What countries have you added since 2016?
-
- Brown Belt
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:41 pm
- x 1031
What countries have you added since 2016?
What countries have you added to your list since the April 2016 thread about countries you've visited? Any good language moments?
0 x
- Elenia
- Black Belt - 1st Dan
- Posts: 1888
- Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2015 1:22 am
- Location: London
- Languages: English (N), Swedish (C1), French (Massively Atrophied) German (lowly beginner, somehow learnt to read)
Finnish?! - Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=708
- x 3280
- Contact:
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
I'm not sure, but I think just Germany and Norway. In Germany, I managed to reply to a waiter at a buffet who shocked me with German. Not only did I reply, I also replied grammatically correctly, and he didn't seem to realise that I was so distressed about the whole situation that I was literally pulling at my hair!
In Norway, border control on the train. The lady checking our passports was really nice and friendly, and was talking with us in Norwegian. I understood a good amount of what she said, and could reply in Swedish. She said that I had the accent of the area of Sweden I live in. (Not necessarily a compliment from everyone, but I was happy )
In Norway, border control on the train. The lady checking our passports was really nice and friendly, and was talking with us in Norwegian. I understood a good amount of what she said, and could reply in Swedish. She said that I had the accent of the area of Sweden I live in. (Not necessarily a compliment from everyone, but I was happy )
5 x
-
- Brown Belt
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:41 pm
- x 1031
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
I would say it is a compliment in most circumstances! Well done
2 x
-
- White Belt
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
- Location: Canada
- Languages: English (N), French (B1)
- Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
- x 47
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
On a train from Barcelona to Nîmes I ended up sharing a compartment with another Canadian and a couple guys from France. I found the Canadian irritating. He worked in national security and was apparently friends with a prominent politician I don't like, and just wouldn't stop talking and talking, mostly in French. I was really tired and wanted to sleep so I didn't really participate much, but at one point in time he said "câlisse de tabarnac" which made the other guys look really confused. So I butted in, told Securitybro that that's not a phrase that's used in Europe. He tried "Pétain" and there was this sudden flicker of recognition in the other two guys.
I spent a bit of time in France and was able to get around without resorting to English, which made me pretty proud of myself. That was pretty much it though. I ended up in a couple conversations with people where I quickly got lost because I didn't have the right vocabulary. One was with an older character in Avignon who people seemed to know - he sat down beside me and started to rattle off what seemed to be a list of the various cases of baggage theft in places around Provence. I stayed in that conversation for way too long because I just wanted some listening practice.
The moment I crossed the border into Belgium though... everyone seemed to know right away that I'm an anglophone and it was all English from then on.
On a train from Barcelona to Nîmes I ended up sharing a compartment with another Canadian and a couple guys from France. I found the Canadian irritating. He worked in national security and was apparently friends with a prominent politician I don't like, and just wouldn't stop talking and talking, mostly in French. I was really tired and wanted to sleep so I didn't really participate much, but at one point in time he said "câlisse de tabarnac" which made the other guys look really confused. So I butted in, told Securitybro that that's not a phrase that's used in Europe. He tried "Pétain" and there was this sudden flicker of recognition in the other two guys.
I spent a bit of time in France and was able to get around without resorting to English, which made me pretty proud of myself. That was pretty much it though. I ended up in a couple conversations with people where I quickly got lost because I didn't have the right vocabulary. One was with an older character in Avignon who people seemed to know - he sat down beside me and started to rattle off what seemed to be a list of the various cases of baggage theft in places around Provence. I stayed in that conversation for way too long because I just wanted some listening practice.
The moment I crossed the border into Belgium though... everyone seemed to know right away that I'm an anglophone and it was all English from then on.
1 x
Duolinguo:
French:
Super Challenge:
Books:
Movies:
French:
Super Challenge:
Books:
Movies:
- Serpent
- Black Belt - 3rd Dan
- Posts: 3657
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:54 am
- Location: Moskova
- Languages: heritage
Russian (native); Belarusian, Polish
fluent or close: Finnish (certified C1), English; Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian
learning: Croatian+, Ukrainian; Romanian, Galician; Danish, Swedish; Estonian
exploring: Latin, Karelian, Catalan, Dutch, Czech, Latvian - x 5181
- Contact:
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
Plenty of people have replied in that thread to mention new countries they've been to since their previous post
I have visited quite a few countries where my target languages are spoken - Croatia, Montenegro, Portugal (including Madeira), Spain/Catalonia, Austria, Italy (also Vatican and the SMOM building). Also Slovakia for the Polyglot Gathering (only interested in Slovak passively).
I have visited quite a few countries where my target languages are spoken - Croatia, Montenegro, Portugal (including Madeira), Spain/Catalonia, Austria, Italy (also Vatican and the SMOM building). Also Slovakia for the Polyglot Gathering (only interested in Slovak passively).
0 x
-
- White Belt
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 2:01 pm
- Location: Kentucky, USA
- Languages: English (N), Mandarin (可), Spanish (bastante), German (fair), Japanese (learning), Italian (learning), French (dabbling), Taiwanese (dabbling)
- x 61
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
I've added: Poland, Brazil, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Gibraltar, too, if that counts.
I also passed through airports in Iceland, Denmark, Panama, and Vietnam since my 2016 post, but can't count those as true country visits.
I also passed through airports in Iceland, Denmark, Panama, and Vietnam since my 2016 post, but can't count those as true country visits.
0 x
-
- Brown Belt
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:41 pm
- x 1031
Re: What countries have you added since 2016?
tolgylop wrote:I've added: Poland, Brazil, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Gibraltar, too, if that counts.
I also passed through airports in Iceland, Denmark, Panama, and Vietnam since my 2016 post, but can't count those as true country visits.
Gibraltar definitely counts! Airports don't
1 x
Return to “Travel and Culture”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests