Quote:
Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel
nice ! my german is pretty erratic since i only learned from friends / while travelling. most of my vocabulary is about food or asking directions.  my french is pretty good  but i agree, i don't expect all tourists to speak perfectly, if i see they are at least making an effort i will help them and not be offended (on the other hand, the rude tourists who yell at you in english in the street and don't even try to say "bonjour" or "s'il vous plaît", i pretend i don't understand them). i always try to know a few basic words in the language whenever i'm travelling, like "hello", "please" and "thank you" and "where is", i think it's a basic politeness. after all i am going to someone else's country, i shouldn't expect them to speak my own language. i used to know a bit of polish from my grandfather ; but since he died i've forgotten it, now i only remember "papa", "good night" and "cat". (clearly, the three most important and versatile words in any language, right ? well, i can say "hi" also.) |
An interesting phenomena I've learned about German is that, the more German beer you drink (especially in Munich), the better your German becomes. Can't think why.