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comment by saldejums
saldejums  ·  4168 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What languages do you speak?

Latvian is my native language - oldest living indo-european language, very archaic, yet modern, makes much more sense than English and very easy to read/listen. I understand Latgalian and Lithuanian a bit because of it.

Russian - my second native language, as my mother is Russian. Understand everything, but talking has to be practiced, since I haven't used it for 8 years very much. Because of knowing the language very well many other Slavic languages seems very familiar and easy to understand, especially Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Yugoslav, but it keeps getting harder with Polish and Czech, where I understand around 40%;

English - is not a native, but I have been learning it since 2nd grade and not many media is translated into Latvian, so I understand everything very well, am able to write, hold conversations, see the differences between American-English, British-English and use semicolons. My verbal communication was better before volunteering in place where everybody understand only simple, few word sentences;

German - Currently learning, just for fun, since I do not go to University. I can not hold a meaningful conversation, but know enough words and rules to tell very basic things and to understand by context what parents are saying to their children;

Arabic - only the alphabet, was very interested and still am in a language, but haven't found as good source to learn it as duolingo for German. Since I discovered duolingo, I have stopped learning Arabic. Nothing more than Hello, goodbye, God is great, thank you.

EDIT: I keep forgetting that - Romanian, since I volunteer in Romania for 8 months and this is the last week. I know basic phrases, less than in German, but understand the same level as German language. Just enough Romanian to be kind, ask for price, directions, understand the reply on "How are you/Whats up?" talk about work, strawberries, UK, differences of the countries with drivers who take hitchhikers