to only speak English?

[forbiddenfruit85]

I wish I knew another language fluently I really do. I know very basic French and German from school, and wish the subject had been pushed more.

Each time I have been asked by a foreigner, how many languages do you speak? I do feel judged when I say - just English.

However I think if I did come from a country where English was not my mother tongue then I would have definitely learnt it and then be fluent in two languages.

I think the problem is that you need to speak a language well before its actually useful - DH speaks three European languages fluently and it is very well received in business situations where in theory everyone speaks English. I speak GCSE German and it doesn't really get you anywhere more than onto the right train, whereas DH can have a long discussion with the ticket seller about what the cheapest ticket is for the holiday we're planning and work out precisely the thing we need.

OP I wouldn't feel too bad. I meet English speakers here in Belgium, some of whom have been born and brought up here, they cannot speak either of the 3 national languages fluently as they've been sent to international English schools here! That really is a pity.

I agree about that need to speak the language being key. It safest thing to do but the only languages I still speak fluently are English and French because I need to use them both on a daily basis.

It's a great thing to do, even...

I have been on international field trips where the common tongue was International (American) English. The few of us who were English northerners, if we talked rapidly, were told that no-one else could understand what we were saying!

Sorry, apropos of nothing...

It's a bit odd - I was always like you OP. I knew loads of Europeans with language skills in multiple languages and always felt duff in comparison. Now I do speak another language (after living in the country) I don't actually feel particularly 'accomplished'. It's a skill gained from hard work and interacting with people steming from a need-to-learn, rather than just pleasure/natural talent iyswim. Now I realise it was also the same for most of my old friends.

You think things will change because you speak another language but it doesn't. People are just similar wherever you go - people you like/don't like/get on your nerves.

I guess there is the politeness aspect however. I cringe a bit when expats ask 'do you speak english?' - I feel a token effort to say something, even if learnt by heart, goes a very long way.

LeBFG - I know what you mean, before I moved to France I thought it would feel like having magical powers being able to speak fluently in French. The reality is nothing like that! It's definitely been a hard slog for me, sometimes depressing and unrewarding. Like maybe finally you dare to tell yourself 'yeah, I think I've got it now, I'll be able to handle anything in French from now on' - then you spend a night out in a noisy bar/restaurant in a group of native speakers who are talking nineteen to the dozen, conversation trails splitting and mixing every which way, everyone laughing at jokes you didn't catch or didn't understand...you realise you can't just relax and enjoy the evening, you have to really WORK to follow and get something out of it. I consider myself fluent in French in some ways, but in others I feel I will never be as comfortable in French as in English. I feel really happy with how far I've come but there's nothing cool or magic about it in reality! No pain, no gain has definitely been true for me...

I am not really sure but I think there are different methods for learning a language. Some focus on memorization, some on learning grammar/syntax, some on listening and repeating, some on immersion in the language, etc. I suppose the only thing to do is to try a method and see if it works for you.

When I lived in the UK (admittedly two years ago before the worst of the crisis hit) my local council offered free language lessons in popular languages, e.g. French, Spanish, so that might be an idea.

Alternatively the Open University may offer courses at a reasonable rate, or if you have a University near you look in the language department for students who are offering tutoring services (they may charge a more reasonable rate than language schools).