Question for the Getbiggers with a non English first language

[el numero uno]

I've always liked the idea of learning english so I've always practice it in one way or another. English education in our system is crap, you are thought the same every year. I started reading books for kids in english, then when I was 10 yo I started translating songs, and watching TV shows with subtitles helps as well. It's not perfect, but given the fact I did it all by myself I'm quite proud of it lol. Oh, and my english speaking abilities are pretty good.

I've been also trying to learn basic ebonics. Yo da shit is modafucking hard.

[BigCyp]

I am Greek, but I speak English as my main language. I am currently learning to speak and write Greek fluently, with the aim of doing this by the end of next year.

[MORTALCOIL]

I am Greek, but I speak English as my main language. I am currently learning to speak and write Greek fluently, with the aim of doing this by the end of next year.

Planning to go bankrupt?

[Bertha Butt]

But you do like the (ostrich/elk)meat.

Yes, I'm fond of any kind of meat...

(oh boy, is there a pun in this I'm not seeing/comprehending?  )

[visualizeperfection]

Yes, I'm fond of any kind of meat...

(oh boy, is there a pun in this I'm not seeing/comprehending?  )

there is now!!!

[BigCyp]

Planning to go bankrupt?

Nah, just planning to lost my anal virginity in Soho and want a convincing accent in case the police turn up

[visualizeperfection]

Nah, just planning to lost my anal virginity in Soho and want a convincing accent in case the police turn up

 

[MORTALCOIL]

Nah, just planning to lost my anal virginity in Soho and want a convincing accent in case the police turn up

A few getbiggers could provide you with pre-written lines for that. Search "deep tissue massage", "It's not gay....", etc.....

[BigCyp]

No I will be doing this one 

[galain]

Thanks for all the responses people.

I should have disqualified you Scandinavians - it seems like you all come out of the womb speaking English better than native English speakers (maybe not the Finns so much).

I was recently at the Europa School in Varese, Italy, where there are 3 languages of instruction in every class. It was so humbling to see the students chatting to each other in Italian, then switching to French or German when they spoke to a teacher, then making phone calls in perfect English. I really think multi-lingualism is one of the best gifts a parent can give their children.

I have friends I learnt German with who refuse to speak their mother tongue to their children because they want them to be as 'normal' as possible. I can kind of understand the thinking but it seems like such a wasted opportunity to me.

Sev - I am open to the prospect of past lives. When I first came to Germany on a visit I couldn't leave fast enough. Hated the place. Had an almost physical reaction to the people - hated them. I promised myself I would never return. Nowhere else in Europe did I feel this way - just Germany.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself in a spiritualist church (totally by accident - long story) and some woman tells me I died in a concentration camp in Germany. (Strangely enough, I had mainly jewish friends growing up).

fast forward a few more years, here I am living in Germany, married to a German. Must be a lesson there somewhere...

[NordicNerd]

What was/is the hardest thing to learn when you learnt English?
I was trying to explain something to someone here in Germany the other day and thought, English really could be confusing if you didn't grow up with it.

Second question - how did you all get so good at it? I'm always pretty impressed at how well some of you non native speakers write in English.

The worst thing is humor and especially in a forum such as Getbig. Social rules and slang is something you need to acquire in "the real world", not just by books.

NN

[Papper]

Couple of mistakes come back still.. like I'm still having trouble with the verb inflections or what you call it. It happens when I write fast or speak out loud.

You know, the "I write, he writes, they write, she writes". Because sometime you don't know what the hell your subject is if your talking about a group or a company or something.. pretty hard to learn for Swedes because we don't change verbs this way.

This is the most common though.. there are much harder problems you encounter sometimes but I can't remember those singular syntax occurences where I just stop and must google to get it right.

I took advanced English at Stockholm University and there were some real mind benders involving  conjunctions and subjects and predicators that according to our teacher even the natives have trouble with.

[Tapeworm]

Touché.

Nothing incorrect about 'learnt' as far as I know.

It'll sound more pompous to the American ear (but probably sound more working class to English & Aus) so the yanks and an occasional Romanian will give you a hard time over it.

[MORTALCOIL]

Nothing incorrect about 'learnt' as far as I know.

It'll sound more pompous to the American ear (but probably sound more working class to English & Aus) so the yanks and an occasional Romanian will give you a hard time over it.

But I'm more often borderline ebonic-speaking than posh English. got me confused myself. And as far as having anything to do with Aussies.....nope. I'm often tempted but I don't piss in my bath.

[Tapeworm]

That's not even a big deal here.  Sometimes people even piss in eachother's baths.  It's all good, homes!

[MORTALCOIL]

That's not even a big deal here.  Sometimes people even piss in eachother's baths.  It's all good, homes!

I'm not surprised. I have a great Aussie friend who lived in Paris for a while. I lent him my flat for a night when he had nowhere to bang his girl. He took a shit in my bed and told me I could thank him later.

[TimBryce]

3 words: Online video games. Having English courses from a very young age also helped, but for real world communication skills, nothing beats games! I used to play counter-strike and WoW alot, look it up, you'll have fun and learn English at the same time!

[The Onion]

I learned English by reading supplement labels and watching interviews with Ronny Rockel.

0:10

[_bruce_]

Have always been fascinated the English language since the Commodore 64 days. Later music enhanced the interest.
Pivotal point was understanding Clockwork Orange and from then on it went smoothly. My spoken English sounds, of course, abysmal.

Love the British's lethal way of destroying someone with sophisticated verbal carnage.
I hate American trash culture but I love American Exceptionalism - rise again dear Eagle.

[falco]

English is probably the easiest language to learn.

I have learned it in school and hollywood movies.

[Cleanest Natural]

Thanks for all the responses people.

I should have disqualified you Scandinavians - it seems like you all come out of the womb speaking English better than native English speakers (maybe not the Finns so much).

I was recently at the Europa School in Varese, Italy, where there are 3 languages of instruction in every class. It was so humbling to see the students chatting to each other in Italian, then switching to French or German when they spoke to a teacher, then making phone calls in perfect English. I really think multi-lingualism is one of the best gifts a parent can give their children.

I have friends I learnt German with who refuse to speak their mother tongue to their children because they want them to be as 'normal' as possible. I can kind of understand the thinking but it seems like such a wasted opportunity to me.

Sev - I am open to the prospect of past lives. When I first came to Germany on a visit I couldn't leave fast enough. Hated the place. Had an almost physical reaction to the people - hated them. I promised myself I would never return. Nowhere else in Europe did I feel this way - just Germany.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself in a spiritualist church (totally by accident - long story) and some woman tells me I died in a concentration camp in Germany. (Strangely enough, I had mainly jewish friends growing up).

fast forward a few more years, here I am living in Germany, married to a German. Must be a lesson there somewhere...

exactly, galain, how many more clues do you need?

[Swede!!]

At times it's even easier to express yourself with certain English words compared to Swedish. Which leads to "as you would say in english" in the middle of a swedish sentence lol.

Only takes half a second to doublecheck the spelling in a google search also. Which is probably detrimental(did a google check wasn't sure of detre or detri) in the long run.

Big difference between keeping a solid convo going compared to just typing and having a few seconds to think about what it is you want to type. Can obviously do both. But typing is easier.

[Tapeworm]

I'm not surprised. I have a great Aussie friend who lived in Paris for a while. I lent him my flat for a night when he had nowhere to bang his girl. He took a shit in my bed and told me I could thank him later.

Lol, what?!  That is, as they say, "not on."

[Simple Simon]

I know of 38 with details and places people times etc going as far back as 4.5 billion years to the original birthplace of humanity, the Lyra star system. I know of those that are relevant to the present one in one way or another, otherwise you'd go insane and lose your mind trying to understand who and what you are. You have so many timelines in so many places it's an immense affair.

I was your next door neighbour on the Lyra star system, you were always in my garden stealing gorangi fruits from my trees.

[El Diablo Blanco]

I started taking english lessons when I was 8 and at 19 I moved to the States. I feel it's as much a part of me as romanian. sometimes I prefer english as romanian can be a little limiting and archaic at times.

In your TV interview you sounded badass when speaking your native language.