of more interesting things to spend my time on.

 

[Venom]

Sorry if there's already a thread like this, but are any of you interested in learning different languages? Or are you taking/already know another one? How well do you do learning such things?

I'm currently taking French on Rosetta Stone and I LOVE it. I especially love how there aren't any direct translations, you have to naturally figure it out yourself. It's awsome, and I'm really catching on.

ive used rosetta stone spanish. I finished levels 1 and 2. I think if I finished level 3, 4 and 5 I'd be able to read a bit. Then I'd read a teenager novel in spanish. Then I'd watch TV with spanish subtitles...then I think I'd be pretty good

I havent started level 3 yet though (school is in the way).

 

[Betty Blue]

I have a basic knowledge/understanding of Spanish, love it! beautiful language...i especially like the words estrella and libélula just because they sound awesome when spoken correctly. I do like French too, i love it when people argue in French. As a kid i picked it up when i spent a few months out there but sadly it has faded. I am learning a wee bit of farsi..it's hard to write! I'm also interested in Russian as my grandafther was a Russian. I lack discipline though, to learn it on my own at home is pretty futile. I need to go to class!

 

[chris1207]

I took Spanish throughout Highschool and College as well as Arabic to fill prereqs. I don't remember anything of Arabic. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how to pronounce it and got stuck. As for Spanish, I speak a good deal, especially now that I'm the only person that does at my store. I'm the go-to guy for Spanish customers and that helps me net some sales. Overall, I'd describe my fascination with foreign languages as being more of a fascination with their underlying structure and how that's realized in actual speech rather than an interest in the people. I was always taught that the bottom line was money and how can I be excited about a people that's poorer than mine and how can I study a language like Japanese or German when I have limited ability to practice it with others in real life situations....

 

[Ethelred the Unready]

I speak Polish and English and I'm currently learning Italian and Arabic. And I dream of learning Welsh, but it's a difficult language.

 

[FDG]

I speak Polish and English and I'm currently learning Italian and Arabic. And I dream of learning Welsh, but it's a difficult language.

Allora, a che livello sei? intermedio? base? avanzato?

 

[Amethyst]

Well, I hope that I am fluent in English, I have taken Spanish for quite a while, and can get through a Spanish Soap Opera just fine, so I guess I know it decently, but I don't know all the vocabulary or the rules that much anymore since I haven't used it, so it's rusty.

I'd like to keep up with learning Spanish, but I'm trying to learn Japanese as well, since I'll be going there, and don't want to be like 'wtf is going on!?'

 

[SilkRoad]

I speak French fluently as a result of doing the French immersion school program growing up in Canada. I have used it a good deal since moving to Europe, in various aspects of my life. I adore the French language and I feel that this is truly one of the greatest gifts that my parents gave me, by enrolling me in the program, and the Canadian school system too!

I also studied Spanish from grade 9 through third year university, but I'd only call myself conversational there. I understand it really well and I can kind of get by, but it would need a lot of brushing up. I was pretty good after all those years of studying but I feel like I've wasted it a bit now.

I speak a tiny bit of Finnish as my mom is a Finn. She says she now regrets not speaking it to us more at home - she did, but perhaps not enough. I also spent summers in Finland as a kid but I was a shy child and it was too easy to let others translate. I think if I had continued to go for a few more years I would have made a breakthrough, but after my grandmother's death when I was 15 I have only been once since. I love the language but regret it as a missed opportunity, mainly.

It is so long since I started learning a new language. The last time was when I was 13, with Spanish... I think it would be much harder now. Life is busy and my brain is less resilient. Really useful languages would include Chinese and Arabic, I think. But I'm not sufficiently drawn to either to undergo the difficulty. Perhaps the most practical thing I could do would be to brush up my Spanish. I would also like to improve my little Finnish, but it's so not practical unless I want to go live there. I love German too and have a few words and phrases. And Welsh...but not so useful

 

[011235813]

I first started learning French in middle school, gave it up for a couple of years, and resumed it in college, where I also learned Italian and Latin. I'm working on German now and hope to pick up Greek at some point in the not-so-distant future.

I enjoy learning foreign languages in general but I've always had an especially soft spot for Latin. It's marvelously complex and beautiful.

 

[Ethelred the Unready]

Allora, a che livello sei? intermedio? base? avanzato?

Comincio solo a imparare l'italiano.

I hope the above sentence is correct I'm a total beginner

 

[Athenian200]

I've tried to learn Spanish, and it is somewhat interesting... but it's hard for me to stick with it. I always get stuck on pronouncing the alveolar trill required for the "rr," and end up getting discouraged. I know tons of basic vocabulary, and can say a few phrases. I have only an unsteady grasp of the grammar, though.

I know the basic words REALLY well, because I keep starting out with a Spanish lesson, and only getting past the first part because I'm frustrated with my inability to pronounce it correctly.

 

[Cat_Cloud]

I can speack English and German, and am learning Chinese. I'd love to learn Japanese, Arabic, or Spanish, but I want to concentrate on German and Chinese. My INFP friend use to take German, but has abandoned it for Greek.

 

[Tabula]

Puedo hablar español bastante bien. I'd love to learn French and German.

 

[BAJ]

I took seven Spanish classes in school. However, I've never been to a Spanish speaking country or been immersed. With a dictionary and a verb book, I can read or translate anything. However, I only pick up bits and pieces of what people say. I pick up more if they talk slowly. If we have Spanish workers it's good if they read Spanish. But if they don't read, then there may be more of a gap. I guess that's true for English speakers too, since I like to put things in writing.