What is your native language and how did you learn English?

[Moon25]

What is your native language and how did you learn English? Please share. I am from Russia, but I do not know any foreign language. I want to learn English so that I can go to another country and read books in English. Is it possible to learn English to this level without a teacher?

 

[Un-]

I'm in South Africa, and I'm black.. My mother's tongue is Setswana, but.. I don't know what happened to me but English is my first language. In my entire family, I can't speak an African language. I speak a bit of afrikaans. I don't regret it. I'm grateful, rather... English is becoming a necessity.. And people treat you differently based on your accent, and how fluent you sound.

Is it possible to learn English to this level without a teacher?

Yeah it is. I forgot the intricacies, but if you make concentrated efforts, consistently, you'll pick up English. It'll take a long time though. If you're coming from a language that uses the same Latin alphabet as English, it'll take around 500 hours to learn (and vice versa). So learning English if you're French, or afrikaans, or whatever would take 500 hours.

But if you're coming from a language like Russian.. If I remember correctly, it'll take around 1000 hours. Lemme find the chart.

Foreign Language Training - United States Department of State

The School of Language Studies (SLS) provides language and culture training to U.S. government employees with job-related needs. It addresses all aspects of language training, from classroom instruction and distance learning, to learning consultation services and testing. Student Orientation Are...

www.state.gov

Scroll to the bottom and you'll see tables.

It is possible, but because you're older and because Russian is so dissimilar to English, it's gonna take a while.

 

[Dead Ghost]

My mother tongue is Catalan (and on my father's side Spanish). And I haven't learned English, but what I find most useful, and I'm learning a lot, is when it comes to trying to square the texts I write in the threads, as I know more and more English (but not so much as to follow my own answers in English... for the moment).

//

La meva llengua materna és el català (i per part de pare el castellà). I no he aprés anglés, però el que em resulta més útil i estic aprenent molt és alhora d'intentar quadrar els textos que escric als fils, doncs cada cop se més anglés (però no tant com per seguir les meves própies respostes en anglés... de moment).

 

[Shivali]

German. I' ve learnd english at school a little bit. But it is 45 years ago ... thats why my messages here are very shorts.

 

[lofticries]

I'm really jealous of ppl who speak more than one language. Just wanted to say that.

 

[Jarni]

I'm in South Africa, and I'm black.. My mother's tongue is Setswana, but.. I don't know what happened to me but English is my first language. In my entire family, I can't speak an African language. I speak a bit of afrikaans. I don't regret it. I'm grateful, rather... English is becoming a necessity.. And people treat you differently based on your accent, and how fluent you sound.



Yeah it is. I forgot the intricacies, but if you make concentrated efforts, consistently, you'll pick up English. It'll take a long time though. If you're coming from a language that uses the same Latin alphabet as English, it'll take around 500 hours to learn (and vice versa). So learning English if you're French, or afrikaans, or whatever would take 500 hours.

But if you're coming from a language like Russian.. If I remember correctly, it'll take around 1000 hours. Lemme find the chart.

Foreign Language Training - United States Department of State

The School of Language Studies (SLS) provides language and culture training to U.S. government employees with job-related needs. It addresses all aspects of language training, from classroom instruction and distance learning, to learning consultation services and testing. Student Orientation Are...

www.state.gov

Scroll to the bottom and you'll see tables.

It is possible, but because you're older and because Russian is so dissimilar to English, it's gonna take a while.

I'm bilingual from Russian, with French :-) I love French language so much. My English is intermidiate because I don't need it at all in my life (only internet readings). I only need French...

 

[wait.what]

My first language is English. I learned it from my mom.

 

[tary]

My first language is Finnish.
I think I've learned English throughout my life, picking stuff up from media since childhood and then learning it properly at school from age 9.

 

[Wasabi]

What is your native language and how did you learn English? Please share. I am from Russia, but I do not know any foreign language. I want to learn English so that I can go to another country and read books in English. Is it possible to learn English to this level without a teacher?

Hello from Russia! I don't know English well, I work through a translator.

 

[theboy]

Español!
Por mi madre

 

[W3akCr3atur3]

Russian.
I learnt English through school, English courses and actually probably the most of it through the Internet.

 

[Blondi]

My first language is lituanian, I have learned
english from the school, books & internet, I wish I was a native english speaker, instead of speaking some obscure language & conversing in a very mediocre english.

 

[whatevs]

I'm Spanish and I learned to an almost native reading and comprehension level thanks to literally watching conspiracy videos/reading Illuminati symbolism blogs every other day for 10 years.

Please don't ask me why they highlight one eye. I learned some things but not that. Strange.

 

[Rocinante]

My first language is lituanian

Interesting

 

[Moon25]

Привет из России! Я плохо знаю английский, работаю через перев

Привет из России! Я плохо знаю английский, работаю через переводчика.

Здравствуйте) Как с вами связаться в чате один на один?

Русский.
Я выучил английский язык в школе, на курсах английского языка и, возможно, в основном через Интернет.

Здравствуйте) Как с вами связаться в чате один на один?

 

[bubo]

My first language is Indonesian. I use the internet a lot cuz' i don't like leaving the house so most of my time all year is spent on either the internet, work, or sleep. Thusly i see a lot of English internet posts, English is the main language of the world much like how French used to be so to use the internet more and understand more of the internet i learned English. Naturally, my English is still not as good as i'd like and i have to use a translator for words i forget often and my English is quite robotic and formal as other's have told me.

 

[katara]

Russian.
I learnt English through school, English courses and actually probably the most of it through the Internet.

That's a very cool first language to speak because most people think Russian accents are very pretty. I always wanted to know Russian because I think it sounds cool, but it wasn't offered at my school. I always think I can learn something online but in my mental state everything feels like a struggle + it's difficult to find motivation.

 

[W3akCr3atur3]

That's a very cool first language to speak because most people think Russian accents are very pretty. I always wanted to know Russian because I think it sounds cool, but it wasn't offered at my school. I always think I can learn something online but in my mental state everything feels like a struggle + it's difficult to find motivation.

I do love how Russian sounds, but I find Russian accent to be cringe most of the times and I do struggle with it myself xD
If you'll ever need somebody to help you with learning Russian feel free to ask!

 

[novem]

Just here to watch how people spell the past tense of learn and from what country they learn it.