Cortian
No longer a newbie, moving up!
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2018
- Messages
- 503
- Reaction score
- 209
- Location
- S.E. Michigan, USA
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
At all?
What brought this up was this comment by @BrentC:
My wife is Dutch. I spent a good amount of time in the Netherlands forty years ago, when we first met, and became more-or-less "conversationally fluent," but haven't used it since. We've been married over 25 years, but we speak English in the home, so... I know some phrases, and can pick some stuff up, but that's about it.
We're going to the Netherlands the end of next month. I'm currently taking two on-line courses twice a day to try to get back to at least conversational ability by then. I don't need to. English is spoken widely there. I want to. TBH: I'm mildly embarrassed I don't know the love of my life's native tongue.
I hoping I can stick with it after I return and become entirely fluent. It is said learning a language is good for the brain. One of the things that can help ward off or slow down dementia. I've also read knowing more than one language makes you smarter and able to more easily learn new things.
I took two semesters of Spanish in high school and a semester of French just before that trip to the Netherlands forty years ago. Spanish would be handy. French I think is the most beautiful language. If I stick with it, become thoroughly fluent in Dutch, perhaps I'll pick up French and/or Spanish again.
Btw: My wife was, at one time, fluent in Dutch, English, German, French and Spanish.
What brought this up was this comment by @BrentC:
That sounds familiar.My wife is Portuguese as well. She grew up on Terceira in the Azores. So I got the language covered, or at least she does.
My wife is Dutch. I spent a good amount of time in the Netherlands forty years ago, when we first met, and became more-or-less "conversationally fluent," but haven't used it since. We've been married over 25 years, but we speak English in the home, so... I know some phrases, and can pick some stuff up, but that's about it.
We're going to the Netherlands the end of next month. I'm currently taking two on-line courses twice a day to try to get back to at least conversational ability by then. I don't need to. English is spoken widely there. I want to. TBH: I'm mildly embarrassed I don't know the love of my life's native tongue.
I hoping I can stick with it after I return and become entirely fluent. It is said learning a language is good for the brain. One of the things that can help ward off or slow down dementia. I've also read knowing more than one language makes you smarter and able to more easily learn new things.
I took two semesters of Spanish in high school and a semester of French just before that trip to the Netherlands forty years ago. Spanish would be handy. French I think is the most beautiful language. If I stick with it, become thoroughly fluent in Dutch, perhaps I'll pick up French and/or Spanish again.
Btw: My wife was, at one time, fluent in Dutch, English, German, French and Spanish.