My boyfriend recently got back from travelling around Europe and he said that there weren't many people in France that spoke English, but that most people in Germany did. I was just curious if this was actually the case. Merci d'avance!
Elf antworten:
mrlionelhuds
2006-06-30 22:44:26 UTC
Most of us "speak" English on a basic and primitive level ot are at least glad to try it.
Just don't expect perfection, speak slowly and distinctly and "don't mind zem for zeir strong accent; zan zei will understand you and you'll understand zem."
(Zis accent zing is not a clichée; I hate listening to Germans speaking English including myself)
iceman73
2006-07-02 07:18:36 UTC
Most people over here do understand and are widely able to speak English, although the pronounciation is mostly terrible. It gets even worse when it comes to writing. Still, when it becomes mandatory due to professional reasons to exchange information in either English and / or French, I eventually made the experience that it is simply more important THAT people are able to express themselves, rather than HOW they do it. I deal with colleagues all around Europe and everybody does his best.
Interestingly enough Skandinavian people are very good in terms of speaking foreign languages for one simple reason: foreign made movies are not being translated to their home tongue. So they have to listen to the original words while reading translated subtitles. You hardly ever get that here in Germany.
2006-07-01 03:40:47 UTC
I am an exchange student in Germany and most people here speak english with me before they find out that I can speak German. it's mandatory to learn in the school. The children start in the 3rd grade now and will keep learning till graduation.
Kingkrach
2006-07-01 02:51:53 UTC
Yes!!!!!! I speak english and I am from germany :) : ) :) :)have a nice day :) :) :) debi
Axman
2006-06-30 23:27:22 UTC
Hi,
not the most , but a lot do speak english.
karlkiste
2006-06-30 21:55:41 UTC
In french schools as well as in german ones english is often taught as first foreign language. There might well be a great difference in the eagerness to use their sometimes feeble knowledge of english language by the pupils. Many young german people will answer "Yes, I can" on asking them if they spoke english, even if this is the only answer they can correctly give. French people prefer answering "no", "pardon" or just shake their heads, even if they would be able to communicate in english language.
The accent heard by french people however is often much worse than by germans, so sometimes it's hard to understand them anyway.
telefonquestion
2006-06-30 20:23:03 UTC
Germans are some of the best non-native English speakers. Bear in mind both English and German are germanic languages. Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians are in general very good or fluent in English. English comes from the low German languages, traced back to Old Frisian --lowlands of northern Germany/Holland. Some Low German sounds very close to English.
aurayus
2006-06-30 19:36:02 UTC
well, many germans learn english at school. and because english is a very easy to learn and speak language at a low level, many speak it too. germans are very keen on everything which comes from the anglo-saxon countries, whereas the french still think of themselves as a world power (at least linguistically) sorry joe (my hubby, hes french, im swiss). we swiss speak english AND french because we have a french speaking part and are an open country.
i assume the love for everything american comes from the help of the americans after world war II and all the possibilities this offered, also culture wise.
2006-06-30 19:30:15 UTC
no, only the younger ones.
most of the old ones not
you will have to buy the school books hautpschule real und wirtschaftsschule and gymnasium. there are different types of gymnasiums some start with english some with latin.
Berufsschulen und wirtschaftsgymnasien or abendgymnasien.
then you can see the range of words they know or must know.
there are english courses at the volkshochschule that is a school with a big variety of all type of courses from gardening to latin for everyone that is interessted but you have to pay a fee for each course.
if you ask the younger people, then you will know their education levels and then you know how good their engish is. (how many words they know)
nice_dog
2006-06-30 18:30:18 UTC
Yes it is. Most people will be able to understand you. The difference between France is that French don't like to speak English even if they can. Germans usually make an effort to try.
diamantenkitty
2006-06-30 19:19:07 UTC
yes they do, because the learn english in school. And even thou the hate the USA, they still like to be like them. Yes going to Germany is no problem. Nice travelling
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