I have a lot of internet friends, and most of them are from Europe. They can all speak English fine, but I would love to be able to "Grasp the Basics" of what they're saying.

As just for typing and reading, which language would be the easiest for a native English speaker to learn? German, French, Dutch, Polish, or Norwegian?

Thanks in advance, John Doe.

Here's the story...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8049853.stm

Isn't this sort of like having a culinary expert write a book on astrophysics?...

I speak English and French fluently and I'm learning Polish. Because of these languages I can communicate in Europe almost everywhere, Canada, America, and all over the world. I can learn one more language but I don't know which one to choose. I would like to learn an Asian language. Could you also tell me why I should learn it? THANKS!!!!!!!

My current story is set in a European circus, so the characters are all from different parts of Europe. Three are Polish, 2 are Norwegian, 1 is Irish but she doesn't speak much, 1 is Macedonian, but her accent is a mix between Greek and Polish, 1 is German, and 1 is Portuguese. i have no idea how to write their accents because they speak English around the circus site and their native language sometimes. In case you were wondering, the girl with a Polish and Greek accent is both Polish and Macedonian so she has a mixture of her mother's and her father's accents.

Ok so i live in America, but i am 1/4 polish i know its not much but my mom still cooks polish food now and then, my grandfather was 100% polish and he knew the language and cultures and all that stuff, though he didnt have a chance to pass any of it down to my mom, when ever i look in our old photo albums its always of my polish grandparents and stuff and it made me very curious now im thinking about learning the language and taking a trip over there, i was woundering what people in poland would think of an american that knew polish to the point where you could hold a conversation but with an accent of course. cause all i hear is about how people in Europe think Americans are horrible disgusting pigs who need a better education.

Hi,

I'd like to know which language (Polish, German, Spanish, French, Turkish etc.) has how many speakers (primary and, if possible, secondary) only in Europe (not EU, but Europe incl. e.g. Russia and Turkey).

Looking forward to an answer!

Thanks,
Torge

My parents are from Bulgaria, a country in Europe for those that don't know. They were born there and so was I. We came to the US 5 years ago, which would mean that we came when I was 10, almost 11. My brother wasn't even one yet. He used to think he lived in the US his whole life until a few years ago, which he literally did- he doesn't remember even a thing. Now, I speak english very well and my mom is OK, and my dad can speak but he has an accent and mixed up grammar. Naturally, i'm used to speaking bulgarian with my parents but we speak english in public places becasue we all think its kinda rude to yell in a diferent language in the middle of, lets say the school or a fancy concert. My brother couldn't really speak bulgarian until this year, but he understood. I always speak to him in english- it feels natural to me. But when he speaks with my parents, they might be spaeking bulgarian and he answers in english. My brother can't even speak to my grandma well on the phone- my dad has to sit with him and give him hints of what to say.

Now, from time to time we have this problem of whether my parents should just start speaking in english. I'm fine with speaking to my brother and he is to them. But now my parents will never be able to really talk in english- they've spoken bulgarian to each other all their lieves. And to tell you the truth i feel a little akward speaking to my dad in english as well.

We don't want to seem like the just-arrived immigrants becasue i know how frustrating it is to hear chinese people speak loudly on the bus when they have been in the US for over 20yrs and still haven't learned the language. I wish we could all just speak english to each other at home, it would make things so much less complicated... but it just feels akward sometimes. how can we make them less strange at home (which i would really like) or should we just spkeak naturally with english and bulgarian words together. Somethimes my father gets really upset and demands that everyone speak to him in english and when i ask him a question, he answers back in his broken english, "Pleese Speak in english!!!". sometimes i feel that my father wants to become "Americanized" too much, but then, we do look and act like americans- after all we're europeans too... we definitley speak english outside of the house, but should we start speaking it inside as well?? I don't know, have any of you guys ever had that problem???

I see polish and russian people speaking polish/russian in parks and streets, and they don't feel akward. Bulgarian is practically like the two languages combined...

any ideas?
GretcherS, yes, i agree, i'll try to alternate the languages so that we forget neither englidh or Bulgarian. Speaking of German, that is a great example! I used to spak German fluently when I was little and I even had friends who when they first met me asked me when i'm going back to Germany- they thought I was on vacation in Bulgaria.... hehe. anyway, I stoppen speaking and now all i know is a few phrases and I can somewhat vaguely understand simple sentences.

I am a telemarketer, and "pull" about a thousand calls a day. I also know that per capita, there are no differences so far between Korean, Chinese, Russian, Polish and Spanish speaking immigrants as far as willingness to learn English. Actually, some Eastern European potential customers and some Asian customers have actually told me to call back when I learn "Mandarin," "Russian," etc. The Spanish speakers are not as rude.
Why this misconception?
I heavily disagree, Tricia. I am of the mind that English should be learned, but other tongues should be heavily encouraged. I am glad I speak five languages fluently. When I visit Europe, I get much more out od the experience, because I know the country's language, or in many cases, languagES.
fireball, you haven't a clue when it comes to my personal life, so do not make assumptions. Your sort are the worst of all.
Thank you LSUballs, for giving an opinion that does not respond to my question...........!!!!

The United States is not like Europe. We don't have a cluster of little nations right next to each other with different languages...If that were the case, most Americans would probably be at least bilingual.

Why would I want to learn Dutch when most Dutch people can speak English anyways? English is the language of business/commerce, why would I need to learn French, German, Dutch, Polish, or a number of other languages?

After a few weeks I am going to Poland, A beautiful country in northan Europe. I wish I get aquainted with their language. I want to learn some day to day routin words and words which is very useful and can help us in general travelling.