I speak two foreign languages I am a second generation German so I obviously know German but am a tad rusty atm after I stay I’m Germany a week I am back to fluid. And I know how to speak and am leaning to write Russian. I have dated a Ukrainian immigrant now coming on four years we get married September 5th, she taught me how to speak Russian. She speaks Ukrainian, English, and Russian.
Does anyone share these passions of being bilingual? She is getting ready to start a YouTube channel on how to speak both Ukrainian and Russian and wants me as a prop lol, not sure about that will see, I find it you don’t use it you lose it so I try to keep the languages polished but I get lazy and don’t speak them for a week at a time. It’s not like riding a bicycle. Seriously this spell checker on this site needs gutted here is what bicycle came out at with one mistyped letter (bum icy cow) you will forget if you don’t use it unless you grew up speaking it.
I’m sorry to be off topic, no I’m sadly not bilingual.
My neighbor is an immigrant from Ukraine, she came here maybe 12 years ago.I just adore her. No-nonsense, kind, talented, hard working, funny.
She speaks English pretty well, but I often have a hard time understanding her because she speaks English with such a strong accent. I’ve gotten better at understanding, but sometimes I just can’t make it out and have to just let it go.
Then sometimes a day or two later it will just come to me what the word was!
A few years ago, I learned Cyrillic and am trying to stay on top of auto-didactic lessons in a Russian for Beginners lesson book, which is very well done, but it is a challenge to say the least. I very much enjoy Russian’s hyper-emphasis on grammar. I was raised on Latin so that comports nicely with my language background and interests.
I am very impressed that you were able to learn to speak Russian before reading/writing. For me, the problem has been the opposite. Phonetically, it is simply too challenging for me to speak and, audibly, certain sounds are so subtle they seem impossible to detect.
I would love to hear any insight you may have on moving my progress along. Frankly, I work too much to dedicate myself fully to it, which likely prevents me from making substantial progress no matter my interest in it.
Curious - being from Ukraine, why did she teach you Russian first and not Ukrainian? Is it because Russian is more widely spoken? Easier to learn? Something else?
I speak Spanish as third language, French as my second. My husband speaks French as a third language.
Have tried learning Portuguese as there are a number of immigrants from Portugal & Brazil in various parts of the state, but I’m a bit rusty, don’t speak it so great.
Trust me I have prayed for the day the accent would subdue a bit. I met her at work. Very good people and a good country to visit, I suggest Lviv if you find yourself making a visit there it has that old European feel to it and not the drab communist feel that the capital city Kiev suffers from. Plus Lviv is the only other place you can get a direct flight to other than Kiev from the east coast.
She is pretty upset because her parents were going to throw a big party for us there but we can’t make travel plans because of the virus.
Very nicely done, much respect. Key pronunciations are difficult for me, like a rolling R sound (I can do a wookie impression with the best of them though lol). Every time I started to approach anything fluent in another language, my deployment ended, or my brother moved back to Mexico, etc… It’s a very admirable trait and skill to see in action.
Ya that would be fun I will pm you a message to her YouTube account were she will be teaching if you like it should be up in a week or so she is rocking Instagram but hasn’t made the move to YouTube I am helping her with that…
She will be teaching I will be on it some I guess in her thoughts as prop westerner messing the language up Russian is a very hard language to learn as they use so many trills in their speech I have often asked her can you understand the word if I don’t put the trill in the R which get back a firm Nyet.
Sadly I’m not bilingual. I tried learning Spanish but it never took.
One of the most interesting situations of my life happened when I was 16. Two of my high school friend girls came over (we had a pool at my house). One is Indian and the other is Mexican, both second generation. Their moms called them at almost the exact same time to talk to them.
The Latina, I could sort of make out what she was talking to her mom about since I knew a few common Spanish phrases and words. The Indian girl? Didn’t have a clue lol.
After 12 years her accent hasn’t abated at all, if anything, it’s just more entrenched. But it’s lovely.
She’s a wonderful piano player. A couple years ago her husband splurged on a grand piano, they put it in the back room next to the patio. So on nice nights I can hear her beautiful playing waft over our backyards.
I’m 1st generation Sicilian but only know a few words of Italian (in the Sicilian dialect). My parents and grandparents embraced America and the English language while maintaining the traditions of their heritage and the excellent food!
You do lose it indeed. Forty years ago I was getting pretty good at Spanish, but have used it less and less and less over the years and now I can’t even follow a simple conversation.
Ya same here I tried it but we didn’t have that big of a Spanish community, now I am down to simple greetings at max 20-:30 words… I know if I lived in southern Florida especially would want to know it and parts of Texas.
Trust me I know where you are coming from after spending close to 15 years in the software sector, I know more Indians than Americans at work because they are so few Americans and there language is harsh. The Spanish language on the other hand is a pretty language to listen to. No contest on the woman I would take the Latino
Indian culture is so different than hours at least people from south of the border are somewhat similar to us in culture.
The neighborhood I live in is majority Indian. I’m pretty sure it’s the largest Indian community in America. In August they close down the main street here for an Indian Day Parade.
Their stores are amazing, great prices, fantastic selection of fresh spices and nuts. I just wish I knew more about the products they sell. But when I ask Indian folks are more than happy to help me out.
And the restaurants! There’s an Indian Pizzeria here that has great, creative pizzas.
