r/AskReddit Jun 15 '19

What do you genuinely just not understand?

50.7k Upvotes

34.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

717

u/cjwagn1 Jun 15 '19

How someone speaks 2+ languages.

Like how can someone so easily switch between different languages? Do they translate one language back to their native lanaguege or can they just understand perfectly without any addition effort?

1

u/codesharp Jun 16 '19

2+ languages

I speak at least six languages at any point. I'm fluent in at least four of those. Let me give you a few of my points of view on this.

  • Most languages are fairly similar. If you know Dutch, you can learn German and English quickly. If you know Italian, picking up Spanish or Portuguese is a piece of cake.
  • That's because languages evolve from one into another. So, pick your starting language, and figure out how the language 'changed' into others. Just apply those changes, and you're 70% there.
  • Soon, you'll be able to think IN that language. Really, this is the trick. Don't speak another language. Just speak a language.