The Embarassed Englishman's Thread

[Pogue]

Tip tip tally ho

Who else here is embarassed at how nearly everyone from other European countries speaks next to perfect English at such a young age, when something like 95% of our population can only speak English? (And not even well, too)

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Init

[Killfacer]

I'm not embarassed. All the other suckers have to speak our language, it's fucking great.

I love it.

[Cult of Reason]

EXCUSE ME, CAN YOU POINT ME TO THE NEAREST HOTEL?!



I am embarrassed that my Icelandic and German are both virtually non-existent after years of disuse... There should be more subtitled TV in the UK.

[Jazzratt]

Yes. I am embarrassed. I'm unlikely to do anything to change this but it's still embarrassing.

[Bilan]

Don't they offer language in college/school? Or outside?
I've taken up french. :D

[NecroCommie]

I would not be embarrased about being able to speak only one language, but as a foreigner it sometimes stands out how I can point grammatical errors at the texts of some native speakers/writers.

[Devrim]

Tip tip tally ho

Who else here is embarassed at how nearly everyone from other European countries speaks next to perfect English at such a young age, when something like 95% of our population can only speak English? (And not even well, too)

It is not 'too'. It is 'either'.

'Either' shows agreement with a negative;

A:I don't like football.
B:I don't either.

'Too' shows an agreement with a positive;

A:I like football.
B:I do too.

Devrim

[Lord Testicles]

:laugh:

[RedAnarchist]

That is the disadvantage of speaking the dominant language when you live in the so-called Anglosphere - you tend not to be able to speak many other languages. I would love to be able to speak French and Spanish fluently, but I'm not great at learning foreign languages.

[Pogue]

It is not 'too'. It is 'either'.

'Either' shows agreement with a negative;

A:I don't like football.
B:I don't either.

'Too' shows an agreement with a positive;

A:I like football.
B:I do too.

Devrim

Mate, only recently I'd heard tales of you being a really chilled out guy, and now I have you down as a grammar fascist uptight schoolteacher type. Don't ruin the fragile conceptions of my mind!

[ls]

Init
..doh brairdemz, dis is well annoyan n everyfan n nofan!
U gotz 2 be innit-2-winnit doh
Cuslikekellywaswelllarkupforitdenshelickedalldacri moffdadonutsinsomafeldzdenlikewewozwochintvdenaman demwozlaakeSHUTUPBACH.

[Rjevan]

..doh brairdemz, dis is well annoyan n everyfan n nofan!
U gotz 2 be innit-2-winnit doh
Cuslikekellywaswelllarkupforitdenshelickedalldacri moffdadonutsinsomafeldzdenlikewewozwochintvdenaman demwozlaakeSHUTUPBACH.
Ekskius mi, wot das sis min? Ai äm a Dscherman hu dasn't anderständ se Inglisch längwädsch wäri wäll. ;)

[Killfacer]

ekskius mi, wot das sis min? Ai äm a dscherman hu dasn't anderständ se inglisch längwädsch wäri wäll. ;)

*shouts really loudly*

do you speak en - ger - lish?

Wh-ere is the tra-in sta-tion?

[Pogue]

*shouts really loudly*

do you speak en - ger - lish?

Wh-ere is the tra-in sta-tion?

or the borderline to light racist in the resteraunt of any eurpoean country

"OI PEDRO, GET US ANOTHER GLASS OF SHARDONAY SIV OOO PLAY! THATS FUCKING MINT, FELLA, I FUCKING LOVE CYPRUS, MY FUCKING FAVE PART OF SPAIN FOR ME HOLZ"

[Rjevan]

This is one of my all-time favourites when it comes to advertising. It's about a German boy who just became "Dscherman coast gard" and has problems with English. ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmOTpIVxji8

[Wanted Man]

The English, French and Germans should all be embarrassed about this aspect, in my humble opinion.

[Pogue]

The English, French and Germans should all be embarrassed about this aspect, in my humble opinion.

i mean your dutch but you speak fucking mint english, i know very few peeps over here who are like that, how did you do it?

[Wanted Man]

Well, first of all, we learn it in school. Of course, that doesn't mean everyone gets proficient in it, but most people with some formal education will be able to get by in English. And of course culture and media in smaller European countries are very much influenced by the UK and US. Most kids will grow up with some subtitled cartoons, for instance, or English music.

By the way, depending on what "difficulty level" you take in high school, you must also learn one or two of these languages: German, French or Spanish for the full 5-6 years of school, and the other one(s) for a shorter period. For example, in my first year, I had to take each of them for one trimester, and then French and German for the entire 2nd and 3rd year (Spanish could be taken voluntarily). After that, I picked German for the remainder of high school, dropping French.

It's similar in other small countries like Norway, Denmark, etc. where I also know a lot of people who speak English fluently. But as a result, German, French and British tourists here basically expect to be served in their own language! :lol:

[Pogue]

Well, first of all, we learn it in school. Of course, that doesn't mean everyone gets proficient in it, but most people with some formal education will be able to get by in English. And of course culture and media in smaller European countries are very much influenced by the UK and US. Most kids will grow up with some subtitled cartoons, for instance, or English music.

By the way, depending on what "difficulty level" you take in high school, you must also learn one or two of these languages: German, French or Spanish for the full 5-6 years of school, and the other one(s) for a shorter period. For example, in my first year, I had to take each of them for one trimester, and then French and German for the entire 2nd and 3rd year (Spanish could be taken voluntarily). After that, I picked German for the remainder of high school, dropping French.

It's similar in other small countries like Norway, Denmark, etc. where I also know a lot of people who speak English fluently. But as a result, German, French and British tourists here basically expect to be served in their own language! :lol:

Its insane, I wish we had it like you, i'd like to be fluent in spanish for example

[Raúl Duke]

I can speak Spanish so I don't feel so embarrassed...

[Jazzratt]

Mate, only recently I'd heard tales of you being a really chilled out guy, and now I have you down as a grammar fascist uptight schoolteacher type. Don't ruin the fragile conceptions of my mind!

Personally I find Devrim's occasional posts ripping into grammatical errors people make both hilarious and informative. I don't know if that's at all how he intends them but I do know I would want to be at the wrong end of one.

[Angry Young Man]

In keeping with the thread's title, here's a picture of Mr 'Oh, I'm terribly sorry' himself:

http://static.open.salon.com/files/colin_firth_lovely1226193971.jpg

[Mujer Libre]

Oh Mr Bennett! My nerves!

*cough cough*

Can I be an embarrassed Australian in this thread? The quality of language education in schools here is awful. I did French for a few months in South Africa, and was able to write paragraphs by the time I moved to Australia- where the kids were still struggling with "Bonjour. Ca va? Ca va bien." And these were kids who had been 'doing languages' (very poorly, obviously) since primary school. But then again this sort of shit is reflective of the overly curriculum-bound, didactic, patronising, dumbed down school system generally.

It's a real pity because I've since lost most of my French, as well as much of my Zulu and some of my Afrikaans.

Anglosphere is fail.

[Devrim]

Personally I find Devrim's occasional posts ripping into grammatical errors people make both hilarious and informative. I don't know if that's at all how he intends them but I do know I would want to be at the wrong end of one.

To be fair, I think that you have to put it into the context. I don't do it whenever native speakers make an error, and would never do it to non-native speakers. I did it because it was in a sentence talking about how the English couldn't speak English.


Mate, only recently I'd heard tales of you being a really chilled out guy, and now I have you down as a grammar fascist uptight schoolteacher type. Don't ruin the fragile conceptions of my mind!

Sorry if I offended you.

Devrim

[Module]

*shouts really loudly*

do you speak en - ger - lish?

Wh-ere is the tra-in sta-tion?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnH1RCuomZM

[Angry Young Man]

I'm curious to test the whole shouting-and-prodding method. Gotta get to Barcelona!

Also, does it happen when people are on sight-seeing holidays? DO YOU KNOW... WHERRRE I CAN FIND LENIN'S MAUSOLEUM!

[NecroCommie]

A tip for englishmen trying to learn languages: Watch movies in foreign languages!
I am somewhat certain that my english is fluent only because I watch my movies in english and listen my music in english. Sure, at first it feels mostly silly, but within one year it will start to show. Try to do this with translation somewhere nearby, so that you at least know what its all about.

[RedAnarchist]

I think that when native Anglophones go to another country, they should at least attempt to learn the basics of that country's language before they go (for example, "hello", "please", "thank you" etc) as it shows respect for that country's language, and the person you are talking to will appreciate it, as far as I can assume.

[Bright Banana Beard]

This is my tips for Englishmen who wishes to learn foreign language.

Read newspaper in foreign language, listen to music in foreign language, go to the place that speaks foreign language, watch movie in foreign language, speak foreign language to the people that know the foreign language you are speaking, set all your electronic item to foreign language, play the video game with foreign language, set your vacation for few month to the place where the foreign language is spoken. Buy book in foreign language. You need to be thinking in foreign language and not in English in order to truly understand it. De nada.

[Killfacer]

Mate, only recently I'd heard tales of you being a really chilled out guy, and now I have you down as a grammar fascist uptight schoolteacher type. Don't ruin the fragile conceptions of my mind!

I think he was jokingly trying to emphasize the message of the thread.

[Pogue]

I think he was jokingly trying to emphasize the message of the thread.

I was joking in response.

[Pogue]

This is my tips for Englishmen who wishes to learn foreign language.

Read newspaper in foreign language, listen to music in foreign language, go to the place that speaks foreign language, watch movie in foreign language, speak foreign language to the people that know the foreign language you are speaking, set all your electronic item to foreign language, play the video game with foreign language, set your vacation for few month to the place where the foreign language is spoken. Buy book in foreign language. You need to be thinking in foreign language and not in English in order to truly understand it. De nada.

I really want to learn Spanish and this method appeals to me. But is it good though? I mean, I don't really have the time to book lessons and attend regularly, and this method you've proposed sounds more fun.

But does it work? Would it work, but only if supplemented by a structured course about the language?

I know the whole living in the coutnry thing works wonders but only if you already have a basic grasp, otherwise you're just stuck knowing fuck all.

I could watch films in Spanish with subtitles and read Spanish websites but I'm worried about whether or not that'd be simply shooting in the dark?

[Bilan]

Oh Mr Bennett! My nerves!

*cough cough*

Can I be an embarrassed Australian in this thread? The quality of language education in schools here is awful. I did French for a few months in South Africa, and was able to write paragraphs by the time I moved to Australia- where the kids were still struggling with "Bonjour. Ca va? Ca va bien." And these were kids who had been 'doing languages' (very poorly, obviously) since primary school. But then again this sort of shit is reflective of the overly curriculum-bound, didactic, patronising, dumbed down school system generally.

It's a real pity because I've since lost most of my French, as well as much of my Zulu and some of my Afrikaans.

Anglosphere is fail.

It's weird, isn't it? I mean, people doing language very rarely. Though, friends of mine are good.
A good friend of mine did French, and she can write it perfectly, but can't speak it properly.
I remember doing language in highschool. I dropped it in year 8 because it was so dreadful.
But now I've picked up French again post-school. :)

[Patchd]

Init
Double "n" FOO-! Innit :p

[Pogue]

Double "n" FOO-! Innit :p

true dat

[Killfacer]

true dat

yeh man, thas tru

[Pogue]

That tru.

true enough

[Killfacer]

tru enuff

corrected

[Pogue]

corrected

cheers guvna

[brigadista]

the people in my street speak approx 6 different languages as well as english//

[al8]

For english speakers that want to attempt with self-study to make up for where the schooling system has failed them, I recommend this guy (http://www.youtube.com/user/ProfASAr).

[Bright Banana Beard]

I really want to learn Spanish and this method appeals to me. But is it good though? I mean, I don't really have the time to book lessons and attend regularly, and this method you've proposed sounds more fun.

But does it work? Would it work, but only if supplemented by a structured course about the language? My method is that you first do not know what it means, but you will catch it up later. You can also use flashcard if the word are hard to remember so you can study it daily.


I know the whole living in the coutnry thing works wonders but only if you already have a basic grasp, otherwise you're just stuck knowing fuck all. It never hurts, the simple guide book of Spanish should help well.


I could watch films in Spanish with subtitles and read Spanish websites but I'm worried about whether or not that'd be simply shooting in the dark? I do not understand the term "shooting in the dark."

[bellyscratch]

I did French in school for about 5 years and basically didn't really learn much. Partly because I wasn't interested in learning but partly because of the strictness of the curriculum which the teacher had to stick to.

I've decided that I'm going to start learning French again once I've got my uni work out of the way. I've downloaded some dodgy copy of Michel Thomas' audio lessons, I'm going to get some books and watch loads of French films. I love watching French films :D I'll see how I've progressed by the end of the summer

[Dr Mindbender]

I'm not embarassed. All the other suckers have to speak our language, it's fucking great.

I love it.


yep, prideful ignorance is a quintessentially british trait.


Not that i can claim any better though, as i left school without a second language. Didnt help much that as a hormone driven 14 year old my French teachers physical assets appealed more to me than her professional assistance.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

I had a semester of French with a teacher who didn't even speak it due to budget cuts. Needless to say, it was a fucking ridiculous waste of time that did nothing but lower my GPA.

[Bright Banana Beard]

http://www.ritmomontreal.com

Red Anarchist, you will enjoy the website because it is a radio station with few genres to choice, all play in Spanish, but there is some English too. It should not be diffucult for you. I prefer Cumbia and Reggaeton.

[NecroCommie]

I really want to learn Spanish and this method appeals to me. But is it good though? I mean, I don't really have the time to book lessons and attend regularly, and this method you've proposed sounds more fun.

But does it work? Would it work, but only if supplemented by a structured course about the language?

I know the whole living in the coutnry thing works wonders but only if you already have a basic grasp, otherwise you're just stuck knowing fuck all.

I could watch films in Spanish with subtitles and read Spanish websites but I'm worried about whether or not that'd be simply shooting in the dark?

Knowing some theoretical grammar helps, but I can tell you from first hand experience that it works. It might take some time but it definately works.

Just watching films works too, but naturally takes more time than changing everything to the foreign language. I already spoke fluent english when I started my compulsory english class in school. This was for the simple reason of playing games in english, watching movies in english and listening my music in english.

Oh... by the way: My pronanciation is heavily influenced by imitating darth Vader. Thats how I learned my first phrases. "Together we will rule the galaxyyyyy!" and: "Your lack of faith disturbs me"

[Bandito]

It is not 'too'. It is 'either'.

'Either' shows agreement with a negative;

A:I don't like football.
B:I don't either.

'Too' shows an agreement with a positive;

A:I like football.
B:I do too.

Devrim


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[StalinFanboy]

All of you should take the American education system for a spin.

[StalinFanboy]

Oh, P.S. It's incredibly easy to find a torrent of Rosetta Stone online.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

As my secondary school was in Wales, it included compulsory Welsh lessons, which I didn't exactly appreciate. Why was I being made to learn this hideous, hard-to-pronounce language that next to nobody outside a bunch of damp hills known as north Wales actually bothered to speak? I've mostly forgotten it now anyway.

Though I will admit that German is an awesome-sounding language, and if I were to learn a language it would be that one.

But otherwise, I have no real desire or need to learn another language. I haven't left the country in years, and considering my current circumstances (no passport + dirt fucking poor) it seems unlikely that I will be going places any time soon.

[Invader Zim]

I completely agree. I stopped learning any foreign languages at the age of 13, when I was thrown off the class for being a disruptive influence. Nine years later I have begun trying to learn German, and it is really fucking hard at this stage to try to learn a language. I wish i hadn't been a little bastard in school, and I wish that they taught us foreign languages far earlier and more than a couple of lessons a week.


Why was I being made to learn this hideous, hard-to-pronounce language that next to nobody outside a bunch of damp hills known as north Wales actually bothered to speak?

If you live in the part of wales that I do, and don't speak Welsh, it is a real pain to try and get a job. Even the shittiest jobs, which need no qualifications typically require at least a basic command of the language.

[Patchd]

You're joking right? Welsh is awesome! :lol::lol:

Bangor Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ovJS1Em-6dg/Rq3hVT9WJ-I/AAAAAAAAL44/Vf39h0bBoIU/s400/wales.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c6/Angleseym%C3%B4ncloseup.png

[brigadista]

best method is to get a boyfriend/girlfrind who speaks the language - that is how I learnt spanish and italian :)

[RedAnarchist]

You're joking right? Welsh is awesome! :lol::lol:

Bangor Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ovJS1Em-6dg/Rq3hVT9WJ-I/AAAAAAAAL44/Vf39h0bBoIU/s400/wales.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c6/Angleseym%C3%B4ncloseup.png

Bangor is a different place. The long one is on Anglesey, next to Menai Bridge.

[Angry Young Man]

The different values given to letters is pretty cool, like dd making a th sound.

[Patchd]

Bangor is a different place. The long one is on Anglesey, next to Menai Bridge.

Oh right, it is a bit confusing. I thought Bangor was to the South, a mate's gf studies at Bangor polytechnic and she lives round the South I swear.:confused:

[Invader Zim]

Oh right, it is a bit confusing. I thought Bangor was to the South, a mate's gf studies at Bangor polytechnic and she lives round the South I swear.:confused:

Nope, Bangor is right in the North..

[Angry Young Man]

The Welsh tend to go to uni in Wales. They see the English in the way mice see tigers.