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Original poster

Neighbour doesn’t speak English at home

195 replies

Identiy · 16/05/2025 12:23

I know I am just being nosey, but my new neighbour chats away in English to me, I always assumed and she is English. But I hear her chatting to her dog (she lives alone) and I don’t recognise the language at all. I have a fairly good grasp of French and Spanish, recognise German and Italian and a few others. I am just intrigued as to what she is speaking because I don’t recognise it at all. Would I be rude to ask her? I don’t want her to think I am eavesdropping, but then it wouldn’t matter anyway!!

I am just really intrigued!

OP posts:
BarneyRonson · 16/05/2025 14:29

I’d ask! It’s absolutely fine, sane and normal to ask a friendly question!

ForFunGoose · 16/05/2025 14:27

There was a man on YouTube (I think) who spoke Klingon to his dog. Maybe it’s a made up language.

I wouldn’t ask.

RocketPanda · 16/05/2025 14:27

I have been known to practice my duo lingo with my pets.

N00dleStrudel · 16/05/2025 14:27

LoremIpsumCici · 16/05/2025 14:18

My dad used to talk to our cat in Ancient Greek.
Then he’d pop down to the church and speak Latin with the priest.
He was English and nothing else.

Edited

Username checks out!

N00dleStrudel · 16/05/2025 14:24

NoBiscuitsLeftInMyTin · 16/05/2025 12:46

When she's out break into her house and place some microphones arounds the place. When you've got some recordings post them here and we'll do our best to work it out for you. Simples.

This is the correct answer! 😂

HardyHiker · 16/05/2025 14:24

I sometimes speak Klingon to my cat. Qapla'
My dad used to speak to my childhood cat in Latin.
Curious to know if you have found out what she is speaking?

MyDeftDuck · 16/05/2025 14:23

2dogsandabudgie · 16/05/2025 12:25

Perhaps it's a language only her and her dog know.

Yeah……..perhaps labradorian, sheltonian, cocker puddlian ?

LoremIpsumCici · 16/05/2025 14:18

My dad used to talk to our cat in Ancient Greek.
Then he’d pop down to the church and speak Latin with the priest.
He was English and nothing else.

heavenisaplaceonearth · 16/05/2025 14:17

If she hasn’t told you, perhaps she doesn’t want to?

BeTwinklyKhakiPanda · 16/05/2025 14:15

She speaks English with you and Cat with her cat😻. Obviously😀

Soonenough · 16/05/2025 14:12

MIL rescued a dog that only knew French she insisted. So we all played along . But secretly I used to call him for a treat in English and he quickly responded. I think he was secretly a doggy polygot .

Imisscoffee2021 · 16/05/2025 14:02

Perhaps Caninese

BrightOrangeDahlias · 16/05/2025 14:00

FigTreeInEurope · 16/05/2025 13:08

Bet she's dutch. They come out of the womb tri-lingual, and have perfected another four languages perfectly by the time they can walk. I'm so jealous. My neighbour is dutch, it's like living with the fucking duolingo owl.

Edited

This made me laugh Grin

ThatDaringEagle · 16/05/2025 14:00

I can speak 'as Gaelige' (in Gaelic Irish) to my dog occasionally. Nobody seems to mind, but I do worry slightly sometimes if he answers back... ;)

P.s. OP I think your neighbour must be some post cold war spy, and you & her pet have now blown her cover. Report her to M15 immediately!!!

Tortielady · 16/05/2025 13:59

I'm mainly monolingual and speak English to our cats, apart from the occasional Yiddish word to let our marmalade cat know what a little chazzah (pig) he is. My DH has a smattering of Xhosa and Mbele from a childhood spent in southern and central Africa, but we are probably at our most bilingual when we get into an exchange of meows with the cats. As DH says, for all we know we are saying "yer Mam!" in Cat, while they say "come outside and say that!"

viques · 16/05/2025 13:59

My cat speaks perfect English, it’s his selective hearing that causes the problem.

Andoutcomethewolves · 16/05/2025 13:58

saraclara · 16/05/2025 13:53

I was about to say the same! Dutch people have magical language powers.

Show quote history

I used to live in the Netherlands and honestly 5 year olds spoke better English than me at 20!

S0j0urn4r · 16/05/2025 13:57

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/05/2025 12:59

And of course it’s a cat who belligerently insists on its chosen language. I bet it understands English perfectly well, too!

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Probably doesn't speak Polish. Just messing with her head. Because cat.

Parker231 · 16/05/2025 13:56

We don’t speak English at home - it’s our third language. However the dog and cat have their own language which we haven’t worked out yet!

Andoutcomethewolves · 16/05/2025 13:55

I'm entirely English but my ex was Polish and we had a dog together who stayed with me when we split - she wouldn't respond to anything but Polish. Maybe something like that?

ClareBlue · 16/05/2025 13:53

CaptainMyCaptain · 16/05/2025 13:28

That's so strange! How did did know what the cat wanted?

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She's blind which was the reason she was adopted. She relies on those around her to help with their voice for orientation and she just won't move or feel safe unless she is spoken to in the language she learned for the first 3 years of her life. She hides under the sofa if nobody speaks to her in a language she understands.

saraclara · 16/05/2025 13:53

FigTreeInEurope · 16/05/2025 13:08

Bet she's dutch. They come out of the womb tri-lingual, and have perfected another four languages perfectly by the time they can walk. I'm so jealous. My neighbour is dutch, it's like living with the fucking duolingo owl.

Edited

I was about to say the same! Dutch people have magical language powers.

Toddlerteaplease · 16/05/2025 13:51

ClareBlue · 16/05/2025 12:45

I know a cat adopted from Poland into an English speaking house who insisted the owners learned Polish to communicate. It might be similar in that your neighbour has been forced to learn another language by her pet. It's more common than you might think.

😹😹

Ilovemyshed · 16/05/2025 13:47

FigTreeInEurope · 16/05/2025 13:08

Bet she's dutch. They come out of the womb tri-lingual, and have perfected another four languages perfectly by the time they can walk. I'm so jealous. My neighbour is dutch, it's like living with the fucking duolingo owl.

Edited

So are the Swiss. I worked with a colleague who was fully native fluent in German, her local dialect, French, Italian, Spanish and English and could also understand and speak quite well in Dutch and Flemish plus a bit of Polish.

CalmDownCats · 16/05/2025 13:46

This reminds me of the time we got a new camera with voice recording due to neighbour issues....I nipped out one day and decided to check it was working, knowing DD was in the kitchen so I'd hear some clonking around etc. It turns out she was speaking to herself in fluent roadman - a side to her that if never seen 🤣

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