Learning Languages for Leisure Travel

[audreyh1]

DH and I have been having some fun with learning languages for travel, and now it's become kind of an annual tradition!

The last two years I spent the spring brushing up on my French (DH had to learn it from scratch), in anticipation of summer travels to France. I really enjoyed it. The first trip to France I pretty much just had enough to adhere to the recommended "politesse" - niceties to use when interacting with French people in restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. As a consequence, people in France seemed to appreciate the effort and were very friendly and kind. Well - I could also read menus which was quite useful. DH could do a few things - basic greetings and asking for the check in French, and he used them.

Last year I gained a lot more proficiency. Unfortunately not proficient enough to understand well when someone rattled off a reply in French assuming I was fluent - that would still take hours and hours of listening practice. But I did use it in a few important situations where the other person did not speak English, so it was very useful.

This year, we're tackling Dutch. Now Dutch is not a language that I had really planned to learn, even though my sister-in-law is half-Dutch, speaks Dutch at home, and my nephews are learning Dutch as well as English. But I got tired of not being able to read Dutch words/signs and pronounce them correctly. I decided it was high time to get rid of that particular mystery. And we plan for an extended visit this summer. And even though Amsterdamers speak excellent English in general, it's still nice to have a little Dutch. We can have more fun with our bilingual nephews.

We've been using various tools. There are some really good quality free podcasts, videos, and other materials on the web. Since I was a rank beginner in Dutch, DuoLingo was a good starting point. I also found a really good online site that has other intro material and vocabulary that I am working through.

So here we are, DH and I, another spring and working on languages again!

And if we decide to do more with French, we've decided going to a language school in Aix-en-Provence will be just the thing!!!

Spanish is our second language. We worked on our Spanish quite a bit when we first moved to the Mexican border, including hours of Spanish (Mexican) Language television which sharpened our listening comprehension a great deal.

 

[braumeister]

There's an excellent podcast series on iTunes called Laura Speaks Dutch.
Try it out.

 

[FUEGO]

We do much of the same. Duolingo is a great way to build a lot of exposure to a new language in little bursts (there's an app for that; also available in the web browser). I've picked up some German and Portuguese that way, along with refreshing my Spanish (have a college degree in it and I would say I'm proficient, approaching fluent) and French (audited a semester in college; can read a bit but not understand much spoken).

Another tool we have is Pronunciator. It's an online program. Our library provides us with a free log in. The library used to offer "Transparent Language" log in for free. I assume many other libraries offer these online foreign language learning opportunities.

I enjoy learning these languages and I think it adds a lot to the travel experience to do a bit more than simply please and thank you. Knowing the basic numbers, being able to navigate the grocery store and a restaurant menu.

 

[Nemo2]

I think that's superb! (Me, I'm still working on one language.)

My most commonly used French sentence is "Mon français est tragique", which, I have found, generally buys a couple chuckles and prompts people to switch to English.

 

[FUEGO]

I think that's superb! (Me, I'm still working on one language.)

My most commonly used French sentence is "Mon français est tragique", which, I have found, generally buys a couple chuckles and prompts people to switch to English.

Je ne parle pas francais is my go to when I start out speaking a few words in French and they mistake me for someone who can actually carry on a two sided conversation in French.

 

[Nemo2]

Je ne parle pas francais is my go to when I start out speaking a few words in French and they mistake me for someone who can actually carry on a two sided conversation in French.

I still recall walking up to the front desk of an Ile de La Réunion hotel while repeating to myself a phrase I had compiled regarding our reservation/check in........must've done OK because the girl behind the desk responded, en français, at a mile a minute.

Ergo my fall back line.

 

[audreyh1]

Je ne parle pas francais is my go to when I start out speaking a few words in French and they mistake me for someone who can actually carry on a two sided conversation in French.

Desolé! - a useful word (sorry!).

 

[audreyh1]

There's an excellent podcast series on iTunes called Laura Speaks Dutch.
Try it out.

This is good - because I really do need a Dutch podcast.

The neat things about podcast lessons is you can do them while you are taking a long walk for exercise, whether outdoors or on the treadmill.

I've been working with the material by Bart de Pau at learndutch.org. It's really excellent. I'm working the the video series 1000 most common words in Dutch. I started with his excellent video on Dutch alphabet and pronunciation. He has a lot of additional material - cultural videos, basic grammar, etc.

 

[audreyh1]

For French, we started with Learn French with Alexa, which has a free set of 16 podcasts which are excellent for a beginner. They are also available as videos - I think - and she has a lot more videos. I eventually subscribed to her website and went a lot further with the lessons.

I also used some more intermediate lesson material from French Today.

Audrey

 

[Nemo2]

Desolé! - a useful word (sorry!).

 

[athena53]

It definitely helps. I watch French and German video podcasts so I'm best in those languages. I'm here in Costa Rica right now and my tourist Spanish has served me well but I wish I knew more (I would have chewed out the unethical taxi driver I had- long story). I've tried Hungarian and gave up- it's a different branch of languages and I realized it was pure memorization, whereas with Romance languages I was able to decode one by knowing others. Huge difference. Have also dabbled in tourist Greek and Russian and am going to work again on Icelandic when I get back- I'd started studying it when DH and I were going to go last year before he got sick. I'll be going there in August.

 

[Lsbcal]

I have decided that I am a very poor language student. Got A's in my JC French class but was a miserable failure in France. I could read a few signs though and could say some survival phrases.

This year we will be in Munich and then in Austria. Would the survival phrases for Austria be good for Germany too? Or vice versa?

I am thinking that I will just latch onto some phrases (like those in the Rick Steves' country books) and really learn some of them. All the other stuff just dies somewhere in my poor brain center.

 

[Souschef]

When I was w**king, I had customers all over the world. I found a great set of little books called "Just Enough" in many languages. I would take them with me on trips to help with the language. I used one in Greece to get butter with our bread, and another one in a Russian Pharmacy to get some cold meds as an example.
I just got one in Farsi to communicate with a patient I was flying.

 

[audreyh1]

I have decided that I am a very poor language student. Got A's in my JC French class but was a miserable failure in France. I could read a few signs though and could say some survival phrases.

This year we will be in Munich and then in Austria. Would the survival phrases for Austria be good for Germany too? Or vice versa?

I am thinking that I will just latch onto some phrases (like those in the Rick Steves' country books) and really learn some of them. All the other stuff just dies somewhere in my poor brain center.

Germany and Austria - yeah, pretty much the same survival phrases. I noticed that Bavaria (southern Germany) and Austria even used the same colloquial greetings.

But other than maybe 100 words or so, I don't speak German, although I can pronounce it just fine (unlike Dutch until recently). But after spending time in Austria and Bavaria they had me replying "Grüss Gott" automatically.

 

[NW-Bound]

I think one cannot fall in love with a foreign language until he learns to love its songs.

I feel like posting another French song here, but I shall refrain.

 

[NW-Bound]

How about a song in Spanish written by a Mexican composer, Consuelo Velázquez, when she was 15, as sung by Andrea Bocelli, an Italian singer?

This 1940 song, Besame Mucho, is among the most recognized songs in the world.

 

[audreyh1]

There is a fun children's song

And I hope to learn the Dutch version to entertain my nephews:
https://www.thetinymouse.com/foreign.html
https://www.thetinymouse.com/downloads/THE_TINY_MOUSE-DUTCH.mp3

I may have to get a ukulele.....

 

[Bestwifeever]

...

This year we will be in Munich and then in Austria. Would the survival phrases for Austria be good for Germany too? Or vice versa?

I am thinking that I will just latch onto some phrases (like those in the Rick Steves' country books) and really learn some of them. All the other stuff just dies somewhere in my poor brain center.

I can say "Stop or I'll scream" and "Where is the toilet?" in five languages. So far I have not needed to say the first one.

 

[Totoro]

Explaining the concept of Sinterklaas and related songs could be a fun one too for the nephews and nieces. Or downright confusing if they aren't old enough, come to think of it.

 

[braumeister]

after spending time in Austria and Bavaria they had me replying "Grüss Gott" automatically.

I was fascinated to find that in northern Switzerland (Zurich area) they don't really speak the German I was familiar with like I expected. It's actually "Swiss German" and different enough that I was constantly baffled listening to people chatting in the streets. One guide told us that Swiss children begin "real German" language lessons on their first day of school.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

Some people have a knack for easily picking up languages . Sadly, I do not. It can be done, you just have to work hard at it, and it takes longer.

 

[audreyh1]

Explaining the concept of Sinterklaas and related songs could be a fun one too for the nephews and nieces. Or downright confusing if they aren't old enough, come to think of it.

Oh - they are already completely versed in the culture of Sinterklaas having attended every arrival in Amsterdam since they were infants. In fact - they are the ones usually educating us on the finer points!

 

[Sojourner]

It's fascinating how much the landscape has changed over the past 10 years when it comes to learning languages. Prior to a long trip to Europe back in 2006, I remember searching high and low on various websites trying to find good language-learning course materials, and I ultimately ended up purchasing a full Pimsleur course on CD for over $150. I would listen to the CDs in my car to and from work every day, and I made it all the way from Level 1 to about halfway through Level 3 before my trip. It was an "all audio" course, so learning to read or write was not included in the course. Nonetheless, it was very effective at allowing me to converse at a basic level.

These days it seems like you can learn any popular language to pretty much any degree of fluency without spending a dime by leveraging the wide variety of free online resources. And it seems like you don't hear much about the "old school" courses and tools that were popular 5-10-15 years ago, like Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur or Living Language. Apparently they still exist, but I doubt many folks would be willing to pay $100s for those courses when there is so much available for free or nearly free.

 

[Chuckanut]

Knowing a bit of the language can make the trip easier and get you out of tight spots if you really goof up.

I used this phrase in France when I did something that was very rude and insulting:

Je suis désolé. Je suis Canadien.

It worked quite well.

 

[NW-Bound]

Some people have a knack for easily picking up languages . Sadly, I do not. It can be done, you just have to work hard at it, and it takes longer.

+1

When you are old and most of your brain cells have already been programmed, the same as your PC hard drive getting near full, it is harder to pick up something new. When we went to the Czech Republic a few years ago, I tried to remember some simple words, but it was hard.

I still like some foreign songs enough to look up the meaning of the lyrics. An example is this song by Paolo Conte, which is fairly well known. My knowledge of Italian involves just a few words, and they are mostly about food. So, I have to look up the translation for this 1981 song that I like. The video below ties in well with the seductive lyrics, which hints of travel. And that makes it fit for this thread in the travel forum.

Via Con Me / Away With Me

Via via / Away away
Vieni via di qui / Come away from here
Niente più ti lega a questi luoghi / Nothing more ties you to these places
Neanche questi fiori azzurri / Not even these blue flowers

Via via / Away away
Neanche questo tempo grigio / Not even this grey weather
Pieno di musiche / Full of music
E di uomini che ti son piaciuti / And of men whom you have liked

It’s wonderful, it’s wonderful, it’s wonderful
Good luck my baby
It’s wonderful, t’s wonderful, it’s wonderful
I dream of you

Via via / Away away
Vieni via con me / Come away with me
Entra in questo amore buio / Enter this dark love
Non perderti per niente al mondo / Don’t get lost for anything in the world

Via via / Away away
Non perderti per niente al mondo / Don’t miss for anything in the world
Lo spettacolo d’arte varia / The spectacle of varied art
Di uno innamorato di te / Of one who is in love with you

Via via / Away away
Vieni via con me / Come away with me
Entra in questo amore buio / Enter this dark love
Pieno di uomini / Full of men

Via via / Away away
Entra e fatti un bagno caldo / Come in and take a hot bath
C’è un accappatoio azzurro / There’s a blue bathrobe
Fuori piove un mondo freddo / Outside it’s raining a cold world

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