How many languages do you know? And have you ever dreamed in a language other than your "primary" language?

Question

When I ask how many languages you "know," I don't mean you have to be very proficient, just enough to communicate simple concepts like "Where's the bathroom?"

Answer 1

I've studied 7 foreign languages and knowledge of those languages makes it easier for me to communicate in several similar languages. I've also always been interested in languages and really been into learning more and I have traveled a lot and learned a bit in so many languages. I know at least some basic things in about 25 languages (some of those I can speak well, even fluently):

Icelandic (my native language), English, Danish, Czech, French, Spanish, Latin, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Faroese, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Slovak, Russian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Estonian and Bahasa Indonesia.

Yes, I sometimes dream in the foreign languages that I am fluent in. I also think in foreign languages most of the time.

Answer 2

I don't speak French but I know that "semantic density" (or maybe it should be called "linguistic density"? I dunno) of English is definitely higher than that of Russian and German. Once I had to do some localization-related stuff at work and I remember that English phrases were consistently shorter than Russian, and German phrases were longer than Russian. I think French is also less dense than English. This effect, coupled with the fact that that the language is non-native, may give your 2x result easily. 3 years of experience is not that much. Btw, I also suspect you're a pretty fast reader in French compared to your average compatriot, and this was probably acquired through reading much more than average, which is very hard to achieve with non-native language in adulthood. I read pretty fast in Russian, but that's only because I was reading since I was 3, and I read TONS of books.

Answer 3

My mother tongue is greek, i also speak english well and german almost perfectly, and some french, more then "where is the bathroom" i guess;-) i can speak a little serbocroatian as well, and undestand a bit when its written but not if i hear someone talking fast.

I started dreaming some dreams in german a few months after i moved to germany for studies, propably cause my brain was overwhelmed by hearing a different language suddenly all day long. That lasted maybe one or two years but then for some reason it stopped, allthough i lived in germany for five years... Weird actually...
I never dreamed in english as far as i can remember allthough i often think in english, and in german as well ofcourse.

Answer 4

I know how to ask Where is the bathroom etc., in about 20 languages, but can manage to converse in 16, and fluently in 8.
Yes, sometimes I dream in Indonesian, sometimes in English and once in a while in Mandarin and Sundanese, or had conversation in those languages in my dreams.
And sometimes I even talk or answer people's question in another language other than in what the questioner asked me if I did not concentrate.

Answer 5

I am French and I'm fluent in English. My German is a bit dusty but could come back with a few hours of practice. And I now learn Mandarin in China and Japanese via anime.

I don't remember dreaming in a foreign language but I often think in either English, Mandarin or Japanese

Answer 6

I can speak and read Spanish. I love being the person out in public who can help the Latino that doesn't speak English. I can speak a little Japanese and a little Italian. Not much to really communicate though. But I would love to learn Korean so I can listen to the women at the nail salons talk bad about us.

Answer 7

English, Spanish, French, Italian and some sign language.

What a great question, because I never ever thought about it but I always dream in English !

Answer 8

Its kinda weird becuse sometimes my dreams are a mix of english and spanish. Most of the time there just in one language though

Answer 9

I can speak english and korean..and I always want to be fluent in french again. Actually when I was a child I could spoke french since my family lived in Paris for almost 3 years..but know I totally forgot how to speak france..pity me!

Answer 10

I speak English, Italian, French, Norwegian, German & Romanian - not fluently (except English) but I'm working on it. I also taught myself how to wright in Runes, Sanskrit, Phoenician, Semite, Russian and Greek.