[joeysteele]

Absolutely yes, they will if they settle here gradually pick up a fair bit of our language.
I have no problem with that whatsoever.

[Toy Soldier]

"Acceptable"? Yes. Although for their own comfort and ease of living, I would suggest that anyone living in any country long-term should be at least trying to learn the language. Not exactly fair to say they should just "be able to speak it". That **** takes time. I had a Greek friend at University and his English was "very basic" at best when he first got here, and was only really becoming conversationally fluent by 3rd year. I have no idea how he was following his lectures . Though he was an Engineering student so a lot of it is Maths, I guess, and he could always understand more than he could actually speak.

[Livia]

How is anyone going to earn a living if they don't speak the language? I could speak German when I worked in Germany and I learned Italian when I worked in Italy. If you don't speak the language, or at least make an effort, you're going to end up isolated, ghettos form, exclusion ensues.

English courses for speakers of other languages are free to applicants, there's no excuse.

[UserSince2005]

An effort should be made.

I learn Spanish and Portuguese to a basic level when i lived in Brazil and Mexico.

[Mystic Mock]

If you're living in a foreign country then you should be able to speak at least the basics of the language.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

"Acceptable"? Yes. Although for their own comfort and ease of living, I would suggest that anyone living in any country long-term should be at least trying to learn the language. Not exactly fair to say they should just "be able to speak it". That **** takes time. I had a Greek friend at University and his English was "very basic" at best when he first got here, and was only really becoming conversationally fluent by 3rd year. I have no idea how he was following his lectures . Though he was an Engineering student so a lot of it is Maths, I guess, and he could always understand more than he could actually speak.

I agree with this. I spend alot of time in Spain and we've met alot of English people who livethere full time, they mainly stick to groups of other English people and most of them only have enough Spanish to get by, they don't seem to have much interest in integrating themselves with the Spanish fully at all. Infact the area I go to, the people there speak Catalan rather than Spanish but the English people only learn Spanish so really aren't actually learning their native tongue at all eventhough they all understand Spanish which is fine if that's how they want to live and work there personally If I were moving there full time I'd rather immerse myself into the Spanish culture

ETA : I'm sure the same is true for Irish living there but I've mostly met English people in our area

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

"Acceptable"? Yes. Although for their own comfort and ease of living, I would suggest that anyone living in any country long-term should be at least trying to learn the language. Not exactly fair to say they should just "be able to speak it". That **** takes time. I had a Greek friend at University and his English was "very basic" at best when he first got here, and was only really becoming conversationally fluent by 3rd year. I have no idea how he was following his lectures . Though he was an Engineering student so a lot of it is Maths, I guess, and he could always understand more than he could actually speak.

Agreed. Obviously its desirable to speak the language but its incredibly difficult to be near fluent or conversational in another language, especially if they're learning late in life and when its a language as complicated as English is

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Agreed. Obviously its desirable to speak the language but its incredibly difficult to be near fluent or conversational in another language, especially if they're learning late in life and when its a language as complicated as English is

Yeah, people who speak English as a first language often don't realise that it's a very HARD language to learn as a second language. A strange ancient blend of Latin, Greek and Germanic origins. A thousand ways to say the same thing, grammar "rules" that chop and change and have exceptions without warning. Weird spellings of many words... It must be a total headache

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

Yeah, people who speak English as a first language often don't realise that it's a very HARD language to learn as a second language. A strange ancient blend of Latin, Greek and Germanic origins. A thousand ways to say the same thing, grammar "rules" that chop and change and have exceptions without warning. Weird spellings of many words... It must be a total headache

I'm trying to learn Spanish at the moment, what's the story with masculine and feminine words like seriously? Ugh

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by McGregrrrrrrrr

I'm trying to learn Spanish at the moment, what's the story with masculine and feminine words like seriously? Ugh

Yeah and what if they don't identify as either gender and want to be known as something else

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

Yeah and what if they don't identify as either gender and want to be known as something else

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

Yeah and what if they don't identify as either gender and want to be known as something else

[Toy Soldier]

[Vicky.]

Of course those coming here (long term) should make an effort to learn English.

Having said that, when I was living in Greece (6 months at a time) I worked very hard to learn Greek despite the huge majority of people there speaking English anyway. So maybe my standards are just higher than everyone elses, or maybe I'm not as antisocial as those who think knowing a countries main language is not important...

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by McGregrrrrrrrr

I'm trying to learn Spanish at the moment, what's the story with masculine and feminine words like seriously? Ugh

I'm having that with German at the moment actually.

Masculine, feminine, and neutral objects.

[jaxie]

I think acceptable is perhaps the wrong word/question. Of course you can be in any country you don't speak the language of but if you are planning to emigrate/live in a country with a different language then you ought to learn the language so you can communicate. In fact it's rather stupid and insular not to. There are many practical reasons you would need to speak the language like speaking with teachers of your children, banking etc etc. A bank won't speak to someone who isn't you to deal with your account.

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Toy Santa

Yeah, people who speak English as a first language often don't realise that it's a very HARD language to learn as a second language. A strange ancient blend of Latin, Greek and Germanic origins. A thousand ways to say the same thing, grammar "rules" that chop and change and have exceptions without warning. Weird spellings of many words... It must be a total headache

There is a lot of French in it too.