Non-native English speakers living abroad

[Nonstopbuttmachine]

How have you learnt English so well? I don't mean people living in the UK (where you'd pick it up) but in other countries? Were you taught well at school or did you learn from American TV? Did you study abroad or have mixed nationality parents?

I live abroad and it fascinates me that English is the common language. I'm surrounded by Greeks, Russians, Arabs, Slovakians, Serbians, Dutch, Swedish, German and French et al yet we all communicate in English.

I have learned the basics at school, watching TV (actually I am still learning by watching Netflix series) and also by reading books (mainly novels) in English. Currently reading ‘The signature of all things’ by Elizabeth Gilbert in English. Sometimes I stumble across some words that I do not recognise so I google them and try to memorize them.

I asked my friend who is from India and she said that growing up, she used to spend a lot of time in Libraries and also that the local British Council used to have summer camps in her town.

Wow Honeybee. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

I am originally from a country somewhere in Northern Europe 🙂.

Is English taught as standard there? It's taught as a second language here; it's useful but I worry about the arrogance of the British

My first contact with English was my DF listening to "Calling all Beginners" (learn English with the BBC in 1965 I think it was).
I started to learn English at school at the age of 10 way way before the internet, before more then two television programmes and when you had to wait weeks for an English book to arrive.
As you can't get the Abitur without 2 MFL , I carried English through to the end (+ French and Latin). For a real language experience I had "BFBS the radio division of the SSVC" if I remember the slogan correctly.
Now I try not to get too rusty, old fashioned or too young.
Today with all those resources (sp?) it is way easier and I envy my DC.
I still remember the moment of real joy when I suddenly found out I could follow a football commentary without having to think about it.
English is lovely.

@Nonstopbuttmachine yes, children start learning it from primary school. During secondary school, they also learn a few other foreign languages. I used to be quite good at French too (could read simple books but also newspapet articles in French) and I am able to have a casual conversation in German.

Prokup that's a lovely story, enjoy the football

Honeybee, I can order breakfast in French too. And Greek 😂

@nonstopbuttmachine
So frappe and bougatsa for you .
Oh and please don’t call your Greek friends malakas, unless you are close and you call them malaka mou with a sweet voice!

We were taught English at primary school (Netherlands), but I mostly learned it from watching films and listening to music

Where I live (central European country) children have the option to learn English during their last year of kindergarten and 1st year of school (aged 5-6 ) and nearly all children take that option as it then becomes compulsory in 2nd grade (aged 7). By 5th grade (aged 10) most are fluent, and then there is the option of beginning to learn another foreign language.